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A CINEMA in Bolton has pulled a film, described as ‘blasphemous’. following protests.
Bolton Cineworld will no longer be taking booking for Our Lady in Heaven following an outcry from some Muslims in the borough.
More than 100 people turned out to protest yesterday afternoon against the showing of the film.
And Bolton Council of Mosques had sent an email to the cinema, based in The Valley.
Signed by the chairman, Asif Patel, it stated: “You many well be aware of the recently released film ‘Lady of Heaven’ which has caused much distress to Muslims across the globe.
“It is underpinned with a sectarian ideology and is blasphemous in nature to the Muslim community.
“It grossly disrespects the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in many ways and is deeply disturbing to every Muslim.
“It also misrepresents orthodox historical narratives and disrespects the most esteemed individuals of Islamic history.
“The storyline begs the question to what extent the producers had considered the huge impact of this film upon the Muslim community and notions of sacredness dearly held by them.”
It adds: “In Bolton, we are a very diverse community and are very respectful of each other’s culture and honor on community cohesion.
British-made, The Lady of Heaven is directed by Eli King and written by cleric Yasser Al-Habib. Filming began in 2019 and the production was delayed due to the Covid pandemic.
The independent film has already garnered a great deal of controversy in the build up to its release and has been banned in shia majority nation Iran, where it was believed it may cause ‘divisions among Muslims’. Other countries such as Pakistan, which called it ‘sacrilegious’ and Egypt have also followed suit in banning the movie.
Some Shia scholars have also condemned the storyline due to its 'historical inaccuracies'.
The Lady of Heaven was released on June 3 in cinemas in the UK The plot revolves around Laith, an Iraqi child in the middle of a war-torn country after losing his mother, has found himself a new home with an elderly woman who tells him the story of Fatima, whose face is never shown, the daughter of Muhammad.