Britain: Artists Afraid to Offend Radical Islam

[emiljoe]

Britain: Artists Afraid to Offend Radical Islam :fork:

http://thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=4453.2724.0.0

Radical Islam is so deeply embedded in British society, even the nation’s most famously controversial and edgy artists are afraid to confront it.
Grayson Perry is a provocative, cross-dressing, award-winning potter, whose highly decorated ceramic pieces, which often feature ***, violence and anti-religious motifs, can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
Like many artists, Perry prizes himself as a non-conformist, a creative, avant-garde revolutionary, unafraid to use art as a means of confronting tradition, religion and societal norms. But for as bold and progressive as Perry claims to be, there’s one subject that frightens him to the core.
“I’ve censored myself,” Perry said (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article2896431.ece) at a discussion on art and politics organized by the Art Fund. “The reason I haven’t gone all out attacking Islamism in my art is because I feel real fear that someone will slit my throat.”
For a man with such a strong reputation for stirring up controversy, Perry’s attitude toward Islamism is remarkable.
“I’m interested in religion and I’ve made a lot of pieces about it,” he said. “With other targets you’ve got a better idea of who they are, but Islamism is very amorphous. You don’t know what the threshold is. Even what seems an innocuous image might trigger off a really violent reaction, so I just play safe all the time.”
It doesn’t appear this phobia for criticizing Islam is confined to Grayson Perry.
“Perry also believes that many of his fellow visual artists have also ducked the issue, and one leading British gallery director told the Times that few major venues would be prepared to show potentially inflammatory works” (Times (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article2896431.ece), November 19).
The Trumpet has monitored the growing presence and influence of radical Islam in Britain, explaining how it has become the sickness in Britain’s heart (http://thetrumpet.com/print.php?q=2920.0.88.0). That even contemporary artists and art galleries, many of whom make massive amounts of money breaking taboos and exploring new limits, are afraid to tackle Islam is a telling sign of the alarming presence of radical Islam in Britain. •

[vinny_121_ND]

“The reason I haven’t gone all out attacking Islamism in my art is because I feel real fear that someone will slit my throat.”

I have no idea what's going on in europe, but it's seriously a real concern for me. I've been reading a lot of stories about the real lack of effort for muslims to integrate in european countries.
We've been discussing this for years on various threads.

[Litti]

What a friggin' drama queen.

"OH look at me I'm afraid to offend the muslims, please save from these evil people."

People like him serve no purpose. What is the point to intentionally offend a specific group of people? It's not constructive criticism.

[Ghelp]

Greater Pakistan?

[Kilgor]

What a friggin' drama queen.

OH look at me I'm afraid to offend the muslims, please save from these evil people.

Theo Van gough begs to differ.

The BBC also....


A staff impartiality seminar held last year is also documented in the report, at which executives admitted they would broadcast images of the Bible being thrown away but not the Koran, in case Muslims were offended.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/17/nbbc217.xml

[Litti]

*Yawn*

Declare publicly how you are afraid to be killed by some group of people and as a result have decided not to create masterful art. Free publicity = money.

[Litti]

There are a quite a lot of exhibitions attacking radical Islam in the UK and for some reason people behind them are not afraid for their lives.

[vinny_121_ND]

Mock, question or speak out against islam, and you'll get death threats. Muslims who do speak out against terror jihadis aren't an exception either. Convert out and you're good as dead. It's blind faith that all believers will go to paradise and non believers will go to a fiery hell. Like Jericho Cane says, "Between your faith and my Glock nine millimeter, I'll take the Glock."

[lider_r]

after the hullabaloo the world witnessed with the danish cartoons, it probably wouldn't too wise to publish any more at this stage.

Sure its kowtowing but if it prevents more riots...

[wicked_hind]

after the hullabaloo the world witnessed with the danish cartoons, it probably wouldn't too wise to publish any more at this stage.

Sure its kowtowing but if it prevents more riots...

So you're saying that their rights as artists shouldn't matter? If the radical Muslims can't deal with it, they can go back to wherever they came from instead of trying to force others to do what they want.

[lider_r]

no, I'm saying there needs to be tact when confronting this. Cartoons have already been published and everybody saw the ensueing ****storm.

Its ok for us brit citizens who can enjoy the protection of the police, but there is a risk this will spill out into other countries where non muslims can't be protected, they might be on the receiving end of the fallout.

If swallowing our pride and not publishing a few cartoons can prevent a few deaths then its worth it.

