France: Riot threat stops Islamic art display

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The accidental projection of a work of art based on Islamic holy texts nearly started a riot in the southwestern French city of Toulouse on Tuesday. The artist, shocked by the response of young Muslim youths in the city, has withdrawn the piece.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | EU Desk
Source/Credit: France 24 | News
By  Tony Todd | October 4, 2012

The accidental projection of a work of art based on Islamic holy texts nearly started a riot in the southwestern French city of Toulouse on Tuesday. The artist, shocked by the response of young Muslim youths in the city, has withdrawn the piece.


A Moroccan artist on Wednesday suspended one of his works from a major arts festival in southern France after his projections of Islamic calligraphy onto a bridge nearly set off a riot when local Muslim youths saw pedestrians walking on the words.

Mounir Fatmi’s exhibit at the month-long “Printemps de Septembre” art festival in Toulouse was meant to be shown at weekends, when cordons would be in place to insure the projections could not be walked on, as this is considered blasphemous by Muslims.

But late on Tuesday the video, made up of stylised calligraphy of verses from the Koran and “Hadiths” (sayings) of the Prophet Mohammed, was projected – by mistake – onto the city’s busy Pont Neuf.

According to Toulouse Police, the reaction was rapid. Up to 80 young people, many called in from the city’s housing estates, gathered on the bridge to stop pedestrians from treading on the verses.

One woman was slapped after she accidentally walked onto the projection, police said, although some protesters claimed she had deliberately provoked them.

Police sent in a riot squad, but a local imam and representatives of the Muslim community went to the scene and successfully appealed for calm.

The projection was switched off, and after meetings with the mayor, an apology was made to the woman who was slapped.



Read original post here: 'Misunderstanding' over Islamic art sparks near-riot


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