The international reaction to Fitna consisted of condemnation from Muslims, several fatwa against Geert Wilders, and attempts by many Islamic countries to censor the film. The Dutch government immediately distanced itself from the film. Several Muslim organizations and political parties organized boycotts against Dutch products.

Prior to the release It was feared that the film would lead to violent demonstrations by Muslims much like the organized protests against the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons that were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in 2005. The Dutch counter-terrorism agency raised its terror risk level from "limited" to "substantial", noting Islamist death threats against Wilders and calls to attack Dutch troops. Previous violence included the burning of the Danish embassy in Syria and other acts of violence around the world, including the murder of a Catholic nun.

In the Netherlands The movie was first mentioned in the Dutch media on November 27, 2007. The Dutch government almost immediately expressed great concern about the film release. It made evacuation plans available to all its consulates and embassies worldwide and tightened security measures around military installations abroad.

The Prime minister of the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende, worried about possible repercussions for Dutch citizens and economic interests. In response Wilders accused Balkenende of capitulating to Islam.

Wilders had been warned by Dutch National Counterterrorism Co-ordinator Tjibbe Joustra that his film may "lead to reactions that endanger public order, security and the economy". The publication of the film was investigated by the Dutch Ministry of Justice to find out whether the release of the film could be prevented, but this could not be done. In an opinion poll, 54% of Dutch people still believed that the film should be released, despite any possible negative effects.

On March 6, 2008, the Dutch government raised its national risk level of a terrorist attack from the status 'limited' to 'substantial' because of concerns that Muslim terrorists would launch attacks against European targets, using the film as justification.

A demonstration against the release of the film occurred in Dam Square, in Amsterdam, on 22 March 2008. In response to concerns, Dutch broadcaster Radio Netherlands Worldwide created a multi-language website to detail the film, the surrounding controversy, its creator, and the nation of its origin. The Dutch newspaper De Pers printed a reconstruction of how the concerns came about and who was responsible for them.

A large advertisement was placed on the front page of de Volkskrant stating that if Wilders had said the things he has said about Muslims, about Jews, he would have been prosecuted for antisemitism. The advertisement was endorsed by the Jewish organisations Stichting de Initiavieven and Een Ander Joods Geluid.

Other reactions On 7 April 2008, Indonesia blocked access to YouTube and a number of other websites, such as MySpace and Multiply. Minister of Menkon Info Muhammad Nuh passed a bill that forced 146 ISP's in Indonesia to block access to YouTube on Monday. Kompas confirmed that the reason for the block was YouTube's refusal to remove Fitna from their servers. The block has now been removed, and the foreign relation minister has apologised to the people for any inconvenience.

Also it banned the YouTube video in Malaysia due to its Islamic content and violent nature which cause the YouTube to be blocked and later lifted by 1 month.

The EU alerted its diplomatic missions around the world to expect a reaction to the release of the film.

NATO said it feared that the consequences of Fitna would affect the safety of troops in Afghanistan. Indeed, Zabihullah Mujahid stressed that the Taliban would increase their attacks on Dutch military and humanitarian peacekeepers in Afghanistan, if the film were released.

President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that France would provide the support to the Netherlands in the event of international problems.

Iran threatened to review its diplomatic stance with the Netherlands if the film was aired. Public protests occurred in Kabul, Afghanistan. Egypt said it was closely monitoring the situation.

In February 2008, Pakistan internally banned YouTube for several days due to a video clip one report claimed to be a trailer for Fitna; the ban was lifted a few days later. As a result of the block, Pakistan accidentally caused YouTube to be unavailable worldwide for two hours.

The Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr al-Din, said that if Geert Wilders showed the image of a burning Qur'an in his film, the Dutch people will be held responsible and possible attacks against Western public interests would not be not out of the question.

Wilders is the subject of a fatwa, associated with Al-Qaeda, calling upon Muslims to assassinate him in the name of Islam.

Network Solutions website suspension On 5 March 2008, a preliminary version of the movie's official website, fitnathemovie.com, went online. The only page on the site consisted of a picture of the Qur'an accompanied by the text "Geert Wilders presents Fitna" and "Coming soon". On 22 March, the hosting provider of the website, Network Solutions, replaced the page with a message stating that the company “is investigating whether the site's content is in violation of the Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy” and that “Network Solutions has received a number of complaints regarding this site that are under investigation.”

On March 24, Network Solutions issued a press release saying the company asked Wilders for a copy of the film to review to gauge compliance with the Acceptable Use Policy, and it was only after they received no response from Wilders that they suspended the website. Wilders responded saying he had other options available and that his film would be made public before 1 April. The shutdown was followed by extensive criticism of Network Solutions' alleged hypocrisy in hosting the domain of Hezbollah, an entity that the United States and the Netherlands (along with four other countries) designate as a terrorist organization. "Current List of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations ... 14. Hizballah (Party of God)". On March 26, Network Solutions shut down the hizbollah.org domain as well.

