Fahrenheit 9/11
Documentary, 2004
Rating: 2.5 Coffee Cups

"Fahrenheit 9/11" is Michel Moore's third major film project, coming after "Roger and Me," and "Bowling for Columbine" (also must sees). The latest is by far his best work yet, and we strongly suggest that all Muslims go see this eye-opener of a movie.

This film basically is a trumpet-blast in the campaign to get George W. Bush out of office. The opening credits show footage-we wonder how Moore got it-with the President, Paul Wolfowitz, Condi Rice, and other top dogs in the current administration getting made-up before appearing on TV. Mr. Bush looks blank, Ms. Rice looks mildly annoyed, and Mr. Wolfowitz puts his comb in his mouth before running it through his slicked-down hair! Even this early in the film, Moore starts driving home his point: these leaders are not the pharaonic warriors they always want the public to see. Instead, Bush and his team are revealed to be-well, dumb-and perfectly capable of the terrible acts that follow.

We are reminded once more that Washington had wanted to attack and occupy Iraq long before September 11, 2001, when Bush was still the darling of major organizations for Muslims in the USA. For those of us who follow world politics closely, this isn't news. But the movie manages to show actual footage of a meeting taking place only days after 9/11 between the President and his staff. Their first topic was not finding the string-pullers behind the attacks; rather, they were wondering whether now wouldn't be the right time to strike Iraq. Donald Rumsfeld's exact words were, "Afghanistan doesn't have enough to bomb, let's just bomb Iraq instead".

According to Moore, the Bush administration knew long before that Saddam did not possess weapons of mass destruction, and did not pose a threat of any kind to the U.S; the movie presents a film clip of U.S. officials back in February 2001 telling the media exactly that. But then of course, Washington changed its tune and completely reversed its statements in 2003.
We also get to see another side of Washington that middle-class immigrants seldom know about: how the US government needs to use its media to spread fear among its citizens. Such fear is harnessed to influence public opinion, and drive the people to support their rulers' foreign policies. "Fahrenheit 9/11" shows how this is done: Washington wants to invade Iraq, so for months before attacking it pumps up the idea that Saddam is the biggest threat in the world etc…etc. When the masses are set a-boiling, it is time to send the bombers. (Of course, this happens in domestic politics as well, Moore explores this issue in greater depth in "Bowling for Columbine".)

The film's director also exposes the deeds of US troops in Iraq with footage portraying how U.S. troops are knowingly killing many Iraq civilians and actually make life for the Iraq people much worse. On the other hand, he also describes how the war has devastated the lives of individual GI's and their innocent families

However, this movie threatens to mislead us about the internal politics of the Middle East. In the early portions, Moore spends a lot of time describing the close relationship between the Bin Laden family, the Saudis, and the Bush dynasty. The film paints them as business partners sharing common interests. Muslims watching this movie, however, should not be fooled: the link between Saudi Arabia and the USA is not a relationship between two equal families, but that of a master and a cringing servant. Moore goes to some length trying to prove that the House of Bush and the House of Saud are co-conspirators seeking to run the world, and that their secret relationship has helped trigger the Age of Terror and give rise to the tragedy of 9/11. Frankly, this idea is ridiculous, and shows that Michael Moore has much to learn about the Islamic World and its key players. The Saudis do not, nor have they ever, dominated anything outside their country. Saudi Arabia is a puppet state just like Husni Mubarak's Egypt; their role is to serve and please their master, namely the US.

Another problem with the film is its insistence the US went into Iraq only for big business, to control the oil and keep the rich getting richer. Though it is true that occupying Iraq promises to be profitable enough for the rich to "stay the course" even now, this is not the only reason that the U.S. invaded. The truth is somewhat more complex. The U.S. is the only superpower in the world today, and intends to remain so. This underlies Washington's decision, as least as far back as early 1990, to apply a tighter grip over the Middle East's vast oil reserves. Keeping these supplies from the hands of say, the European Union or Japan is at least as important as their exploitation by Big Oil. Thus, this war's main objective is US global domination, and that is a goal that bleeding-heart liberals heartily support as well as caveman conservatives. Therefore, firing George W. Bush won't fix the mess in Iraq, as Moore hopes.

With these important points in mind, this movie is still worth watching.