Nato Fears Over Dutch Anti-Islam Film

Nato’s secretary general says he fears the airing of a Dutch film criticising Islam will have repercussions for troops in Afghanistan.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer’s comments came after Afghans protested on Sunday against the film being made by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders.

The Dutch government has warned Wilders that the film will damage Dutch political and economic interests.

Wilders says the film is about the Koran but has given few details. In the past, he has called for the Koran to be banned and likened it to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

The project has already been condemned by several Muslim countries, including Iran and Pakistan. Nato’s secretary general said he was concerned about his troops after the protests against the film in Afghanistan.

“If the [troops] find themselves in the line of fire because of the film, then I am worried about it and I am expressing that concern,” he said in a television interview.

On Sunday, hundreds of Afghans took to the streets in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif to protest against the film. Demonstrators burned Dutch flags, and called for the withdrawal of Dutch troops from the Nato force. The demonstrators say they will step up their protests unless the Afghan government expels the troops.

Wilders’ film is called Fitna, an Arabic word used to describe strife or discord. He has said his film will show how the Koran is “an inspiration for intolerance, murder and terror”.
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