Tags
Book of Mormon, bullying, films, intolerance, islam, protest, racism, religion
This week, the UK cinema company, Cineworld, pulled all showings of a new film called. “The Lady of Heaven,” from all cinemas around the country because of protests from the Muslim community. The film is about Lady Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. I know nothing more but Muslims have called the film ‘blasphemous’ and ‘divisive.’
I have said many times that I respect all religions and I will not downplay anyone Muslim or not, who finds the film offensive to the Islamic faith. Any such person is totally free to explain their views to me, either to me in person or here on Peaceful Rampage. I will listen and take note. What I am up in arms about is that people think that they have the right to prevent other people from seeing the film and it was cowardly of Cineworld to pull the film nationwide on account of a minority of outraged people. I understand Cineworld were concerned about the safety of their staff but that’s the point. Threatening violence is not the way to get your point across and all it does is make the people you want to convince even angrier. In fact, this whole affair makes me want to watch the film!
FFI: Click the link- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61729392
Before I get called ‘racist’ or ‘Islamaphobic,’ let me make it perfectly clear that I would be of the same mind frame if it was a Christian movie. Being a Monty Python fan, in spite of the fact that churches throughout the Western world called for the 1979 movie, “Life of Brian,” to be banned, I went and saw it. The protests made me want to see it even more and afterwards, I couldn’t see what everyone was so up in arms about.
While I didn’t see “The Last Temptation of Christ” in the cinema, I thought all the protests about it and threats of violence against movie houses was totally over the top. This too was an example of a minority of bullies using threats of violence to get their way. I did watch the film on TV and I turned it off 45 minutes in. Not because of any blasphemous content, I turned it off because I thought it was a complete pile of crap.
Maybe religious groups should follow the Mormons example. When the play, “The Book of Mormon” hit theaters throughout the world, the Mormons didn’t whine nor were there any pronouncements of death threats coming out of Salt Lake City. The Mormons bought advertising space at theatres the play appeared at saying, “If you want to know more about the faith, contact us.” This way is a lot more affective than bullying violence.
Everyone has a right to practice their faith and I totally believe in freedom of religion. However, whenever someone wants to push their religious views on others through violence, threats, intimidation, playing the race card or even monkeying with the law, then I fight back like a rat in the corner. If a book, film, piece of music or anything else, bothers you, then you have the right not to watch or listen to it. What you don’t have the right to do is intimidate others from doing so.
Note; According to some Christians, I committed a vile sin in 1978 when I went to see “National Lampoon’s Animal House” at the cinema.