It would have been ironic had this been a Wagner opera being dumped since he was Hitler's favorite. And we all know how well Der Fuhrer is regarded by the Islamaniacs.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at September 25, 2006 5:57 PM

The Germans need to do as we were told after 9/11. We were all told to go on with our lives and don't give in to fear from the terrorists, don't stop our lives out of fear of doing things and going places.

The show must go on! Damn the muslims!

Posted by: freewoman at September 25, 2006 6:10 PM

Too bad they didn't think to go ahead with the production without including mohammed. All Western art should pointedly excluding islam and anything islamic. Islam contributes nothing to the fine arts. Why should it be included in it, even if to remain faithful to an original work?

Posted by: 3812Michelle at September 25, 2006 6:41 PM

And for the same reason, it is hard to get Muslim students in France to read Voltaire (author of the play "Mahomet"), and if they won't read Voltaire, why assign him as part of the national curriculum? Why not just drop Voltaire altogether? There are not yet enough Muslims in Italy to demand that Dante either be dropped entirely or expurgated. Give it time.

Posted by: Hugh at September 25, 2006 7:14 PM

Putting on my best Norseman imitation:

You Islamophobes! Deutsche Oper Berlin didn't cancel it because of Muslims - there were any number of threats they received from extremist Christianists, Buddhistists, and ancient Greekists.

When will you racists ever learn?

Posted by: Infidel Pride at September 25, 2006 7:43 PM

He's magnificent your majesty. I just saw an extraordinary opera of his last month, Idomeneo: King of Crete.

That! A most tiresome piece. I saw it too.

Tiresome?

A young man trying to impress beyond his abilities. Too much spice. Too .... too many notes.

Yes perhaps it did have too many notes. But who'd have imagined that 225 years later the main criticism would be too much Mohammad.

Posted by: August22 at September 25, 2006 8:01 PM

"There are not yet enough Muslims in Italy to demand that Dante either be dropped entirely or expurgated. Give it time. "

Id' love some imam to tell the idiots that Dante put muhammad in hell.

I'd love to see dante's images burned and copies of la divina desecrated.

we need more muslim stupidity.

Posted by: FedUp at September 25, 2006 8:13 PM

There are not yet enough Muslims in Italy to demand that Dante either be dropped entirely or expurgated. Give it time.

What we're talking here of course is critical mass. At what percentage of total nation population does the Moslem go to Stage II? It looks as if this critical stage was attained at an infection rate of about 4%. But given what just happened in Thailand and the Phillipines, maybe the hurdles will be lower than we had hoped.

* 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 *

Moslem Infection Volatility Scale

Stage I --- 0% - 5%: Immigrate to gain a foothold, be embraced by native Marxists, cash checks, garner sympathy, appear in fawning press coverages, intial infusion into police and military, breed

Stage II --- 6% - 15%: Assert your Moslem selves, constrain free speech, encroach key Western values, implement 6th Pillar of Islam with clarity, continue police/military infusion, breed

Stage III --- 16% - 25%: Block-vote, assert political power in democratic institutions, pass legislation, infect business, government, and academy via affirmative action, breed

Stage IV --- 26% - 35%: Street fighting, addled white-hot MSM reportage, implement first Sharia zones, Moslem police and military officers leverage politcal gains to negotiate an intra-national peace treaty, breed

Stage V --- 35% - 50%: Liquidate electoral governmental institutions, subvert military, impose Jizyah through national tax system, implement Sharia, breed

Stage VI --- 51% - 65%: With all power taken, quell remaining Infidel resistance militias, engage Shiite vs. Sharia power struggle, breed

* 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 *

I know, I know. My hurdles are probably set unrealistically high, but I'm a hopeless optimist.

You?

Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at September 25, 2006 8:13 PM

Engage Shiite vs. Sharia power struggle

Whoops. Meant to type Shiite vs Shia power struggle

Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at September 25, 2006 8:16 PM

Anyone who dares offend Poseidon should be blown up...

