Britain cancels screening of British movie of the Prophet Muhammad

The performances of “Our Lady of Heaven,” a feature film about the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, were not well received by Muslims. They showed their anger in front of cinemas of British film chain Cineworld in Sheffield, Birmingham and Bolton, according to reports. Watchman† In a petition, nearly 120,000 people called the film “blasphemous, disrespectful and racist” and demanded its removal. The film “presents itself as the first film covering the character of Fatima al-Zahra, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and wife of Ali, the first Shiite imam, and showing the ‘face’ of the Prophet Muhammad on screen.”

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As a result of the protests, Cineworld was forced to remove the film from its program. “Due to recent incidents related to screenings of The Lady of Heaven, we have decided to cancel future screenings of the film to ensure the safety of our staff and customers,” a Cineworld spokesperson said. A video posted on social media shows the director of a Sheffield cinema announcing the cancellation of the film in front of dozens of Muslim protesters who applauded the decision by shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

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The film’s producer, Malek Shlebak, regretted its cancellation. “The cinemas need to defend their right to show films that people want to see rather than submit to pressure,” he said. The film “Our Lady of Heaven” was written by Australian director Ellie King, a British screenwriter, and Yasser Al-Habib, a Shiite cleric from Kuwait.