Provocation

The film made about our Prophet by a Copt living in America has a single purpose: to provoke Muslims, to bring them out into the streets, and if possible to make as much blood spilled as possible. In this respect it is an extremely successful film. It has an extremely provocative content that no Muslim with even a little respect and love for himself, his religion and his Prophet could remain indifferent to. The film has no informative or artistic side at all. It has a single purpose: provocation. And the film's producer and director do not hide this purpose. He says that he did it knowingly and with the intent only to insult, without any artistic aim, yet shamelessly demands that this act be viewed within the framework of "freedom of expression." Although it is known that freedom of expression is not unlimited, especially with regard to religions and races, in light of experience with anti-Semitism and racist discourse, its being tolerated to this extent against Islam can only be a strategic choice.

The hypocritical, contemptible fraud of those who, knowing very well how Muslims will react when such an act is committed, then turn around and blame the reactions to it is shameful in the name of humanity. But of course the calculation it contains is more noteworthy. This calculation is one aimed at controlling developments in the Arab world.

With the effect of the film, everyone in the Islamic world who loves his Prophet began to pour into the streets and express their protest and anger in the most intense manner. The US embassy building in Libya was stormed and set on fire, and the ambassador and four employees of the embassy were killed in a terrible manner. Protests continued persistently and effectively in Egypt as well. In the demonstrations held in front of the US Embassy there too, scenes full of violence emerged. The demonstrations and the people's anger have still not subsided. While similar demonstrations were being held in every part of the Islamic world, news came, especially from Tunisia, that the embassy had been occupied by protesters in the evening hours.

No one can say that all these results were not among the film's calculated effects. It is clear that these results were calculated in all their subtleties. A thoroughly wretched, disgusting film without any artistic value finds a meaningful place within this finely worked calculation.

We can say that the desire to bring Muslims out into the street in the Middle East at this time with such a film has several targets in view at once.

First, creating a suitable environment for the foreign intervention expected against the Arab Spring. From the hour the Arab Spring began, the effect of external direction (US-Israel etc.) was constantly stressed, but no concrete proof of it was ever presented. The truth of the matter was that this process was developing spontaneously within the Arab peoples' own dynamics. Saying this does not mean that the powers in question are not cunning and are indifferent to these matters. On the contrary, it said more that they would wait for a favorable ground to intervene in spontaneously developing processes. It was very clear that, instead of confronting popular movements head-on, they preferred, and will prefer, interventions that would derail them with suitable timing. Indeed, they missed, and are missing, no opportunity in this regard. It can be foreseen how a provocation targeted at the anniversary of 9/11 like this will change perceptions of the Arab Spring process and make this process a little more open to foreign interventions.

Second, it is calculated that the results this provocation will create will be decisive in the elections in the US. It is already observed that the Republican candidate Romney, supported by the Neo-Cons against Obama, has gained a noticeable advantage. Romney, for his part, has not refrained from seeing these events as an opportunity to attack Obama both over the Arab Spring process and over his approach to the Middle East in general.

Third, again ahead of the elections, the Obama administration, which appeared insistent on staying away from an adventure on Syria, is wanted to be dragged into a hot intervention environment in the Middle East instead of Syria, which the Republicans too did not want at all. After all, the killing of a US ambassador is not an event that any US president could remain indifferent to. His sending the navy off the coast of Libya following this event is an indication not that US policies have never changed, but that in this event he had to yield to the pressure to give this image. For an Obama who has sent his navy off the coast of Libya, seen from any angle, has been dragged at a time he did not want at all into an environment he did not want at all, a conflict environment, and this is precisely a bowlful of Arab Spring of the kind he was caught in while fleeing from Syria.

Fourth, it was being stressed that Israel was preparing a surprise on the eve of the election for Obama, who removed from the Democratic party platform the statement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Israel, which never accepted in its heart the positive approach Obama followed during the Arab Spring process, with the perception manipulation it has set in motion about Islam, Muslims, the Arab Spring and Obama through this film provocation, is a fitna of the highest order.