[AmandlaEwetu]

another benefit of living in a multi cultural society with the religeon of peace resurgent,say it enough and you WILL start to believe it:)

[Kilgor]

There is a excellent quote in Clash of Civilizations....

"a different civilisation (Islam) whose people are convinced of the superiority of their culture and are obsessed with the inferiority of their power."

[BugHunt]

There are a quite a lot of exhibitions attacking radical Islam in the UK and for some reason people behind them are not afraid for their lives.


Got any examples?


Not saying there arent but i havent heard of any.....

[MG 3]

Greater Pakistan?

Hell no. Thank god that they left this country. It has two benifits,
One: that they are out and we have less ppl from Mirpur to deal with and
Two: Te send back a tonne of money.

[CMNot]

If the radical Muslims can't deal with it, they can go back to wherever they came from instead of trying to force others to do what they want.

What if "wherever they came from" is Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, Shipley etc. etc.? Oh noes, a problem that knee-jerk deportation won't solve. This is the crux of the problem - a problem exasperated and aided by consecutive, apathetic, Government's. A problem that now the British public and those who serve them are faced with reaping the consequence of.

I'm not condoning anything, but things are rarely black and white for anyone who is not Ronald Reagan.

[wicked_hind]

no, I'm saying there needs to be tact when confronting this. Cartoons have already been published and everybody saw the ensueing ****storm.

Its ok for us brit citizens who can enjoy the protection of the police, but there is a risk this will spill out into other countries where non muslims can't be protected, they might be on the receiving end of the fallout.

If swallowing our pride and not publishing a few cartoons can prevent a few deaths then its worth it.

Sorry it took me long to reply, but I fell asleep after my original post. Okay, I understand what you're saying when it comes to tactness, and saving lives. I don't know, I've never lived in Europe before, and perhaps because of that reason, I shouldn't be debating this with you. I just think it's absurd that there's a double standard out there, as Kilgor pointed out. To me, I just get the impression that if more and more artists and writers don't want to publish their work out of fear for offending a small group that doesn't speak out for the majority of their people, they'll get shut out and they shouldn't let that happen. I just don't think they should swallow their pride.

[California Joe]

Grayson Perry is a provocative, cross-dressing, award-winning potter, whose highly decorated ceramic pieces, which often feature ***, violence and anti-religious motifs, can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

Sounds to me like this **** has already done everything he can to offend the rest of society and now that he's not shocking enough anymore he needed some issue to spark some interest.

[artistoli]

I've been making critical comments about Islam in my art for years now. Of course I did have to walk out of art school in the last year of my degree course (in 2003) because of it; but I feel so strongly that we need to fight Islam that I will continue to be critical of it no matter how many threats I get.

[clean]

What a friggin' drama queen.

"OH look at me I'm afraid to offend the muslims, please save from these evil people."

People like him serve no purpose. What is the point to intentionally offend a specific group of people? It's not constructive criticism.

The point of artists is not to intentionally offend a specific group of people but to express views and opinions about society, specifically and as a whole. To create art that depicts race and religion in a way they don't want to be portrayed is the artists duty. We may not agree with it, find it juvenile and stupid and attention seeking, but that is their job. To make us look at things we believe and hold dear, and turn it upside down. Currently, depicting Islam in a certain unfavorable light, brings out the fanatics. And it's dangerous.

[Zathras]

Hell no. Thank god that they left this country. It has two benifits,
One: that they are out and we have less ppl from Mirpur to deal with and
Two: Te send back a tonne of money.

lol dont go blazing mirpuris. :bash:

I find the titleof this thread funny "afraid to offend radical islam". Well what do you expect when you purposely seek to offend extremists. :roll:

[seraosha]

The "right to offend" is protected speech. Sure, it's annoying, but welcome to Modern Western Civilization. But if you think this is all about some weirdo in a skirt, and not about a real issue, you need to lift your gaze up off what's immediately in front of you and do a little reading.

Self censorship due to fear of physical violence, harassment, and death is going beyond keeping your mouth shut as you walk past gang members, or intoxicated sports fans...which falls within the "common sense" brackets...making fun, or light, or being critical of any topic, in Art, Literature, or creative events is fundamental to freedom of expression.

Do I like "Piss Christ"? Hell no, but I'm not going to go kill the artist. I'm not going to burn an American flag, threaten an embassy, or pose for an AP photo with my buddies to show how gosh darn upset I am.

But test the waters and publish a cartoon depicting Muhammad and see what happens.