Submission (film)

Infobox Film
name = Submission


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director =
producer = Theo van Gogh
writer = Ayaan Hirsi Ali
starring =
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cinematography =
editing =
distributor = VPRO
released = August 29, 2004
runtime =
country =
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language =
budget =
preceded_by =
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imdb_id = 0432109

"Submission" is a 10-minute film in English directed by Theo van Gogh and written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (a former Tweede Kamer member for the Dutch People's Party for Freedom and Democracy); it was shown on the Dutch public broadcasting network (VPRO) on August 29, 2004. The film's title is a direct translation of the word "Islam" (see also the etymology and meaning of the word).

Content

[
Submission. The actress plays the role of a Muslim woman (dressed with a transparent black clothing) as having been beaten and raped by a relative. The bodies are used in the film as a canvas for verses from the Qur'an. [ [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7106648073888697427 Submission] by Theo van Gogh] ] The film tells the story of four fictional characters played by a single actress wearing a veil, [http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1823 Review of Submission by Phil Hall] ] but clad in a see-through chador, her naked body painted with verses from the Koran. [ [http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,356485,00.html SPIEGEL Interview with Hirsi Ali: "We Must Declare War on Islamist Propaganda" - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News ] ] The characters are Muslim women who have been abused in various ways. The film contains monologues of these women and dramatically highlights three verses of the Quran,(cite quran|4|34|style=nosup|expand=no cite quran|2|222|style=nosup|expand=no and cite quran|24|2|style=nosup|expand=no) that authorize mistreatment of women, by showing them painted on women’s bodies.

Motivation

Hirsi Ali has said "it is written in the Koran a woman may be slapped if she is disobedient. This is one of the evils I wish to point out in the film". [ [http://www.dnd.nl/showarticle.php3?newsID=15018 Hirsi Ali on Film over Position of Women in Koran] ] In an answer to a question about whether the film would offend Muslims, Hirsi Ali said that "if you're a Muslim woman and you read the Koran, and you read in there that you should be raped if you say 'no' to your husband, that is offensive. And that is insulting." [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/11/60minutes/main679609.shtml Slaughter And 'Submission', Creator Of Dutch Film Vows Sequel Despite Muslim Death Threats - CBS News ] ]

Director of the film, Theo Van Gogh, known as a highly controversial and provocative personality, [ [http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0446,lim,58473,20.html Lim, Dennis: The Village Voice, November16th, 2004] "he was most famous for being a radical-libertarian loudmouth. A political columnist who got fired from almost every newspaper in the country, he delighted in blurring the line between free speech and hatemongering—he insisted on calling conservative Muslims 'goatfuckers.' " ] [ [http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1823 Review of Submission by Phil Hall] "In his own career, van Gogh was a minor figure within Dutch culture who was known for writing rude political columns and creating films designed to challenge the sensibilities of Dutch audiences – which was no mean feat, given that nation’s excessively liberal social environment." ] called the film a "political pamphlet". [ [http://www.theovangogh.nl/Hirsi_Subm.html Simons, Marlese. “Ex-Muslim turns her lens on a taboo”, The New York Times] ” 'Of course it's a political pamphlet; that's undeniable,' said Theo van Gogh, who directed the film and insisted....." ]

Reception

While the film drew both praise and outrage over its portrayal of the abused women, [http://www.theovangogh.nl/Hirsi_Subm.html Simons, Marlese: Ex-Muslim turns her lens on a taboo, The New York Times] ] as a criticism of Islam it drew the following comment from "The Village Voice" movie critic Dennis Lim, “It's depressing to think that this morsel of glib effrontery could pass as a serious critique of conservative Islam.” [ [http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0446,lim,58473,20.html Lim, Dennis: The Village Voice, November16th, 2004] ] Another critic referred to the stories told in this film as "simplistic, even caricatures." "Film Threat" movie critic Phil Hall, on the other hand, stated that "If its methods were harsh, nonetheless “Submission” was bold in openly questioning misogyny and a culture of violence against women because of Koranic interpretations. The questions raised in the film deserve to be asked: is it divine will to assault or kill women? Is there holiness in holding women at substandard levels, denying them the right to free will and independent thought? And ultimately, how can such a mindframe exist in the 21st century?" [ [http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1823] ]

After the movie's broadcast on Dutch public TV, newspaper "De Volkskrant" reported on claims of plagiarism against Hirsi Ali and Van Gogh, made by internet journalist Francisco van Jole. Van Jole said the duo had "aped" the ideas of Iranian-American video artist Shirin Neshat. Neshat's work, which made abundant use of Arabic text projected onto bodies, had been shown in the Netherlands in 1997 and 2000.

On November 2, 2004, Theo van Gogh was assassinated in public by Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch Muslim of Moroccan descent. A letter, [ [http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/312 'Jihad Manifesto' ] - A call to destroy America and all "unbelievers", English translation - letter left on Theo Van Gogh's body by the militant Islamist killer, "Militant Islam Monitor.org, November 5, 2004"] stabbed through and affixed to the body by a dagger, linked the murder to Van Gogh's film and his views regarding Islam. It was addressed to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and called for "jihad" against "kafir" (kafir is an Arabic word for unbeliever), and so, against America, Europe, the Netherlands, and Hirsi Ali herself. Following the murder of Van Gogh, tens of thousands gathered in the center of Amsterdam to mourn Van Gogh's death. There were fire-bombings of mosques and Muslim schools, and counterattacks against Christian churches. Besides Bouyeri, eleven other Muslim men were arrested and charged with conspiracy to assassinate Hirsi Ali. [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/11/60minutes/main679609.shtml Slaughter And 'Submission'] - Creator Of Dutch Film Vows Sequel Despite Muslim Death Threats, "CBS, Aug. 20, 2006"]

After the murder of Theo van Gogh, "Submission" gained international fame. It was withdrawn from the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film had been scheduled to be shown on Sunday during a discussion on freedom of speech in film at the festival. Because of the violent murder of Van Gogh, the producer of "Submission", Gijs van de Westelaken, said, "We do not want to take any chance of endangering anyone else who participated in the film." [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432109/news Submission: Part I (2004) (TV) - News ] ] The film was shown on television in a number of European countries. [Televisions stations that have aired the film include VPRO (the Netherlands, August 29, 2004), DR (Denmark, November 11, 2004), and RAI (Italy, May 12 2005).]

Hirsi Ali has stated she would like to make a sequel to the movie because "By not making 'Submission Part II,' I would only be helping terrorists believe that if they use violence, they're rewarded with what they want." When asked if she would submit to threats against her life, she said "Not me." [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/11/60minutes/main679609_page3.shtml Slaughter And 'Submission', Creator Of Dutch Film Vows Sequel Despite Muslim Death Threats - CBS News ] ]

ee also

*Fitna (film)
*Apostasy
*Controversies related to Islam and Muslims
*Criticism of Islam
*Criticism of the Qur'an
*Islamist Terrorism
*Women in Muslim societies
*The Satanic Verses controversy – controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses"
*Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case
*Piss Christ – controversial photograph

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0432109|title=Submission
* [http://www.dnd.nl/showarticle.php3?newsID=15018 Hirsi Ali on Film over Position of Women in Koran]