British cinema company pulls ‘blasphemous’ movie

Cineworld has decided to pull a movie about the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad following Muslim protests

British cinema company Cineworld has pulled a film about the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, Fatima, following a wave of mass protests and accusations of “blashemy.” The offending movie, ‘The Lady of Heaven’ by director Eli King, was taken off the screen just four days after its release.

“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,” the company said in a statement.

The film, described by critics as an “epic historical drama,” tells the story of Fatima, yet it opens with the Iraqi offensive of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and depicts a graphic murder scene by the jihadists. While depicting humans in general is a highly-controversial topic in the Islamic tradition, the direct portrayal of religious figures is strictly forbidden. Creators of the movie tried to circumvent the issue by portraying Fatima as a faceless character, shrouded in a black veil, but the move did not spare them from outrage.