Poseidon Akbar!

Posted by: Provoslavni at September 25, 2006 9:28 PM

What I don't get is that there is a scene depicting decapitated heads of Mo, Jesus, the Buddha and Poseidon and only the Islamists will get offended? Okay.

Posted by: pigtails not veils at September 25, 2006 9:36 PM

Apparently Shariah Law is in effect in Europe.

Is it legal for European citizens to be ruled by two conflicting sets of laws (conflicting because one of them is primitive and non-european in essence)?

I thought long ago Napoleon had fought against that by devising a unified civil code.

Now Europe is back again to uncertainty and lack of protection for its citizens because of religious interference.

Posted by: rocky at September 25, 2006 11:57 PM

Just when I thought the tide was turning, more reports of fear. Fear of the Muslim at home and abroad. When will we stop appeasing these devil worshipers?

Posted by: Gotham at September 26, 2006 12:07 AM

Anyone who dares offend Poseidon should be blown up...

Poseidon Akbar!

Posted by: Provoslavni at September 25, 2006 09:28 PM

Had to laugh at that.

Ok, now the muslims claim they are so tolerant, but here you have if you will. Four religions all side by side, everyone the same, but of course its the Muslims that are offended, where is the tolerance? Well, of course there is none, I agree, this show must go on. They are going to win if we keep catering to their rediculous sensitivities.

Posted by: Thunderhoof at September 26, 2006 12:18 AM

"What I don't get is that there is a scene depicting decapitated heads of Mo, Jesus, the Buddha and Poseidon and only the Islamists will get offended? Okay."

Right then, I wish to state that I am also offended. Anyone who toys with operas offends me. I was offended by setting Die Zauberflute in the Germany of the 1920's, turning Prince Tamino into a drag queen. I was offended by making Aida into a feminist morality play, and I was terribly, horribly offended by changing Pirates of Penzance into a Star Trek extravaganza - one simply does not beam pirates down. Ugh.

However, if a director feels that he needs to make an utter ass of himself, then he should do so full steam ahead, and damn the Muslims. But really...WWMD (what would Mozart do)?

Posted by: libbysmom at September 26, 2006 12:19 AM

From The Godfather, once more unto the breach:

SONNY (after entering the kitchen)

Why don't you cut out the crap. I got more important things for you to do.

(then)

How's Mozart?

CLEMENZA

Oh, Mozart? Won't see him no more..."

This Clemenza, of course, has nothing to do with La Clemenza di Tito. Come to think of it, in the same way, that Tito has nothing to do with this Tito. For both kinds of Clemenzas, however, Mozart remains the same.

In the future Eurabia, toward which we are all heading far more rapidly than we ever believed, due to nothing more than the esdrujula effect of cupidity, timidity, and stupidity, Mozart will have no place. Too frothy. Too unserious. Wasn't rough enough with women. Collaborated with a Jew, Lorenzo Da Ponte (the first chairman of Columbia University's Program on the Middle East).

It's not just this particular production of a particular work. All of Mozart has to go. Besides, what is all of Western music worth anyway, compared to the Total Program of Islam? It only gets in the way of Submission to Allah and, let's not forget, His Messenger.

But who, returning home tonight, from a performance at some Concertgebouw or Victoria and Albert Hall, or perhaps Paine Hall with one of its incised names embarrassingly misspelled for posterity ("Montiverdi"), will give any thought tomorrow not to the humming performance, but to what Mozart, and music, would be, what part it would play, should Islam come to dominate, should Muslims prevail?

Goodbye, Kochel numbers. In the future Muslim scheme of things, you will not add up. You will count for nothing.

Posted by: Hugh at September 26, 2006 12:47 AM

It is only a matter of time until such stupidity enters our nation. While there is still time, lovers of music, art and culture in general should tell Muslims that they will not allow our soicity by people who advocate such politically correct garbage!

