WARNING for Dutch and Danish overlanders!!
 

Warning for Dutch and Danish travellers but probably for all "white" travellers in Muslim countries. The Dutch politician Geert Wilders has finished his anti Islam movie "Fitna". It will be released on the Internet one of these days and some Islamic areas are already on fire. On top of that, the Danish news paper who published the Mohamed Cartoons in 2005 is going to republish them!

THIS IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY, AS I CAN REPORT FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!!!!!

I, myself have been under serious attack by a demonstrating mob crowd in N'Djamena, Chad, in February 2006. The demonstration was against the "West" in general and Denmark in particular. It was unannounced and we were caught by surprise. We barely managed to escape a few hundred raving mad demonstrators throwing bricks, stones and steel bars at our car. I could only escape by giving full throttle into the crowd and turn into an alley making speed while bricks were flying all over the place. Since that day my car is full of dents and other scars. That however is nothing compared to what might have happened if they had managed to stop us! We got a police escort to the airport where we stayed in a protected area until the turmoil calmed down, which was not for several hours. When we drove through the city centre the next day, it was full with burned out westerners cars (mostly NGO) !!

For all travellers; keep yourself well informed about local situations and possible demonstration but try to avoid cities all together if the reactions in the Muslim world are as bad as everybody fears!

In hind sight I think this was a case of extreme bad luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Otherwise we did not meet any hositlity whatsoever in any Muslim country and as a matter of fact we felt most secure and welcome in the Islamic regions of North and West Africa!

But we learned the hard way that things can change very rapidly.


Good luck & Happy travels
Noel
exploreafrica.web-log.nl

I am soooo fu..... tired of this crap.

I really hope it clears up so that I can visit the middel east or africa next year.

Being in a car is way better than on a motorcycle in cases like that, but I don't want a car.

Thanks for the warning. I didn't think it was that bad, but obviously it is...

For Overlanders on their way
 

Fitna the Movie is out now on the Internet. If your travelling in a Muslims country stay alert and watch out for demonstrations

Noel

And the "movie" isn't even interesting (or controversial for that matter). All the fuss about nothing, such a shame.
I think talking to people and getting to know each other will prevent a lot of trouble. But then again, I'm an optimist.
So, yes, I'll be carefull and no, I'm not going to have Wilders spoil my trip.

I don't think Wilders will spoil your trip. He is to busy with politics in the Netherlands.
You may have a risk that some other people who know nothing about freedom of speech and about tolerance for other peoples point of view, may think they need to prove that Wilders is right with his film about muslim violence.