The controversial film Fitna is a blessing in disguise which enables Indonesian Muslims to show the true face of Islam, speakers in a discussion on the Dutch film concluded.
"We have to show the opposite to the Islam that Wilders wants to portray," said Bambang Pranowo, am expert at the Defense Ministry, at a Kantata Research Indonesia forum on Tuesday.
The short movie, made by the right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders, links some Koranic verses with acts of violence, such as the 9/11 attacks and the London bombing.
"We need to promote Indonesian Muslim characteristics, which include the ability to develop peacefully. Our strategy should be ramah (friendly) and not marah (angry)," he said.
Syafiq Hasyim, deputy director of the International Center for Islam and Pluralism, underlined that the extreme views propagated by Wilders were not widely supported and urged Muslims against excessive reactions.
"The film hurts the ongoing dialogue between Islam and others but we can't generalize that everyone in the West thinks like Wilders. Even in the Netherlands, many people protested against him," he said.
"He wants to frame Islam, maybe to campaign politically for himself or he has a personal world agenda of his own.
"This opens a window of opportunity for people who are against him to do something. That's what we have to avoid. Don't let ourselves get trapped into manifesting what Geert Wilders wants to prove."
Bambang said legal measures and government protests against people who tried to defame Islam were more effective than street protests, taking the example of British Prince Harry who had to apologize after being photographed wearing a Nazi uniform because of public opinion.
He supported President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's request for a blockade of websites showing the short film.
"We have to do something rather than doing nothing. If our young people saw it, it could cause trouble," he said.
However, the web blockade lasted only three days, due to widespread public complaints.
"This is a learning process ... that there is no use in violence ... People who get used to violence are thinking, reading and checking other reactions too. I believe if the mainstream prefers moderation, violent reaction will not be popular," Bambang said.
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