Jihad - The Musical: less fallout than a Danish cartoon

Jihad – The Musical is causing an uproar I really didn’t predict when I posted this video a couple of weeks back. In that time I’ve heard a number of heated discussions about it on radio phone-in shows. The existence of a petition on the Downing Street website denouncing the musical is used as evidence of deep-seated rage.

The petition fulminates that:

The idea of making light of muslim extremism is extremely offensive, most especially for its victims. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival promotes such 'artistic license' without due consideration for those parties who may be offended by this 'musical.'

So incensed is the petition creator, he refuses to recognise the show as part of the genre - putting the word musical in quotation marks. A bit like the way Saudi Arabia doesn't recognise Israel as a state. It's that level of anger.

But as Joanna Sugden reports over at the ever-readable Faith Central:

The 25 people protesting against Jihad - The Musical include "Osama Bin Laden", "Abu Hamsa" "The Prophet Mohammad", "Ayman al-Zawahiri",  "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad" and "Osama Bin Laden's goat"

Some of the other signatories, I should warn you, are even more offensive. I know I shouldn’t laugh but...

Murad Ahmed

Comments

[Andrew Milner]

Wanted: Tall, slim, distinguished middle-aged, bearded actor of Arab appearance for leading role in politically sensitive drama-documentary. Must be native Arabic speaker. On-going need. Well remunerated. Confidentially paramount; cannot include on resume. Apply Cyber Industry Associates.

[sweavo]

It's time we cynics and proponents of facetiousness stood up for our right to cause offense! Offense hurts people only in ways analogous to making someone run around the block. It causes their minds to temporarily wake and re-examine their view of the world. In short, it's good for one to be offended once in a while.

It's not like it's mandatory for people to attend the musical.