Cineworld an Israeli owned British movie theatre chain was forced to remove a controversial film about the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) after protests by British Muslims in various cities.
An online petition calling for the film’s removal from all UK cinemas has attracted over 123,000 signatures, with several British Muslim groups issuing statements in protest calling it an act of blasphemy.
The protestors described the film as “racist” and calling for it to be removed from all UK cinemas, and protests have taken place in Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Bolton, Blackburn and Birmingham.
And in a letter to Cineworld shared on its social media sites, the Bolton Council Of Mosques said the film had caused “much distress to Muslims across the globe”.
In its letter about the film, the Bolton Council Of Mosques said: “It is underpinned with a sectarian ideology and is blasphemous in nature to the Muslim community.
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The protests, attended by Sunni and Shia Muslims, centered on the claim that the film inaccurately depicts early Muslim history, negatively portrays three of Islam’s most important figures and stokes sectarian hatred.
Cineworld said in a statement on Tuesday that it took the decision to cancel all showings of The Lady of Heaven’ to ensure the safety of staff and customers.
“Due to the recent incidents regarding 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,” Cineworld said in an email to the protesting groups.
“Please accept our sincere apologies for the caused inconvenience,” the chain said.
The film is described on its website as a heart-wrenching journey of Lady Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad.
“After losing his mother in the midst of a war-torn country, an Iraqi child learns the importance and power of patience by discovering the historical story of Lady Fatima and her suffering”, reads a description.
“In accordance with Islamic tradition, during the making of this film no individual represented a Holy Personality. The performances of the Holy Personalities were achieved through a unique synthesis of actors, in-camera effects, lighting and visual effects,” the website reads.
The film’s writer, Kuwait-born Yasser al-Habib, had previously angered Sunni Muslims by calling Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, “an enemy of God”.
The film, which cost $15m to make, has already been banned in Egypt and Pakistan.
In Shia-majority Iran, clerics have issued fatwas against watching it, stating it will cause discord among Sunni and Shia Muslims.