September 27th, 2012—Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, director, writer and producer of the scathing “Innocence of Muslims” film, has been arrested, but not for the reason you may suspect.
He was, in fact, arrested for violating his probation, which stipulates, among other terms, that he is not permitted to use the internet or names other than his own without the knowledge and consent of his probation officer. Nakoula was also arrested for bank fraud in 2009, when he spent 21 months in jail and paid nearly $800,000 in restitution. This followed his 1997 arrest for the production of methamphetamine; he is reported to have violated this probation as well.
“Innocence of Muslims,” filmed June 2011, was posted on Youtube in July and went viral after being translated and broadcast on Al Nas, a popular Egyptian television channel. Outrage quickly spread throughout the Islamic world, sparking violent anti-American protests, first in Egypt and Libya.
A flurry of questions arose as the intensity of anti-American sentiment in response to the video, which grossly insults the Islamic faith and mocks the prophet, Mohammed, grew. Who is “Sam Bacile”, the creator of the contested film? Who are the actors starring in this film? (Actress Cindy Lee Garcia has spoken out in the past ten days, claiming to have been duped by the film’s director.) What precautions should be taken to protect other United States’ ambassadors? Could the film be taken down? If so, would this be a violation of the First Amendment?
On September 13th, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed this final question at a meeting of U.S. and Moroccan representatives in Washington D.C. Clinton defended free speech in the U.S., saying: “[While] we [the Unite States government] absolutely reject [the video’s] content and message… Our country does have a long tradition of free expression, which is enshrined in our Constitution and our law. And we do not stop individual citizens from expressing their views, no matter how distasteful they may be.”
President Obama echoed her words in the speech he delivered before the United Nations just two weeks later. He stated that, “Here in the United States, countless publications provoke offense. Like me, the majority of Americans are Christian, and yet we do not ban blasphemy against our most sacred beliefs. As president of our country, and commander in chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so.”
Were it not for his criminal background and standing probation, Nakoula would remain a free man. Is this fair, considering the outrage this low-budget, vulgar video clip has caused? The lives it has cost? The obvious strain it has put on relations between the U.S. and Islamic world? Comment below to discuss.