Posted by: Christian at September 26, 2006 1:38 AM

Apparently Shariah Law is in effect in Europe.

Is it legal for European citizens to be ruled by two conflicting sets of laws (conflicting because one of them is primitive and non-european in essence)?

That is News........where did you get that ?

Then again Europe doesn't have Judges legislating in place of Legislators as the Americans seem to suffer - I mean, who voted for Roe v Wade ?

Posted by: Voyager at September 26, 2006 2:24 AM

Anyone who dares offend Poseidon should be blown up...

Did you not realise that Father Earthshaker also controls seismic activity?

Posted by: Granny Weatherwax at September 26, 2006 2:37 AM

Wait a minute guys: I am an opera singer in Germany, and I know what Neuenfels, who usually gets sick at the last moment and cancels everything (He bombed out of Fledermaus in Bonn October 2005, thank God) is like. His stagings are absolute crap (he lives from bad reviews) and not worth seeing, so before you go off on the "german dhimmis are caving into muslims" slant, know that there are 1000 good reasons to cancel a Neuenfels production, 999.5 of which have nothing to do with Islam. Take this as a tip from an insider. I have already heard around as to what the real scoop is, and as soon as I have the whole scoop, I will write back. Promise.

I do know that at least half of the audience stormed out of the premiere of IDOMENEO in rage in 2003 and am surprised that the show has stayed on the roster this long. However, the way contracts work, the show was probably scheduled for re-runs (Wiederaufnahme) in 2005-2006 or 2006-2007 long before the first staging rehearsal began, and an opera house is bound to it's contract for such until it can prove that the re-run is not running well enough. At this point, it can cancel a contractual re-run.

And as to the wierd comment about Wagner opera from Islamisforlosers: 1.) Hitler is long dead, and Wagner stagings have also been cancelled now and then in Germany due to crappy staging 2.) Barenboim, a world conductor and a jew, was willing to conduct Wagner in Tel Aviv, albeit to a mixed audience that he was able to win over to his side. Wagner was a schmuck, but this does not mean that his music must be schmucky.

My point is: don't jump too quickly on the arts for what they do or not do - there are forces and motivations behind the scenes that have absolutely nothing to do with politics or religion! Otherwise, we have no ammo here when the jihadis abuse the arts.

Posted by: bonncaruso at September 26, 2006 2:55 AM

Ok, I am back. The piece was last played on May 12, 2004 and was scheduled for re-runs as of November 2006. The opera house changed general directors in September 2005 (Kirsten Harms is now the boss, I worked with her in 2003), which means that the new boss had nothing to do with the original production. It is indeed true that the german internal security (their equivalent of Homeland Security) received credible threat warnings about possible terror attacks on the Deutsche Oper, which is located about 1 Km away from the former Main Train Station (Berlin Zoological Gardens)and in a very turkish neighborhood. So, part of the assumptions being made here are true: The opera house received warnings from the internal security agency about possible problems. On the other hand, ticket sales for the re-run were catastrophic. Any piece with such terrible ticket sales would automatically be removed from the roster for financial reasons and with or without muslim wanna-be influence, the staging is awful. So, don't read too much into the DPA story.

Here is the story in german:

http://de.news.yahoo.com/25092006/336/ernst-nehmende-hinweise.html

Greetings from Germany!

Posted by: bonncaruso at September 26, 2006 3:08 AM

Hmmmm, "Kultura" is a Jewish concept apparently...and offensive to those who substitute culture with murder and mayhem. CAIR and far too many mainstream media types have crammed similar prohibitions down American throats also.

It's getting worse by the day.

Robert, please have JEff Epstein or Paul Williams put you in touch with Michael from Herzliya.

Posted by: Miluimnik at September 26, 2006 3:38 AM

Hugh, I will keep an eye on whether Voltaire is being taught at my daughters school.

