Mass Protests: Is The ‘Lady of Heaven’ Movie Islamophobic?

Mass protests against the ‘Lady of Heaven’ in Britain has lead many cinemas to withdraw the screening of the film from public showing.

The social media has been rife in covering opposition against the film that depicts a critical early period of Islam relating to Prophet Mohammad and his daughter Fatima who are both revered to Muslims.

Hundreds of demonstrators turned out in Bradford, Bolton, Birmingham and Sheffield to protest venues showing The Lady of Heaven according to the Daily Mail.

The movie was released in the UK over the Jubilee weekend but has been pulled by Cineworld from all its branches after staff faced crowds of protesters demanding it was removed from circulation, the London daily added, pointing out the movie’s executive producer, Malik Shlibak, called the decision to pull it ‘unacceptable’ and accused the chain of ‘bowing down to radical extremists’.

He is echoing the views of many who are terming the action as blatant censorship. However the Daily Mail quotes some from the street.

NHS worker Toqeer Abbas, 47, who watched the film at Vue Cinema in Shepherd’s Bush, south west London, said: ‘I do not agree with the protests. I think it is sad people have called for it to be banned. Most of those people haven’t watched it.

‘It is sad that cinemas are not showing it as that allows for any other viewpoint to be restricted. There are certain people that we know that have been against it but this is a conservative view.

‘If you shut down dialogue you have nothing. You have a world of ignorance. This film creates a talking point. You don’t have to believe it and if you don’t you should do your own research.

The newspaper goes on to say the film was made in Britain for £12 million and opens with the invasion of Iraq by ISIS and features a graphic jihadist murder, before telling the story of Lady Fatima, one of the daughters of the founder of Islam.

Islamic tradition forbids the direct portrayal of religious figures, with previous depictions of prophets leading to protests and even murders amid accusations of blasphemy and because of its director Eli King depicts Fatima as a faceless character, shrouded by a black veil to avoid doing this.

But still the protesters have accused the filmmakers of inaccurately depicting religious history and negatively portraying three of Islam’s most important figures, the paper adds.

The executive producer rejects the criticism that the film is blasphemous, terming it as ‘non-sense’: