An IMAM at a Bradford mosque has spoken out about his appreciation of a controversial film being pulled from cinemas after protests last week.
The Lady of Heaven – a film that is said to negatively depict historical figures from the Islamic faith - aired at cinemas across the country on Friday and caused widespread controversy due to its religious connotations.
A protest was held outside Cineworld in Bradford on June 3, the day of its release, where people of all ages gathered – some holding picket signs reading: “It’s not ok to offend 1.8 billion #handsoffoursuperheroes” and “Stop the screening”.
And yesterday, Cineworld announced that it was pulling the film from its schedules.
A Cineworld spokesperson 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.”
It has been said that the film portrays the life story of Lady Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, weaved together with the tale of a young Iraqi orphan in the modern-day, and has already been banned in some countries, including Iran and Egypt.
Imam of Haworth Road Mosque, Mawlana Shahid Ali, has said he appreciates Cineworld’s decision to pull the film, adding that it has caused unnecessary unrest between two Muslim groups, who have been co-existing in peace for years prior.
Mr Ali said: “We were grateful that Cineworld chose to stop showing the film because to make our historical figures into a public movie that has negative connotations has the risk of creating hate towards our faith, increasing Islamaphobia and is quite a danger.
“We don’t want any tensions, but when it crosses that line and has the potential of causing community tensions, intolerance and disturbs the peace and harmony of society then it should be taken into account by organisations.”
“We’ve been peacefully co-existing with other Muslim groups for as long as I can remember. We understand everyone has their views but there’s a fine line which I think has been grossly misunderstood.”
It’s believed that the film was due to be screened at around 30 cinemas up and down the country – including a large number of those belonging to the Cineworld chain - and some Vue cinemas.
Yesterday, Vue said it will be continuing to show the film at some theatres, but it will be decided where on a ‘site-by-site’ basis.
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