Following an outcry from demonstrators who picketed theaters and dubbed the film ‘blasphemous,’ UK cinema chains have banned a film about the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter.
Hundreds of protesters have gathered in Bradford, Bolton, Birmingham, and Sheffield to oppose screenings of The Lady of Heaven.
The film was released in the UK over the Jubilee weekend, however it was pulled after demonstrators demanded that Cineworld and Vue stop playing it after four days of protests.
One video appears to show a cinema manager addressing a crowd and confirming the film’s removal, triggering screams of ‘Allahu Akbar.’
Malik Shlibak, the film’s executive producer, termed the decision ‘unacceptable,’ accusing the chains of ‘bowing down to violent radicals.’
The film, which stars former Coronation Street actor Ray Fearon, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year but was not released in the UK until June 3 this year.
The video, which cost £12 million to produce, begins with ISIS’ invasion of Iraq and shows a gory jihadist murder before portraying the narrative of Lady Fatima, one of the founder of Islam’s daughters.
Direct portrayals of religious figures are forbidden in Islamic tradition, and prior depictions of prophets have sparked outrage and even killings amid charges of blasphemy.
To avoid this, director Eli King portrays Fatima as a faceless character who is veiled in a black veil.
Protesters, on the other hand, have accused filmmakers of misrepresenting Islamic history and portraying three of Islam’s most prominent personalities in an unfavorable light.
Other critics believe that black actors played negative characters, which they think “stems from racial bigotry against darker complexion people.”
Those who attended Monday’s protest screenings said the film and the way it depicted the lives of respected religious icons angered them.
One protester in Bradford, West Yorkshire, said: ‘We are very offended. We have a right not to be insulted.
‘You talk about freedom of speech but where does your freedom of speech go when it goes to criticising your policies, when it goes to making critical analysis of your version of history?
‘You have no right to tell us our history. We will not let this film go on further.’
Others carried signs saying: ‘It’s not ok to offend 1.8 billion #handsoffoursuperheroes’ and ‘Stop the screening’, while using megaphones to get across their message.
In Bolton, the local chairman of the Council of Mosques, Asif Patel, wrote a letter to his local branch of Cineworld, where he called the film ‘blasphemous’.
He said: ‘You many well be aware of the recently released film ‘Lady of Heaven’ which has caused much distress to Muslims across the globe.
‘It is underpinned with a sectarian ideology and is blasphemous in nature to the Muslim community.
‘It grossly disrespects the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in many ways and is deeply disturbing to every Muslim.
‘It also misrepresents orthodox historical narratives and disrespects the most esteemed individuals of Islamic history.
‘The storyline begs the question to what extent the producers had considered the huge impact of this film upon the Muslim community and notions of sacredness dearly held by them.’
‘In Bolton, we are a very diverse community and are very respectful of each other’s culture and honour on community cohesion.’
A spokesperson from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) called for ‘respectful dialogue’ between protesters and the film supporters.
They said: ‘The MCB, which proudly represents affiliates from across the different schools of thought in our faith, supports those scholars and leaders who are advocating for greater unity and for the common good, as commanded by our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
‘The MCB has always advocated for respectful dialogue of intra-faith relations.
‘There are some – including many of this film’s supporters or those engaging in sectarianism in their response – whose primary goal is to fuel hatred.
‘We must not let them succeed.’
But executive producer of the film Mr Shlibak called the decision to pull the film by the cinema chain ‘unacceptable’.
‘I think this is more than The Lady of Heaven as an individual film, this is about our British values and how much these mean to us.
‘These groups have now been given the power to dictate what the British public can and cannot watch at their local cinemas.’
Following the protests, Cineworld in Bolton released a statement saying the film would be ‘pulled’ from the schedule.
A Cineworld spokesperson said: ‘Due to the protesting outside the Bolton Cineworld, we will be closing the cinema doors and only allowing those in with proof of ticket purchases.
‘We have pulled the film and it will no longer be showing at this cinema.’
It’s understood that other theatres in the Cineworld chain have now issued statements, with representative from the firm approached for comment.
A spokesperson from Cineworld said: ‘Due to recent incidents related to screenings of ‘The Lady of Heaven’, we have made the decision to cancel upcoming screenings of the film nationwide to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.’
A spokesperson for Vue said: ‘Vue takes seriously the responsibilities that come with providing a platform for a wide variety of content and believes in showcasing films of interest to diverse communities across the UK.
‘Vue will only show a film once the BBFC (the independent British Board of Film Classification) has assessed and rated a film. The Lady of Heaven has been BBFC accredited and is on show in a number of our cinemas.
‘Decisions about how long a film remains on show are taken on a site-by-site basis and based on a variety of commercial and operational factors.’