Submission & Slaughter

I just saw a really interesting story on 60 minutes. It was about some events that transpired in the Netherlands last year, and sadly, it was the first time I had ever heard about the controversy.

The story centered on Ayaan Hirsi Ali and a film she wrote, Submission. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a former Muslim of Somali descent who is now a member of the Dutch parliament. She is a strong critic of the way Islam treats some women, and she fled an arranged marriage in Somalia and was given asylum by the Dutch. In the movie, a Muslim woman has verses of the Qu’ran scrawled on her back. The movie criticizes her abuse at the hands of her husband and criticizes Islam for its treatment of women.

After the film was aired on Dutch television, the director and Ayaan Hirsi Ali both received death threats. On November 2nd, 2004, the director was killed by a Muslim man, sparking religious and ethnic conflict in the region. After three months of hiding, Ayaan Hirsi Ali has now returned to Dutch parliament. She is working on the second part of the film and is committed to her Islam Reform Project.

I just watched a 3 minute clip of the film. The entire film is only 12 minutes long, so the clip is probably a good indication of what the entire film covers. It is a disturbing film, as the abused woman is praying to Allah, telling him that she will submit to her husband’s will and Allah’s commands, even though that means unjustified abuse. The site the film is on has received a lot of emails about it; they are interesting reading as well.

My view is that the film is inflammatory, but I think it accurately (although metaphorically) portrays the experience of some Muslim women. I can understand why Muslims who do not abuse women are offended by the film, but of course, I do not condone anyone murdering someone over a film. Overall, I think the film is important to view if you are interested in Islam and the treatment of women in Islam, but it is important to realize that the film does not accurately portray the experience of all Muslim women, and may not accurately portray the experience or opinions of most Muslim women.