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Hirsi Ali wins fight over Islam criticism
 The Hague Court refused to censor MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Tuesday, dismissing a court challenge to her criticism of the Islam faith and a planned sequel to her controversial film "Submission". The ruling comes after several Muslims took legal action against the Liberal VVD MP in a bid to prevent her from making what they believe to be insulting, offensive or blasphemous remarks against the Islamic faith.
They also demanded the court block a sequel to the film Submission, which accused the Islam faith of endorsing domestic violence. Hirsi Ali made the film in co-operation with Theo van Gogh. The 10-minute documentary is believed to have played a key role in the filmmaker's murder at the hands of a suspected Islamic militant last November. But the court in The Hague ruled on Tuesday there are insufficient grounds to ban a follow-up film, asserting that Hirsi Ali has not acted illegally with her statements. The court did accuse the MP though of testing the bounds of what is acceptable. The theme of the follow-up film is the oppression of the individual under Islam. The lawyer representing the claimants, Robert Moszkowicz, claimed that the film will certainly contain blasphemous elements. He also said Hirsi Ali is repeatedly asserting that the Islam faith is dangerous "without making a distinction between fundamentalist Islam and Islam in general". Moszkowicz demanded an end to such sweeping statements. Following the death of Van Gogh last year, Hirsi Ali was forced into hiding after suspected terrorists threatened her with death. She remains under heavy guard, but has vowed to continue her campaign against Islam. She has in the past called the prophet Mohammed a perverted tyrant by modern standards. The Somali-born MP — herself a victim of female circumcision — is also campaigning against the practice of female genital mutilation, a practice associated with some Islamic cultures. Hirsi Ali has in the past labelled Islam a backward culture, condemning also its oppression of women under Islam. "For me, it is all about a battle of opinions through peaceful means: words against words. I am not out to hurt or offend people with different beliefs," she was quoted saying earlier this year. Posted by: Steve 2005-03-15 |
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