However I can report that some Muslim propoganda was played as part of a history lesson last week showing Islam as a religion of peace and love, my daughter reported back to me that all of the kids in her class started laughing and taking the micky out of them wailing and sticking their bums in the air, much to the disgust of the teacher.

As far as my daughter can report back to me, almost all of the kids in her class think that they are wierd... But the programme was blatant propoganda.

Posted by: Daffersd at September 26, 2006 4:39 AM

bonncaruso, thanks for putting that straight, I have seen some signs in Germany that people are getting more aware, what is your view.

Posted by: Daffersd at September 26, 2006 4:40 AM

Alarmed Pig Farmer says "Stage II --- 6% - 15%: Assert your Moslem selves, constrain free speech, encroach key Western values, implement 6th Pillar of Islam with clarity, continue police/military infusion, breed"

Funny how we seem to have reached Stage II (and arguably Stage III) here in Britain with a 3.5% - 4% Muslim population.

Posted by: Spirit Of 1683 at September 26, 2006 5:14 AM

It is indeed true that the german internal security (their equivalent of Homeland Security)

Not so.

Landeskriminalamt (LKA) is a normal Criminal Police HQ at State level. It is the Verfassungsschutz that handles Intelligence matters internally and Islamic Terrorism comes under Department VI.

The LKA is merely the coordinating centre for normal police activities, parallel at State level is a LfV Verfassungschutz Counter Intelligence agency - both federate up to a Bundesamt fier Verfassungschutz or a Bundeskriminalamt.

In the case of this strange adaptation of Mozart's opera about the King of Crete we have the LKA in Berlin saying they feared criminal activity - though in fact there was no evidence of any threat to the performance

Posted by: Voyager at September 26, 2006 6:26 AM

ISLAMSFORLOSERS:

Except for a bit of thumping on percussive objects, virtually anything recognizable as music offends Muslims. Hence the former musician formerly known as Cat Stevens (thankfully) doesn't tour the globe singing "Peace Train" to raise money for his favourite Islamic "charities", although he did try (unsuccessfully) to get some wealthy Saudi to grub-stake him to produce an album of Halal thumping noises.

Posted by: waterdragon52 at September 26, 2006 8:14 AM

JanuaryMan,
The difference is who gets "offended" by the crap. If you dis Muhammed, you get death threats. If you whiz into a jar of crucifixes, some liberal foundation or government agency will give you a huge grant.

Posted by: Provoslavni at September 26, 2006 9:47 AM

Waterdragon, can the thumping be combined with the wailing of the muezzin? Like a rutting goat. Who needs Mozart?

Posted by: Infidel33 at September 26, 2006 10:40 AM

"My question: Why in hell would anybody want to attend an operatic performance that features the severed head of anyone?"

Salome

Posted by: alexon at September 26, 2006 11:53 AM

and Salome (opera by R. Strauss) is definitely not crap.

Posted by: alexon at September 26, 2006 11:55 AM

"PissChrist" however, is pure urine.

Posted by: alexon at September 26, 2006 11:56 AM

... as was the dung strewn Virgin Mary; pure crap.

Posted by: alexon at September 26, 2006 11:57 AM

We always hear how healthy "provocative" art is.

Where is the bold and provocative artist who will install a glowing red Koran inside a translucent toilet affixed to the gallery wall? After what happened (even though it didn't happen) at Guantanamo Bay with allegations of Koran abuse, one might think there would be a daring enough artist to make such a provocative work.

Gotta go.

Posted by: alexon at September 26, 2006 12:02 PM

Voyager: nicht ganz korrekt, nicht wahr? Not just the LKA is in on the act. The Verfassungsschutz is also there, otherwise Schäuble wouldn't have taken a seat front and center this morning at the televised briefing. And until the report is declassified, we will not know if there is direct evidence of pending attack(s). You are quite obviously in possession of information that the rest of the world does not yet have, so please share it with us.

