A movie is about to be made about Hussein Dey, the last Ottoman governor of Algeria, who surrendered to a French force that invaded the territory in 1830. Or at least it appears to be about to be made, but nothing has been reported about it for a year now, possibly because of a controversy over its lead actor.
France’s most famous character actor, Gérard Depardieu, who has acted in 170 movies, was offered the main role and accepted. This was a coup for the movie-makers; Depardieu is the most sought-after French actor in the world. The movie is to be financed by the Algerian government, which realized that Depardieu as the main actor would help at the box office all over the French-speaking world, and even beyond.
But not everyone was happy.
In Algeria, there were some who deplored the fact that a Frenchman, and not an Algerian, had been chosen to play Hussein Dey. Never mind that no Algerian actor has had anything like the vast acting experience of Depardieu, or the enormous acclaim he has won. Their view was that only a Muslim Arab should play a Arab.
But those expressions of discontent were mild compared to what the Algerian blogger known as Toufik.Dz offered.
Calling Depardieu “that homosexual, French Zionist actor,” Toufik.Dz said that instead of casting an Algerian to play the role of one of Algeria’s “greatest men,” they chose Depardieu, who has been accused of rape in France. It is part of a “fierce campaign to turn our children into a generation of homosexuals and sissies,” he said, complaining that “the message they want to convey… is that in Algeria, homosexuals have rights.” He posted the video on his YouTube channel on September 6, 2018.
Following are excerpts from Toufik’s blog and his rant about homosexuals, Zionists, and Depardieu:
Brothers, I wanted to talk to you about something you’ve heard – the issue of that homosexual, French Zionist actor [Gérard] Depardieu. They brought him to play the role of a historical figure [Hussein Dey] in a film. In all honesty, I am at a loss for words.
Actually, he’s not at any loss for words. He goes on at great length, full of words, with his repetitious rant about Depardieu as a “homosexual French Zionist.”
That actor, you should know, has been accused of rape in France. People say that he has fled from the French justice system. He has films that are offensive to public modesty. You may have seen pictures of him posted on social media. If only they had brought us an actor who is a little cleaner. The Algerians are not barren. They are very fertile. In Algeria, there are great actors. The [government] didn’t want to use them, so they got us that homosexual, that sissy, to play the role of one of Algeria’s greatest men. It is a historical film. My question is: Why did they bring us this actor in particular? Even before they brought us this actor, they peddled homosexual and sissy actors on their gutter TV channels. They would parade them on TV, and present them to the youth as if those homosexuals are normal people just like them. Now they have brought us that Zionist homosexual to play the role of a historical figure. They want to corrupt this generation and turn it into a generation of homosexuals. The message they want to convey by bringing this actor is that in Algeria, homosexuals have rights. They want to tell the European countries that the young people who come asking for humanitarian asylum, on the grounds that they are homosexual… They want to tell those countries that in Algeria, homosexuals have rights. They want to say that the Algerian public has no problem with homosexuals. This is the message. Or maybe they want to tell the young generation that our historical national figures were homosexuals.
Why would Algeria want to encourage homosexuality in its young? Why would they want to present their “historical national figures” as “homosexuals”? Why would they want to inform European countries that homosexuals from Algeria do not need asylum, because they are not persecuted? What conceivable reasoning would lead anyone — in particular, Toufik the Blogger — to such absurdities? Or is he simply one more illogical Muslim unused to logical thought, convinced of conspiracies, and unhinged by things he disapproves of, such as homosexuality — and feels the need to find someone or something — Depardieu or the Algerian government or Zionists or all three — to blame?
This government is the enemy of the people. This government is the enemy of our moral values.
[…]
I wanted to ask the Algerians to look out for their children. There is a fierce campaign to turn our children into a generation of homosexuals and sissies. Even on social media, I see them peddling homosexuals. They present these homosexuals as if they are defending our human rights. Do I need a homosexual to defend my human rights? Do I need homosexuals to defend me?
In three seconds, this hysteric could have discovered the online biography of Gerard Depardieu. In less than a minute, he could have read the whole thing. Had he done so, he would have found out that in 1970, Depardieu married Élisabeth Guignol, with whom he had two children, actor Guillaume (1971–2008) and actress Julie (born 1973). On 28 January 1992, while separated from Élisabeth, he had a daughter, Roxanne, with the model Karine Silla. In 1996, he divorced Élisabeth and began a relationship with actress Carole Bouquet, who was his partner from 1997 to 2005. On 14 July 2006, he had a son, Jean, with French-Cambodian Hélène Bizot. Since 2005, Depardieu has lived with Clémentine Igou. And there have been many other short-term liaisons along the way, with willing women who apparently find, or pretend to find, the luggish Depardieu appealing.
Towfik mentions several times that Depardieu has just been accused of rape. And indeed he has — by a young actress. Towfik apparently did not know that.
Confronted with all this information, but not about to admit he was wrong, Towfik might argue in response that all these women in Depardieu’s life were part of a diabolically clever masquerade. What better way for Depardieu to hide his homosexuality for a half century than to live uninterruptedly with a succession of women — Elisabeth Guignot, Karine Silla, Carole Bouquet, Hélène Bizot, Clémentine Igou, even going to the trouble of having children with three of them? Evidence is not Toufik’s strong suit. I’m sure no matter what facts were to be presented to him, he would stick with his crazy story.
He keeps charging the Algerian government, his own government, of wanting to make homosexuality attractive, of creating a country of “homosexuals and sissies.” The government, he claims, wants to parade these homosexual celebrities as role models. It wants homosexuals to feel accepted in Algeria, and not feel the need to move to France. But Toufik gives us no reasons as to why the Muslim Arabs who run the government of Algeria would be favorable to homosexuality. What could it be? A desire to limit the growth of the population? Why would that be desirable? A desire to undermine Muslim morals, because, of course, that’s what the Muslim Arabs running things in Algeria are, he says, determined to do. Why? We ask Toufik and get no answer, for there is none. He spouts craziness, and in a culture where logic and reason and skeptical inquiry are discouraged, such craziness is commonplace.
