Jeffrey Overstreet - Looking Closer

A Scene That's Not in the Re-make of Alfie

From James Bowman, quoted in Amy Wellborn's blog, here's a reminder of a scene in the original Alfie that somehow didn't end up in the new re-make of Alfie. Maybe it'll show up on the DVD as a "deleted scene." We can hope...Read more

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Barbara Nicolosi on Civility, Despite Our Differences

But she does say this... Read more

by Jeffrey Overstreet

U2 Update: Sunday Times

The Sunday Times takes us behind the scenes for one-on-one interviews with each member of U2.Read more

by Jeffrey Overstreet

Email from a Reader re: The Death of Theo Van Gogh

I posted the news about Theo Van Gogh's murder, and quickly received this interesting reply that fills in more of the picture. With the writer's permission, I'd like to share it with you:

... I want you to know a little bit more about Theo van Gogh, the Dutch filmmaker who was murdered last Tuesday in Amsterdam. (By the way, I'm from the Netherlands.)

I conclude from your comment on the "Michael Moore's ego" post [which has since been deleted for other reasons - Jeffrey] that Theo van Gogh has become something of a martyr in the fight against radical islam.

Just a little bit of background information: Theo van Gogh was an extremely provocative person. He was not only a filmmaker, but also a newspaper columnist. With what he wrote and said he offended almost everybody. The last few years he mainly aimed at Muslims, but he once called Christians "supporters of the rotten fish of Nazareth". In his columns he referred to Muslims as "goat f-----s" and called a leader of a radical muslim group "the pimp of the Prophet".

What happened last Tuesday shocked me. I knew who Van Gogh was and what he said. It was clear that he angered Muslims. He received several dead threats in past few months. But it's horrifying when someone decides to use a gun.

I have mixed feelings. There absolutely no justification whatsoever for the killing of Theo van Gogh. And there's a lot to say about the growing threat of radical muslim terrorism. But I'm convinced that Van Gogh did also cross a line. But he did it 'only' with words.

Oh, and his movie about violence against women under Islam DID cause some uproar. But I don't think that's what bothered (radical) Muslims the most. In my view the killing has less to do with that movie, than with his constant scolding of Muslims and their religion.

What Van Gogh said about Muslims didn't really enter American news reports. So I'm certainly NOT blaming you.

"Now they're killing filmmakers who speak ill of Islamic oppression". That's right. But there's more to say. Unfortunately.

Matthijs de Jong

Ede, The Netherlands

by Jeffrey Overstreet

The Murder of Van Gogh

Andrew Sullivan puts the spotlight on details that should not be ignored. [Update: 2004 posts by Sullivan were not archived on the site, so I'm posting it here in its entirety.]

THE MURDERER OF VAN GOGH: No, I'm not letting go of this story. When a film-maker in a liberal Western country is shot, has his throat cut and then has a long manifesto pinned into his flesh with a knife in broad daylight, more people need to be concerned. Now it turns out that the murderer, who had completely blended into Dutch society, belonged to the same Islamist cult as Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the terrorist now at large in Iraq. The cult is called Takfir Wal Hijra. Here's a useful Dutch blog on the case. Money quote:

"TIME wrote about Takfir Wal Hijra: 'Takfir wal Hijra is a sort of Islamic fascism.' However, even more interesting is the assertion that Takfir Wal Hijra apparently allows its members to appear non-radical, and even non-Islamic, if the mission requires it: 'The threat of Takfir is that its cold, heartless killers could easily be the boy or girl next door. Takfir Wal Hijra members are permitted to disregard the injunctions of Islamic law in order to blend into infidel societies. In other words, Takfirs can have sex with loose women, drink alcohol, eat pork and do whatever else they feel is appropriate to advance their mission.'"

That was also true of the murderers of 9/11. How conveeenient. The note - written in fluent, literate Dutch - is chilling. Here is part of its message. Remember that it was pinned into someone's flesh with a knife, and also threatened another person, Dutch parliamentarian, Ayaan Hirsi Ali:

I know for sure that you, Oh America will go under;
I know for sure that you, Oh Europe, will go under;
I know for sure that you, Oh Holland, will go under;
I know for sure that you, Oh Hirsi Ali, will go under;
I know for sure that you, Oh unbelieving fundamentalist, will go under.

What part of that do we not understand?

by Jeffrey Overstreet