Submission (movie)

Submission was a movie made in 2004. It was directed by Theo van Gogh. Ayaan Hirsi Ali wrote the script. She made the story. The movie is 10 minutes long. The movie title is a direct translation of the word Islam into English.

The movie tells the story of four fictional characters.  All four characters are played by a single actress wearing a veil.Review of Submission by Phil Hall The woman wears a see-through chador but is otherwise naked. Different verses of the Qur'an are painted onto her body.Video of Submission  by Theo van Gogh, Arabic and English, Dutch SubtitlesSPIEGEL Interview with Hirsi Ali: "We Must Declare War on Islamist Propaganda" - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

The characters shown in the movie are Muslim women who have been abused in different ways.  For example, one woman has been raped by someone close to her. These women have a monologue - they speak to themselves.

The movie dramatically  highlights three verses of the Quran (  and ). These verses seem make it allowed to treat women badly. The authors of the movie show the verses painted on the women's bodies.

Mohammed Bouyeri assassinated Theo van Gogh, after the movie had been shown on Dutch TV. Bouyeri is a Moroccan-Dutch Muslim who was mad about the movie. The assassination happened on 2 November 2004. A letter'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 linked the murder to Van Gogh's movie 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, a person who hides, denies, or covers the truth. The letter was also against America, Europe, the Netherlands, and Hirsi Ali herself. After 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. Christian churches were also attacked.  Eleven other Muslim men were also arrested, other than Bouyeri. They were charged with conspiracy to assassinate Hirsi Ali.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 It was withdrawn from the International Film Festival Rotterdam.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 movie had been scheduled to be shown on Sunday during a discussion on freedom of speech in movie 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 movie."Submission: Part I (2004) (TV) - News The movie was shown on television in a number of European countries.Televisions stations that have aired the movie include VPRO (the Netherlands, August 29, 2004), DR (Denmark, November 11, 2004), and RAI (Italy, May 12 2005).

Hirsi Ali has said 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 she was asked if she would submit to threats against her life, she said "Not me."

References

Other websites

Hirsi Ali on Film over Position of Women in Koran 

Category:2004 movies
Category:2000s documentary movies
Category:Dutch documentary movies