As for Toufik’s charge that Depardieu is that terrible thing, a “Zionist,” there is no basis for this comment. Depardieu has visited Israel just once, to promote a movie, and while there he was asked his view of the political situation. His comment was only “In France, a lot is spoken of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I am not judging you.” Not a rousing endorsement, but a cautious neutrality. And that was it. That hardly sounds like a declaration of support for Zionism. It is true that on April 22, 2018, Depardieu was one of the nearly 300 French notables who signed a manifesto requesting the French government to make the fight against Islamic antisemitism a priority. Deploring murderous antisemitism — the manifesto appeared soon after the murder of Martine Knoll by a Muslim neighbor — does not make Depardieu a Zionist.
The hysterical tone of Toufik’s charges, and his failure to make the slightest inquiry into Depardieu’s decades of romantic liaisons or into his guarded views on Israel, is what we have come to expect of so much bizarre Muslim commentary. Examples of such commentaries, on all sorts of subjects, often involving conspiracy theories, with American and Israeli villains, can be found at that useful website MEMRI.org. The only surprising omission is that Toufic neglected to charge Depardieu with being Jewish. Perhaps that will be done in another installment of his rants. Why not? Who can prove Toufik, that Muslim blogger extraordinaire, wrong?
Skeptical inquiry is not encouraged in Islam, for it might lead to skepticism about the faith itself, and that would never do. So there is a lot of credulity, often taking the form of conspiracy theories. There’s often no logic to them, no conceivable explanation as to why they should be true. There’s no attempt even to check the most basic facts. Towfik offers an extreme, but not atypical example. Linked to long-term relationships with at least a half-dozen women, Depardieu becomes for Towfik an example of the “homosexuality” that the decadent West supposedly delights in. Adding his signature to a collective letter denouncing Islamic antisemitism makes Depardieu a “Zionist.” Towfik’s own government, the government of Algeria, apparently wants to create a country of “homosexuals and sissies,” though Towfik does not bother to offer a reason. So many people are out to get Muslims, in so many different and inexplicable ways. His is a mind that has no need for logic or facts. Along with its other baleful effects, the example of Towfik shows, Islam stunts mental growth.
mortimer says
Here is a fantastic quote from Hugh Fitzgerald … it sums up the Islamic mindset pretty much:
“Skeptical inquiry is not encouraged in Islam, for it might lead to skepticism about the faith itself, and that would never do. So there is a lot of credulity, often taking the form of conspiracy theories.”
Muslims with whom I have conversed have most often avoided empirical research in favor conspiracy theory … when confronted with facts, they go silent or say they will ‘look into it’, however, they almost never do in my experience.
This is an excellent article by Fitzgerald, but he has not mentioned the artistic side. Islam is allergic to depictions of living things and so controversy is inevitable in a depiction of an Islamic hero. What do the dirty kafirs know about depicting a Muslim hero, anyway?
Even if the movie is started, it is likely to break down when the mullahs and jihadists start making threats. I can’t help chuckling. This is how pitifully stupid Islam is. I predict this movie will not be completed.
t. says
”Islam stunts mental growth.”
True and I totally agree. I arrived at this conclusion, several years ago.
This is one of your best articles, Hugh. My opinion and thoughts on this article are in total contrast to those I had on your article about how China deals with Islam’s threat and militancy.
gravenimage says
Spot on quote from Hugh Fitzgerald, Mortimer.
Brenrod says
He assumes the Depardieu raped a little boy because it is common in islam to rape little boys rather than women.
mortimer says
Btw, Gerard Depardieu has confessed and regretted his seedy past in his autobiography “Ça s’est fait comme ça” (That’s what happened). What? Are there no other movie actors you can think of who had a seedy past? Dream on.
Trick_or_Treat says
Even though this dipshit is a muslim, apart from that, I don’t have much truck with his main point and gripe. We’ve got an infestation of just such sinister scum right around the world, who ate busting their guts day after day, to corrupt kids from barely toddler age up, and pollute their minds with a constant indoctrination of all this LGTBI.. JKLMNO…garbage – even cross-dressing young boys in dresses at kindergarten, for crying out loud. Wretches!
jewdog says
It’s been downhill in Algeria ever since the French left. We ourselves have a taste of this ignorance and hatred in Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, but at least they aren’t running the country…yet.
Angemon says
Funny how when trying to discredit someone he calls them “gay zionists”. Almost as if those were the two greatest sins he could think of…
I wonder if his supposed disapproval of rape extends, for example, to the rapists of Samira Bellil or Tegan Wagner…
gravenimage says
Calling Depardieu “that homosexual, French Zionist actor…”
……………………
Does it matter that Depardieu is neither Jewish nor gay, and was in fact known as a ladies’ man when he was younger? Of course not…
Red B says
Toufik DZ is not an Islamist & never been & most Algerians observers of the online scene believe he is a DGSN agent (the French spying agency)
gravenimage says
Muslims do this all the time–someone can be considered an “Infidel spy” by some and still hate Infidels–especially Jews.
UNCLE VLADDI says
All criminals are hypocrites, and all hypocrites are criminals. And more, all hypocrites are also, by definition, having chosen untenable subjective double standards (where they are always right, and victims, and where everyone else is always wrong, and their oppressors, in opposition to all objective facts to the contrary) literally thought-killing “psycho-paths,” and split-skull “schizo-phrenes.”