The Video That Shook the World- The Domestic Side

 

It is impossible to have watched or read the news in the last few weeks without hearing about the outrages in the Muslim world over the US-made film, ‘Innocence of Muslims.’ The film sparked riots throughout the Middle East as well as in the Western world. The most notable violence caused by those outrages by the footage was the murder of four Americans in the US Consulate located in Benghazi, Libya. The ambassador was one of the individuals killed.

 

With this extreme conflict and hostility aimed at the United States, it is difficult for Americans, and indeed all democratic societies, to empathize with those outraged. To the average citizen, it would seem that the Islamic world is targeting one of the fundamental rights of our ideological system- the right to free speech. However, in the last week new information has surfaced about the creation of the film and the recruitment techniques used by the executives which makes the entire enterprise questionable.

 

Many of the actors involved in the filming of ‘Innocence of Muslims’ have claimed that they were unaware of the intention, or indeed the script, of the film. All of a sudden, the debate has moved from a question of First Amendment rights to target a variety of other violations such as misappropriation, fraud, and invasion of privacy.

 

Cindy Lee Garcia, an actor who played a small role in the film, has begun proceedings to sue the producer of the film as well as Youtube for causing ‘irreparable damage’ to her reputation. She claimed that she had auditioned for a film called ‘Desert Warrior’ which was described as an action-adventure movie. The movie was supposed to be about a man named ‘George.’ Many cast members questioned why the central character in a film set in the historical Middle East had such a Western name, but no information was provided. Nevertheless, there was never any speculation during filming that there was an agenda behind the movie. In fact, the director had never talked about politics or religion.

 

After the movie was completed, many cast members claimed that they were taken into a recording studio and told to say specific, isolated words, one of which was ‘Mohammed.’ They were not given any context while doing these recordings. Apart from Ms. Garcia, seventy eight cast members and crew organized a joint statement which stated their lack of knowledge about the true intent of the film.

 

Despite the slander and death threats suffered by the unknowing staff of the film, a California judge refused to remove the movie from YouTube. A legal representative of the site, Timothy Alger, argued that the federal law protected internet forums from third party requests to remove videos.

 

The question on everyone’s mind now is whether it is right for the First Amendment rights of one man, the director, to be maintained while the lives of almost one hundred cast and crew members are forever being altered in a negative way. While many individuals are outraged at the harassment these unknowing victims are facing, the law has made a judgment in favor of the film. The verdict will undoubtedly be appealed, and the final decision will truly have a historical effect on international and domestic peace.