THE HAGUE: Dutch businesses Saturday threatened to sue far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders if his anti-Islam film led to a commercial boycott, as EU foreign ministers and more Muslim countries condemned it.
“I don’t know if Wilders is rich, or well-insured, but in the case of a boycott, we would look to see if we could make him bear responsibility,
Bernard Wientjes, chairman of the Dutch employers’ organization VNO-NCW, told the newspaper Het Financieel Dagblad.
“A boycott would hurt Dutch exports. Businesses such as Shell, Philips and Unilever are easily identifiable as Dutch companies, he was quoted as saying.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit called the film an “offence to the religion of more than a billion Muslims, echoing condemnation from other Muslim countries and international bodies.
Cairo wants Western countries “to adopt laws which criminalize any offence … against religious symbols, just like flagrant violations of human rights and forms of racism, he said in a statement.
Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad suggested a boycott on Saturday, echoing a similar call by media in Jordan.
“If we boycott Dutch products, they will have to close down their businesses, Mohamad told reporters. “If the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims unite and say they won’t buy, then it (the boycott) will be effective.
Muslim nations have condemned the 17-minute film “Fitna, released on the internet on Thursday, which links images of extremist attacks to verses from the Quran.
Although there were no mass disturbances in the Netherlands, in Utrecht two cars were set ablaze overnight, with a written slogan calling for the death of Wilders.
Late Friday the British website host pulled “Fitna from its site www.liveleak.com, citing threats made to staff. It can still be seen on YouTube and other sites.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon led condemnation of the film, calling it “offensively anti-Islamic.
“There is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence. The right of free speech is not at stake here, he said in a statement.
The Dutch government rejected the film, which appeared two years after violent clashes were sparked by the publication of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohamed in Danish newspapers.
The 27 European Union foreign ministers meeting in Slovenia supported the Netherlands’ stance, in a joint statement.
“The film equates Islam with violence and this view is sharply rejected. The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence, they said.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende on Friday warned people not to be beguiled by the film’s initially calm reception.
“Sometimes it can take months before the true repercussions are felt, he said.
Outrage over the Prophet cartoons peaked several months after their initial publication in 2005.
The government of Afghanistan, where protests broke out against “Fitna, demanded a worldwide ban on the film.
The foreign ministry of the mainly Muslim Malaysia attacked Wilders for producing it.
“Portraying Islam as a religion advocating extremism is not only misleading and erroneous but also blatant disregard and utter disrespect for Islam, it said in a statement.
And Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said in a statement: “Freedom of expression does not give anyone the license to insult another’s religion or race.
Wilders, head of the Freedom Party, which has nine seats in the Dutch parliament, denied responsibility for any repercussions. He has called for the Quran to be banned in the Netherlands, calling it “fascist.
