The world right now is hearing about the anti-Mohammed film that has sparked great tension in the Middle East. Protests and violent actions have broken out across the Arab world and North Africa. It definitely has the potential to explode into large social unrest and drastically increase anti-American sentiment. Its possible, although its not likely to be social unrest that really challenges any social structures. By that I mean don’t expect any kind of revolution or anything as a result. Its just going to make things (more) chaotic for however long, I couldn’t say.

I think its important to keep in mind when thinking about it and its possible impacts is the material conditions that surround the release of this film. This is not a “thought provoking” film, it is an insult from what I have managed to see of it, as well as the opinion of others. There seemingly is no value to it, no questioning of following a religion based on Mohammed and his conversations with God. It isn’t even seriously critical of the man Mohammed himself. Its basically an outright slander intended to provoke anger. My opinion of this, I think is validated somewhat by the fact that those who produced it are keeping anonymous. One person has been identified as being behind the film and has gone into hiding.

To be honest with the situation we must not look at this film as though it exists in a vacuum. Viewing the reaction by the Middle East and North Africa as some sort of “violent temper tantrum” response. It would be all too easy for us (and many times more easy for reactionaries) to view their response as simply being overblown. We must consider the reality of the global situation today in which this film is being released into. This is not some sort of “troll” movie being put out into the public looking for a reaction. This movie is being put out at a time where the ideology and people attacked by it are physically being attacked by US imperialism in a very acute way. The recent conquests of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya as well as hostilities towards Syria and Iran place this film in a very different context. As these people in this area of the world are being physically destroyed and killed, this film is being release by the people and system that is carrying out those atrocities. Literally this is adding insult to injury.

Unfortunately many won’t acknowledge this and simply see the Muslim world’s reaction as simple anti-Western hatred. The hate they are always portrayed as having for us, the old fraudulent cliche of “hating us for our freedoms”. If anyone is going to seriously and honestly look into this film and the reaction it has provoked from the world’s Muslims, they must accept this fact: This film is a bombardment of insults at a time when the people it targets are being physically bombarded with bombs.