…did the Pre-Emptive Rage of the run-up to the release of Geert Wilders’ film pre-empt post-release Fitna Rage?

Reuters reports : “The Netherlands breathed a sigh of relief on Friday after Dutch Muslims reacted with restraint to the release of a film by a Dutch lawmaker that accuses the Koran of inciting violence.”

You mean they acted like normal people who just wrinkle their noses (maybe) when they don’t like a movie? Let’s give them the Order of William, the Netherlands highest military honor (I looked it up).

But 21-gun salutes for “Muslims restraint” are beside the point. The question is, why would there be no Muslim “rage” this time around (as opposed what we have seen in the past with Satanic Verses Rage, Koran Rage, Cartoon Rage, Pope Rage, even Teddy Bear Rage)? It’s very early yet, and sometimes these things take time (you think it’s easy to find Dutch flags in Kashmir?). But I think that if one day we look back and recall that Fitna’s Pre-Emptive Rage was followed by a period of Fitna Calm, the answer lies in the process of pre-emptive appeasement on the part of the Dutch and other Europeans that accompanied and, indeed, outstripped the pre-emptive rage of the Muslims. In other words, they got what they wanted: embarassingly abject apologies and the further ostracizement of Geert Wilders–and his point of view. Meanwhile, at the UN, the defamation of “religions”–namely, Islam–is fast becoming an international no-no. Why go to the trouble of rioting? The sea change is proceeding apace.

News Flash from Pakistan: Fitna protest in Karachi outside a mosque. Guess they found some flags.

New flash from Denmark: Kurt Westergaard, he of bomb-head Mohammed cartoon fame, is planning to sue Geert Wilders for Wilders’ use of his cartoon in Fitna. Oh, brother. (Psst, Kurt: Every time somebody reprints your terrific cartoon, freedom of speech in the West is upheld, remember? The problem has been, so very few media outlets have had the guts to do so. Please, have a glug of Danish beer and think it over…)

Meanwhile, from the same story, an interesting Fitna Rage–Fita Controlled Rage–report out of Jordan:

“Meanwhile, a coalition of Jordanian media says they will take Mr Wilders to court over the film and urged Arab leaders to review ties with Denmark and the Netherlands.

” `We held an urgent meeting Thursday evening and decided to sue extremist and Zionist deputy Geert Wilders,’ over the film deemed offensive to the Koran, Islam’s holiest book, coalition spokesman Zakaria al-Sheikh said.

“Sheikh said the coalition of 30 Jordanian independent newspapers, websites and radios would also initiate a campaign to boycott Dutch products in addition to launching legal proceedings against Mr Wilders in Jordan.

“He also urged Arab leaders at a weekend summit in Damascus `to denounce campaigns hostile to Islam and review their ties with countries like Denmark and the Netherlands where these campaigns were launched.’

“A handful of Muslim countries had responded early Friday, with Iran saying the short movie showed some Westerners were waging a `vendetta’ against Islam, and warning of unspecified repercussions.

“Bangladesh also said the film could have `grave consequences,’ while a coalition of Jordanian media said it would sue Mr Wilders and launch a campaign to boycott Dutch products.

“The European Union’s Slovenian Presidency also attacked the film, saying it served `no other purpose than inflaming hatred.’

“But Muslim leaders in The Netherlands called at a joint press conference for their co-religionists in other countries not to over-react.

” `We call on them to follow our strategy and not react with attacks on Dutch embassies or tourists,’ the head of the Dutch Moroccan community, Mohamed Rabbae, said.

” `We feel offended by the link between violence and Islam but we know this guy [and] the best response is a response in a responsible manner.’ ”

Welcome to Sophisticated Rage.

Have PoliticalMavens.com delivered to your inbox in a daily digest by clicking here