June 13, 2022 – 4:25 pm – The World
In the United Kingdom, the screening of a film about the Prophet Muhammad sparked Muslim demonstrations in front of cinemas. A British television channel was also forced to cancel an upcoming broadcast of the film.
The screening of “Our Lady of Paradise,” a feature film about the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, was not well received by Muslims. They showed their anger in front of cinemas belonging to the British chain Cineworld in Sheffield, Birmingham and Bolton, according to reports. Watchman. In a petition, nearly 120,000 people called the film “blasphemous, disrespectful and racist” and demanded its removal. “The film stands out as the first to depict the character of Fatima al-Zahra, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and wife of Ali, the first Shiite imam, and to display the ‘face’ of the Prophet Muhammad on screen.”
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As a result of the protests, Cineworld was forced to withdraw the film from its program. A Cineworld spokesperson said: “Due to recent events related to the showing of The Lady of Heaven, we have decided to cancel future showings of the film to ensure the safety of our employees and customers.” A video clip spread on social media shows the director of a cinema in Sheffield announcing the cancellation of the film in front of dozens of Muslim demonstrators, who cheered the decision by chanting “God is great.”
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The film’s producer, Malik Shlipak, expressed his regret at the film’s cancellation. He said: “Cinema theaters must defend their right to show films that people want to see, instead of submitting to pressure.” Lady of Paradise was written by Australian director Eli King, a British screenwriter, and Yasser Al-Habib, a Shiite cleric from Kuwait.
