Carrie Asim, an imam and lawyer in Leeds, northern England, posted a comment on Facebook on Monday, accusing the film of “deeply hurting Muslims”.
The British government on Saturday fired a Muslim official who was leading an official working group, accusing him of encouraging protests against a film referring to the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
The British channel Cineworld was forced to withdraw from its program the movie “The Lady of Heaven”, which came out in theaters in early June, after this campaign in front of the cinemas made by Muslim organizations judging ” damn “the feature film.
Carrie Asim, an imam and lawyer in Leeds, northern England, posted a comment on Facebook on Monday accusing the film of “deeply hurting Muslims”, without revealing its organization.
Imam Asim had published information about a demonstration in Leeds scheduled for the evening, a post incompatible with his duties as vice-chairman of a working group on Islamophobia, according to British authorities.
Authorities opposed the protest with all available police forces, special services and the army. “
“Participating in a campaign that restricts freedom of expression is inconsistent with the role of government adviser,” said authorities, whose campaign against the film also encourages animosity between Shiite and Sunni communities.
“The Lady of Heaven” by director Eli King premiered in theaters in Britain on June 3, and is the first to focus on the face of Fatima Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and the wife of Ali, the first Shiite imam.
When asked by the Guardian, executive producer Malik Slimbak complained that Cineworld succumbed to “pressure”.
The imam did not respond to a request for comment.
