U.S. troops in Iraq (Archive photo)
Photo: AP
Anti-Semitic Turkish hit movie slammed
Film shows American-Jewish doctor extracting kidneys from Iraqis for use in Israel and the U.S.; Filmmakers: Movie based on real events in Iraq
BERLIN - A new Turkish action film, Valley of the Wolves – Iraq, is being screened in Germany, and has caused a bitter public debate. Calls have been made to boycott the film due its anti-Semitic and anti-American themes, and senior German politicians have called for the film to be banned due to concerns that it will cause Turkish and Muslim communities in Germany to become more extreme.
The film, which is also the most expensive production made in Turkish film history, has quickly turned into a blockbuster, and over a quarter of a million people in Turkey and Germany have watched it since its release a week ago, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
Last weekend, the number of viewers shot up from 60,000 to 260,000.
The film's plot revolves around a "Turkish Rambo" in Iraq, who seeks to take revenge against the arrest of a group of Turks by the Americans in Iraq.
It contains scenes of abuse and violence, carried out by actors playing U.S. soldiers against Iraqi civilians.
In one scene, an American Jewish doctor is seen removing kidneys from the bodies of Iraqis for implants in Israel and the U.S.
Makers of the film claim that the plot is based on "real events" in Iraq.
The Committee of Jewish Communities in Germany announced that those who support the screening of the film are encouraging hatred of Jews. Bavaria President Edmund Stoiber said the film could harm efforts to absorb Muslim immigrants into Germany, since it spreads hatred and lack of faith in the West, and plays into the hands of extremists.
Meanwhile, the Absorption Minister in North Rhein-Westphalia said that the film showed a crusade by Jews and Christians and Muslims, thereby spreading hatred and causing tensions between the religions
Sources in the Turkish community in Germany rejected the condemnations of the film and claimed that it was merely "anti-war," and accused right-wing politicians of encouraging a negative atmosphere against the Turkish population in the country. The Valley of the Wolves – Iraq has also been screened in Austria, where it became the eleventh most watched movie.
