Geert Wilders plans sequel to his film about 'fascist' Qur'an

Far-right figure ... Geert Wilders. Photograph: Jerry Lampen/Reuters

Geert Wilders, the far-right Dutch MP, has announced that he will make a sequel to his 17-minute anti-Qur'an film Fitna, which sparked protests from Muslims around the world last year and saw him banned from entering the UK.

"This is the next phase," the Freedom party leader told De Telegraaf yesterday, adding that his followup to the controversial short was intended to warn against the threat that Islam, in his view, posed to free speech. He said that the film would probably be finished next year.

Fitna – the title is an Arabic word that denotes a "test of faith" – criticised the Qur'an as a "fascist book" and interspersed images of the September 11 terrorist attacks with verses from the holy book. It was released on the internet in English and Dutch versions in March last year and screened to politicians and public figures around the globe as part of what Wilders labelled a "Facing Jihad world tour".

The film led to angry condemnation from groups as diverse as the Muslim Council of Britain and Al-Qaida, which issued a fatwa calling for his assassination. He was due to show it at the House of Lords in February but the Home Office refused him entry because his opinions "threaten community harmony and therefore public safety".

Wilders, whose party currently has nine out of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament, said the new film would also examine the impact of Muslim immigration on Europe and the United States. "We should be more on the offensive instead of the defense," Wilders told Reuters, but added that the film is not meant to offend Muslims.