Not so simple

I've already received two emails which are clearly going around Jewish circles venerating Theo Van Gogh, the filmmaker who was shot today in Holland by a Dutch-Moroccan man, just months after one of his films, which criticised repression of women under Islam, was screened. (This was not, by the way, a documentary, as some people might have thought; it was a rather artsy piece which included women with verses from the Koran written on their bodies wearing completely see-through chadors.) In any case, I hope people realize that Theo Van Gogh was not simply a man fighting against Muslim extremism and for women's rights; his cause was free speech, and under that rubric, he was apparently also known for his anti-Jewish and anti-Christian remarks. Whilst this does not in any way diminish the despicable and dangerous nature of the crime, in terms of the man himself -- Caveat emptor.