‘The Lady of Heaven’: Morocco bans film, UK fires Imam as government adviser after protests

The controversy continues lady in the sky, a film about the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, which sparked protests in the UK last week, leading to the deletion of some testimonies. Morocco has now banned the film and the British government has fired Imam Qari Asim as an adviser, saying it was “encouraging an ongoing campaign to prevent the film from being shown in theaters” in a “clear attempt to limit expression. artistic “. . Asim replied that the government’s characterization of his actions was “inaccurate”.

Directed by Eli King lady in the sky It focuses on the story of the Arab sacred legend Lady Fatima and her narrated message of peace and violence in two separate terms over hundreds of years.

Some groups have criticized the portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad, which is taboo in Islam, even though the film’s website says, “According to Islamic tradition, no one was a saint at the time of filming.”

In Morocco, local media reported that the National Film Center had said it would not allow the film to be released after the country’s religious council condemned it. Supreme Council of the Ulema The film is considered a blatant misrepresentation of the facts of Islamic history, which uses a “disturbing prejudice” and accuses the filmmakers of “seeking fame and sensationalism … insulting the feelings of Muslims and arousing religious sensibility”.

Britain, meanwhile, has removed Imam Karim Asim from his position as government adviser, saying he was “encouraging an ongoing campaign to curb film screenings” in a “clear attempt to limit artistic expression”.

Asim, who received his MBE in 2012 and served as vice president of the Task Force Against Muslim Hate, was fired. Letter from the Department of Housing and Communities, stating, “We have no choice but to resign and end your role in the government effective immediately.”

The letter continues: “Your recent support for the Campaign for Free Expression, a campaign that in itself has fueled community tensions, means that it is no longer appropriate to continue working with the government in roles aimed at promoting public harmony. .

Asim replied that he had neither participated nor held any protests, calling the government’s proposal to act to undermine democratic values ​​”imprecise”. In a Twitter post, she wrote that the concern about the film was that it “risks raising issues of extremism and tension that undermine the unity of British society.”

Asim also wrote that officials had not contacted him before the decision was made, saying “there was no way to clear up any misunderstandings.”

My response to a recent letter from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs asking me to remove a government adviser to determine #islamophobia
👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/EcdoWiVXwZ

-Qari Asim MBE (@QariAsim) June 12, 2022

Last week, the Cineworld exhibition canceled all screenings of the film in the UK to ensure the safety of its staff and consumers “following protests in some cinemas.