The Innocence of Muslims (unrated)

This is the film that has had the whole world in a frenzy for the last few days. It has provoked the murder of the American ambassador to Libya, the burning down of the German embassy in Sudan, and countless other acts of violence.

So what is the film about, and why are Moslems getting so excited about it? I can't give it a rating, because I've only seen a 14-minute excerpt on YouTube. I shall buy the film when it becomes available on DVD, even though it seems to be of exceedingly poor quality. Supposedly it's an anti-Islamic film. This isn't supported by the excerpt I've seen. It looks like a religious satire, unusual when dealing with Islam, though common in dealing with Christianity. The best example of a Christian religious satire is "The Life of Brian". The problem is that Moslems in general have been brought up with too many inhibitions to be able to appreciate satire. I would have expected them to have lightened up after making a fool of themselves over the 2005 Danish cartoons. They still need to learn how to laugh.

On the other hand, it's all a lot of fuss over a poor quality film that would never have become well known if it had not been for the protests. Some cynics have even suggested that the film's producers paid Moslem groups to riot. It's time for a high quality film to be made about the life of Mohammed. It should be factual, neither praising nor attacking Islam, simply showing the life of the man who invented Islam. My personal choice of actor to play Mohammed would be Jake Gyllenhaal. Most people around the world would welcome an informational film. Some Moslems would decry it without even seeing it, because they are afraid to find out the truth about Mohammed. But the truth is necessary in order to have an open discussion.

Click here to view an excerpt from the film. It's possible this link will be broken soon.