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Published 24 Mar, 2008 12:00am

Website for film against Quran suspended

AMSTERDAM, March 23: The website where Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders was promoting his not-yet-released film against the Holy Quran has been suspended by its US hosting service, Network Solutions.

The site formerly showed the film’s title with ‘coming soon’. Now it shows a note that the company is investigating whether the site violates its terms of service.

“Network Solutions has received a number of complaints regarding this site that are under investigation,” the note said.

While the exact contents of the 15-minute movie, due to be released by March 31, are unknown, Wilders has said it will underscore his view against the holy book.

Dutch officials fear the film could spark violent protests in Muslim countries, similar to those two years ago after the publication of blasphemous caricatures in a Danish newspaper.

Wilders has said he will release his film on the Internet after television stations refused to air it.

Wilders, who lives under police protection due to death threats, could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday.

“How many ways are there left for me to be worked against?” he was quoted as saying on Saturday night by Dutch press agency ANP.

“If necessary, I’ll go hand out DVDs personally on the Dam,” he said, referring to Amsterdam’s central square.

Thousand pf people demonstrated on the Dam against the film on Saturday in a protest intended to show that Wilders does not represent the whole country.

Wilders heads a reactionary party with nine seats in the 150-member Dutch parliament, elected on an antiimmigration platform.

Network Solutions could not immediately be reached for comment. Its terms of service contains a sweeping prohibition against “objectionable material of any kind or nature.”

A Dutch court will hear a complaint lodged by Muslim groups seeking to bar Wilders from releasing the film on March 28, but there is no legal barrier preventing him from releasing his film before then.

It was not clear whether YouTube or other video-sharing sites would be willing to host the movie.—AP

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