Submission: Part I (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Theo van Gogh

Writers:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (scenario) and
Theo van Gogh (writer)

Release Date:

29 August 2004 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Short | Drama

Plot:

Short film on the mistreatment of women in the Islam. It shows abused women, with Koran texts on their bodies that validate their mistreatment. |

Plot Keywords:

Mistreatment | Koran | Islam | Human Rights | Women's Rights

Runtime:

12 min

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Trivia:

The co-producer of Van Gogh's Column Productions has withdrawn the film from distribution and refused to give anyone permission to screen it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-01-25)" (2008)

to Denmark guy, again

Are there laws in Denmark against beating women? In most civilised countries, there are. This is what Hirsi Ali was expressing: that women are often abused in Muslim households and are often powerless to stop it. You may consider it blasphemous to fight for women's rights, but Hirsi Ali would disagree.

You call it propaganda... So is the Diary of Anne Frank (or any other book written about a person's experience) propaganda? It, like Submission, also describes the experiences of one person, as they experienced the world. Submission is an expression of what Hirsi Ali has seen/experienced. You insult yourself when you say it is generalising about all Muslims because nowhere in the film does it say every Muslim abuses every woman. Does every piece of work always have to represent everyone? If I write a play about a Dane, does he have to represent all Danes? If he commits a crime, are all Danes criminals?

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (www.vpro.nl) has lived in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya. In my opinion, she understands what goes on in Muslim countries better than someone in Denmark. Furthermore, this piece is a combination of what happened to many women she encountered as well as herself. There were a few people who thought that Ms. Ali knows nothing about Islam. If you know anything about her, you would inevitably disagree. I commend you, gentlemen for not beating your wives... and ladies who are able to work in Egypt and other Muslim countries. In fact... I think you should write a play glorifying Islam's treatment of women (and hope you don't get stabbed). I just want to know why you think your experiences are representative of everyone else's in the Islamic world?

To conclude... even if Ms. Ali is lying, making up stories, etc., in Holland/Western Europe, she has every right to do so. If you are offended by it, change the channel. If you think this is the first time a piece of film misrepresented a people... go watch a Country Western, observe the savage Indians hopping around on horses, making bird calls. However, no one seems to raise their voice about how Native American culture is 'misrepresented' or try to stab John Wayne in broad daylight on a busy street.