Director Nakoula Basseley Nakoula Has 'No Regrets' About 'Innocence of Muslims'

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, the director of the controversial movie Innocence of Muslims, says he has no regrets over making the infamous and inflammatory picture. “I thought, before I wrote this script that I should burn myself in a public square to let the American people and the people of the world know this message that I believe in,” Nakoula told The New York Times.

Nakoula is currently serving a one-year prison sentence for violating his parole on a fraud conviction. He defended his decision to change the movie about a tribal villain into one that portrayed the prophet Muhammad in an unflattering light. “They had signed contracts before they went in front of any camera, and these contracts in no way prevented changes to the script or movie,” Nakoula said.

The film sparked violence and unrest throughout the Muslim world and cast members are receiving death threats. Actors in the film, like Anna Gurji (pictured), say that they were shocked when they viewed the film.

Nakoula’s son, Abanob, put the controversial trailer on YouTube. “My dad is not tech-savvy at all, and does not know how to work social media," he said. "So he asked me to take the initiative to spread the word, and I did my best.”