Passion for Freedom: Artists are worried about Islam

It was about time that those who make their living from free speech (unfortunately in this case not journalists...) stand up for freedom. For some reason the BBC chose to mention Passion for Freedom on their Arab channel, and not the English speaking channel. Is that because the BBC thinks that criticism of Islam is more problematic in the UK than in the Middle East...? Read a review of the PfF exhibition at the Spectator here.

From Dispatch International, read the whole article here: Artists are worried about Islam.

Forty artists from around the world have got together due to their fear that the West is in the process of abandoning freedom. Their exhibition Passion for Freedom in London asks the question: Will our attempt to institute multicultural harmony pave the way for a totalitarian society?
What is freedom? How easy is it to lose it? And how hard is it to get it back? ...

The fact that it is held in the British capital for the fourth consecutive year is not a coincidence.

With the introduction of Sharia courts and a growing number of burqa-clad women on the street, freedom is no longer a matter of course in the country that gave us the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. Freedom is something that is increasingly called into question.

It is also not a coincidence that several of the organizers behind Passion For Freedom are of Polish / Russian origin. They have experience with more than liberal democracy. "We know the totalitarian by its smell," says Marianna Fox, a 27-year-old designer with roots in Russia. ... "We are concerned to see that so many people take freedom for granted. Too many doesn’t realize how fragile it really is, and we would like to draw attention to this." She stresses that the exhibition focuses on all threats to freedom. Thus China, Cuba and other states where freedom is in difficulty are subject of artistic treatment. ...

Islam poses a threat to freedom that it is impossible to overlook, says Marianna Fox. "Many of us who work with the exhibition know what it was like under communism. We were young when it collapsed, but we recognize the fear and censorship that stems from Islam today. "We cannot just stand idly by while politicians restrict our freedom of speech and introduce Sharia courts all over Britain. We have to say no. We have to insist on equality before the law and the right for everybody to express their opinions freely. Otherwise we have learned nothing from history, and we are likely to repeat it." ...

Violence against women – or to be specific, female genital mutilation – is also the theme that English-born artist Fiona Dent has taken up. Her painting ”Madonna of Mutilation” depicts a woman with cut and sewn lips. In the accompanying description of the painting the artist asks whether the British politicians and authorities would wake up if every year 24,000 little girls had their lips cut off and their mouths sewn together. "The question is rhetorical; of course they would," says Fiona Dent. But it is obviously a different story when it comes to the more subtle cutting of female genitals. ... "In this country there has not been one a single lawsuit about this matter. It’s a terrible disgrace," says Fiona Dent.

From the Passion for Freedom exhibition:

PfF Musli woman free herself.jpg

PfF Postcard to Allah.jpg

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5 Comments

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Stephanie | November 30, 2012 7:49 AM | Reply

"... and a growing number of burqa-clad women on the street"

Q. 2:282 + 4:11 + 4:176 A woman is worth one-half a man
... vs. German constitution Article 3 Paragraph 2 "Men and women have equal rights"

Women are pollution!

Qur'an 2:222 "...They are a hurt and a pollution: So keep away from women in their courses, and do not approach them until they are clean"

http://schnellmann.org/a-woman-is-worth-one-half-a-man-to-allah.html

gail duituturaga | November 30, 2012 10:37 AM | Reply

How to join the movement, I am an artist too with a .com to my name.

teddy123bear | December 1, 2012 7:46 AM | Reply

This shows the mindset of the BBC regarding how they view the society that is forced to pay for them.
They have no problem reporting on this exhibition in Iran, to show just how emancipated our society is in contrast to many of the practices still going on in Islam.
But in their hypocritical arrogance they don't trust us enough to make this exhibition public knowledge here.

Stuart Parsons | December 1, 2012 2:49 PM | Reply

Oh my ! Surely these friendly followers of the Mighty Allah would not want to deny anyone the right to speak freely. Did not Allah's apostle encourage everyone to openly voice their point of view. And isn't the OIC encouraging everyone to speak freely concerning the banning of exposing the truth about Islam.

mortimer | March 9, 2013 6:52 PM | Reply

'Fitna' is any thought or expression of a thought that disagrees with Mohammed.

Fitna must be punished with death.

'Islamophobia' is the way OIC and MB are attacking 'fitna'.

'Fitna' is the real enemy of OIC, rather than 'Islamophobia' which is merely a smokescreen for banning all blasphemy against Mohammed.

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