After the release The reaction was mild in comparison with what was expected, with some Muslim delegates describing it as “not as jarring as anticipated”, saying they were “extremely relieved”. A worldwide violent reaction did not materialise, in stark contrast with threats made by Islamic leaders in the months before the release of the film. Death threats did occur against Wilders and the company that hosted the film.

In the Netherlands In a televised reaction following the release, Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, gave his reaction on behalf of the Dutch government. Amongst other things, it stated:The film equates Islam with violence. We reject this interpretation. The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence. In fact, the victims are often also Muslims... ...We therefore regret that Mr Wilders has released this film. We believe it serves no purpose other than to cause offence. Dutch parliamentarians of the largest political parties, Pieter van Geel (CDA), Mariëtte Hamer (PvdA) and Mark Rutte (VVD) stated that it was sad that the film did not present any solutions to current problems in the Dutch society - integration of Muslim immigrants and Muslim extremism - and invited Mr. Wilders to discuss possible solutions in the parliament. In a later parliamentary debate to discuss Balkenende's televised reaction, they expressed further opinions, calling the film 'cunningly made with evil intentions' (CDA), 'a message of fear beyond compare' (PvDA) and 'paranoid' (SP). Wilders was described as a 'political pyromaniac' (VVD) and a 'fearful man' (D66).

According to Der Spiegel, a speaker for the Muslim organization Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid (CMO), Yusuf Altuntas, said that Wilders "is obviously looking to push the limits, but he resists crossing them." For instance, in the film a ripping sound overlaid with imagery of the Qur'an is said to be the ripping of a page from the phone book, and thunder sounds are replacing what might otherwise be perceived as bomb explosion sounds. The Arabic expert Leo Kwarten on the other hand said that "these subtleties may however be lost in the Arabic world."

The Centraal Joods Overleg (Central Jewish Committee) released a statement on March 28, 2008, condemning the film for reinforcing prejudices by implying that all Muslims are terrorists. The Committee said that the portrayal of Muslims in this manner was counterproductive, and that the Dutch Jewish community, along with the Dutch Muslim community and all of Dutch society, has a duty to combat all religious-based terrorism, and to protect everyone against those who wish to overthrow democracy or promote religious hatred.

Politician, and former Muslim, Ehsan Jami had intended to release an animated cartoon entitled The Life of Mohammed on April 20, 2008. The film, critical of Islam and Muhammad, was to depict Muhammad as a "sexual pervert" for the consummation of his marriage to Aisha when she was nine or ten years old at the time. In one clip, Muhammad is shown with an erection, taking the girl to a mosque adorned with a Nazi swastika, in preparation of her deflowering. Following calls from the Minister of Justice, Ernst Hirsch Ballin, to not increase tension in society, Jami decided against its release. He spoke of his fears that the Dutch police would be unable to adequately protect his safety, and of the possibility of a fatwa calling for his death being issued by Iran.

The Dutch Islamic Federation petitioned a judge for a judgement on Geert Wilders on allegations of hate speech law violations. Wilders was found not guilty of spreading hate.

In November 2008, a pamphlet that was distributed to children aged 10–12 years compared Fitna to Mein Kampf, stating that "Geert Wilders’ film Fitna and Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf are based upon one-sided points-of-view. Fortunately there are also other books and plays that -on the contrary- show respect for people with other ideas or faiths or that look different."

Africa In Algeria, the Minister for Religious Affairs said that Fitna is "a recurrent expression of the fascism which is abhorred by all cultures", and the country's imams have been ordered to denounce the film.

In Egypt, Foreign minister referred to Wilders' film as "a humiliation" to Islam, calling it "nothing less than repugnant," and stating that "Egypt rejects any offence or denigration of Islam and its prophet."

President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan called on Muslims to "challenge those who insult" Muhammad, and asked for "a binding international charter" for the respect of religious beliefs. al-Bashir continued: ""The offenses against our Arab and Islamic nations under the banner of freedom of expression are derogatory and defamatory and go against all human values."

Asia

Central Asia Murat Ali Jumanov, the Grand Mufti of Kyrgyzstan, denounced the film, saying that it defames Islam and the Quran. He urged Kyrgyzstan's Muslim population to counter the hostility of the film's release.

South Asia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh "condemned in the strongest terms" the release of Fitna. It said that "Islam is a faith of peace which preaches patience and understanding," and the film's "unwarranted and mindless release can have grave consequences."