Play with no honour
London LogBy CHOI TUCK WO
A CONTROVERSIAL Sikh play has been thrusted into the limelight, testing the boundaries of free expression.
Indeed, the dramatic events surrounding the black comedy Behzti (Dishonour) could have been a scene from the play itself: a playwright in hiding fearing for her life, a theatre manager being warned that his heart would be ripped out and a mob rioting over a play. Except this time, the characters were real.
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A poster promoting Behzti, a controversial play which ended its run following protests from the Sikh community in Britain. |
The community has every right to be enraged by the play. It depicted sexual abuse, rape and murder in, of all places, the unlikely setting of a Sikh temple.
Even the Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham Vincent Nichols has joined the fray, saying that such a play would offend people of all faiths.
Sewa Singh Mandha, chairman of the British Council of Sikh Gurdwaras, drove the point home when he blasted the playwright, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, for her imagination which “serves no purpose other than to harm a community.”
Critics, however, accused the government and church leaders of sending out mixed messages – declaring support for free speech while at the same time backing the decision to cancel the play.
Britain’s National Secular Society vice-president Terry Sanderson said: “You can’t have mob rule deciding what can and can’t be seen in Britain.”
Describing the censorship as a “frightening turning point for free speech,” he said the country was now facing a more insidious threat to its free and open society.
Public safety
One cannot help reflect that freedom of artistic expression comes with responsibility towards public well-being and respect for religious sensitivities.
If public safety is compromised, such as in the fury unleashed over Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses and D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, then that right of expression is somewhat diminished.
Whether she was right or wrong, Gurpreet – hailed as one of Britain’s most exciting young playwrights – could have used a more refined means of conveying her message in the play.
For example, the story could have been set at a place other than a temple, which could have been what triggered the protest.
As it is, the play tells the story of a mother and daughter who visit a gurdwara (Sikh temple) where rape, sexual abuse and murder takes place.
Even the poster promoting the play declaring, “A new black comedy that reveals just how many secrets can be hidden in a Sikh temple,” was deemed provocative enough for the Sikh community.
Criticism of a society or a community can be delivered in a variety of ways, including those powerful enough to make a point yet subtle enough to avoid triggering a riot.
The Sikh community’s willingness to protest what they regard as a gross insult to their faith is admirable. The manner in which they have done it, however, is questionable. Violence can never be condoned, certainly not when a playwright must fear for her life.
In a free society, there must be room for dissent, but this should be done through peaceful protests, debates and arguments, not violence.
Blasphemy
For years, even Christianity has been subject to mockery and sometimes blasphemy by television stations, playwrights, authors and film makers in Britain.
In the name of so-called art, the Christian faith and images have been ridiculed over the past 30 years, often with scattered protests from the community.
For instance, Channel Four’s billboard posters promoting a special Christmas episode for its Shameless programme – depicting the lead character as Jesus Christ, presiding over a drunken Last Supper with a cigarette in his hands – is just the latest example of advertising standards plunging to new depths.
Needless to say, the poster evoked protests that it was sacrilegious, prompting investigations by the British Advertising Standards Authority.
Even Madame Tussauds’ wax museum has come under fire from the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury for its controversial nativity scene this Christmas.
The exhibit – featuring England soccer captain David Beckham and wife Victoria as Mary and Joseph, with US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Prince Philip as The Three Wise Men – came under criticism and was eventually damaged by a visitor.
In a multi-racial and multi-cultural country like Britain, no effort must be spared in preserving racial and religious harmony among the people.
As in any plural society, mutual respect and tolerance for one another’s faith will go a long way towards promoting peaceful and harmonious co-existence.
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