The BBC is reporting that hundreds of Sikh protestors have demonstrated against a play and five police officers were hurt.
Apparently, the play – Behzti (Dishonour), by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti – depicts murder and sexual abuse and some people have objected because of the setting, a gudwara (a Sikh temple). The author of the play says she has been threatened.
The response of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham has been disappointing. He says,
Such a deliberate, even if fictional, violation of the sacred place of the Sikh religion demeans the sacred places of every religion.
People of all faiths, therefore, will be offended by this presentation.
I wonder in passing if this religious fool would object to a performance of Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral
Once the new Bill on incitement to religious hatred becomes an Act of Parliament it seems clear that anyone deciding to put on Behzti in the UK will be committing a crime. If people employ actions or words with the likely effect of stirring up hatred they will be committing a criminal offence under the current terms of the Bill.
The BBC’s Today programme has a religious think-slot and perhaps the least dogmatic and most measured of its contributors is Dr Inderjit Singh of The Sikh Messenger. I hope he mentions this incident and supports the right of the Birmingham Rep to put on a play.
Knocking religion, particularly Islam, is being used by the fascist BNP as a proxy for racism and the UK Government is proposing this Bill to attract British muslims back to the Labour party after the hemorrhaging of support following the Iraq conflict. The Bill will be pushed through for party-political interests. A bad law made for bad reasons.