Cineworld has been force to cancel the screening of the controversial film, The Lady of Heaven, which is based on the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This was after massive protests were staged in several British cities including Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Bolton, Blackburn and Birmingham against the screening of the film. The man behind the protest is Muslim cleric Shahid Ali.
Ali said that he was within his right to led the countrywide protests since freedom of speech did not allow an individual to hurt others’ religious sentiments. Ali told Sky News, “We have freedom of speech in the UK and even across Europe and that’s understandable. However, freedom of speech has its own restrictions.”
Ali added, “When someone openly expresses their views against, let’s say, gay people, then it’s homophobia or someone openly expressing their views or negativity against Jewish people, then it’s anti-semitism. When it’s against Black people, it’s racism. But when it comes to Muslims, it’s freedom of speech and Muslims are fed up.”
An online petition has also been launched demanding the film be removed from all cinemas. More than 120,000 people have signed the petition.
The film is already banned in countries such as Egypt and Iran.
Who Is Shahid Ali?
Shahid Ali is a Bradford-based Islamic cleric. He’s an Imam at Haworth Road Mosque in Bradford. Ali has been vocal about his criticism for the film by using his social media pages.
He wrote on Facebook, “We reject the disparaging movie which insults the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and slanders his Companions, Family and Wives رضي الله عنهم.
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“By the grace of Allah عزوجل after the successful Bradford protest the manager of Cineworld Bradford has confirmed from the head office that ALL the UK branches of Cineworld are no longer showing the Lady of Heaven movie!
“Furthermore after the Leeds protest the manager of Vue Cinema in Leeds also announced that the Lady of Heaven movie will no longer be screened in Leeds!”
Ali has also been vocal in his condemnation of China for the treatment meted out to Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province and brutalities against Palestinians by Israelis.
Writing about Israeli brutalities on Palestinians, Ali had written, “The illegitimate and tyrannical Zi*nist entity of Isr*el was built upon land stolen from the Palestinians and given to Zi*nists by the British (Balfour Declaration 1917). Palestine was a land with a 78% Muslim population in 1922 (currently 18% in the entity)…..
“We call upon peace-loving and fair-minded Americans and Brits to question their governments and think justly. What gives these leaders the right to squander taxpayer money in the funding of genocide, unjust killing, terror and theft of land? Is humanity truly dead? It is time to wake up. One’s moral conscience surely cannot accept this injustice.”
Ali has also been critical of former Pakistani PM Imran Khan accusing of hypocrisy as he urged Muslims to be aware of their true leaders.
Bradford has a strong population of British Pakistani Muslims.