Quote Originally Posted by McLeodGanja
Isn't it just that they want the west to stop turning their homelands into a bloodbath from trying to impose western "democracy" on them through military force?
For the radical sects of this religion, it's much more than that. Many of the clerics in the Middle East have stated that as long as there are Jews and Christians in their homelands, or Americans in general, that they will continue to wage their wars against us... seeking out the impure, and the "idolators" and trying to inflict harm or death upon them. These are the same clerics who have publicly stated that Islam can never actually consider itself a 'religion of peace' until they have wiped unbelievers from ALL predominantly Muslim nations, whether by conversion or by more lethal means. These are some of the highest regarded imams in the Middle East saying these horrible things, and they easily find justification for their hatred in the Qu'ran. Here are a few excerpts that illustrate my point:

ix.73: O Prophet Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end.

xlvii.4-15: When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads and when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly ....

lx.4: We renounce you (i.e. the idolaters): enmity and hate shall reign between us until you believe in Allah only...

 ii.193: Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme.

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As with any religion, words can easily be misconstrued to reflect other (possibly unintended) meanings... but with words like these, it's easy to see why the most radical elements hate us so much. This is what Geert Wilders is so angry about. Perhaps he's simply misinterpreting what he's read from the Qu'ran, but if this is the case, it's easy to understand why.

P4B - Thanks for the article, I was curious what would become of the film and have been too busy to do much internet research on it. The author is right, you don't have to defend the views expressed in the film in order to advocate its release. Freedom of speech may not be very popular in many places throughout the Middle East, but in many other places throughout the world, it certainly is important... and for some people, even at the expense of putting their own lives in danger.