Daffersd: hard to say. Germans tend to be far more discerning than the US media reports, and I respect them for it. I think they are far less "dhimmi" than is usually purported. However, as my father in law quite brilliantly said: the empty christian churches in Germany are creating a vacuum that is being filled with islamic thought. And I must reluctantly agree with him. the jewish community here can do very little. It is proportionally small and always wary.

Infidel33: Mozart is like salve for the soul. His melodies are incredible and his story-lines are tight and fun. For this reason his music has survived the last 250 years or so. Even non-classical music people like his stuff, but I can guarantee you, it doesn't sound like a muezzin !! :) :)

As expected, the german media has begun it's feeding frenzy over this story today. It is now in both of the state run media outlets (ARD, ZDF). Politicians from all over the spectrum are of course trying to profit from this, but the real beef is whether the staging of this my favorite of all Mozart operas is worth it, and whether it is worth it to put the lives of those working at such a high profile theater at risk. It's easy for people who live in a community with between 0-0.5% muslim population to say "screw them". It's much harder when you are living directly among them. Think about it.

But there is more. According to ZDF and ARD, the piece has not been completely removed from the roster, but rather the first 4 runs in November, though I suspect that Harms will ditch the thing entirely. Should she indeed pick the piece up, I assume it will be a winter scandal instead of a fall scandal.

At the end of the day, what we have here are apples vs. electric eels: The opera IDOMENEO should have absolutely nothing to do with islam anyway, there is not one single reference to islam in the libretto. Neuenfels' use (or, better put, abuse) of the religious figures of Poseidon, Christ, Buddha and Mohammed was his way of slapping another level of *something* onto the show. Which is why I have no problem with cancelling this production. If the production, however, were a new piece where the intended theme is islam, then I would say NO to cancelling it. However, I seriously doubt that many composers are going to be writing Jihadi-Operas any time soon.

Time will tell us if Kirsten Harms made the right decision. No matter what happens, the islamic community will scream bloody murder anyway. Harms is trying to keep them from turning words into actions.

Posted by: bonncaruso at September 26, 2006 12:58 PM

Are we going to have to change our history so as not to offend the Pakis?

Posted by: IceDragon at September 26, 2006 2:05 PM

"However, I seriously doubt that many composers are going to be writing Jihadi-Operas any time soon."

It ain't over till the fat jihadi sings.

Posted by: remote_control at September 26, 2006 2:15 PM

"Das ist verrückt", sagte der CDU-Politiker mitreisenden Journalisten. Der Beschluss der Oper sei "inakzeptabel". Was sei Meinungsfreiheit schon wert, wenn man sie aus Angst einschränken müsse.

Views of Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble

http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/0,1518,439212,00.html

Berlin Mayor, Klaus Wowereit said it was stupid to cancel the performance and that the SPD Senator - Ehrhart Körting - had been wrong to tell the theatre to stop the play.

Staatsschutz des Landeskriminalamtes (LKA) had supposedly in July 2006 produced a report for Korting - the LKA cannot understand all the fuss since they found no evidence of any threat to the production and no reason for alarm.

Posted by: Voyager at September 26, 2006 2:35 PM

The Verfassungsschutz is also there, otherwise Schäuble wouldn't have taken a seat front and center this morning at the televised briefing.

What Schauble said above is:

That is bonkers," said the CDU politician to journalists travelling with him. The decision of the opera is "unacceptable". What is the value of freedom of expression under such circumstances.

Posted by: Voyager at September 26, 2006 2:37 PM

Maybe Madonna could mold her next tour around the prophet next time.

Posted by: raja at September 26, 2006 3:18 PM

It's hard to hear the fat Jihadi sing underneath her Burkah....

Posted by: bonncaruso at September 26, 2006 4:45 PM

"director Hans Neuenfels introduced a scene to his production that depicts the decapitated heads of the Prophet Mohammed, Jesus Christ, the Buddha and the Greek god Poseidon."

A good experiment.

Posted by: Archimedes at September 26, 2006 5:48 PM