British play provokes religion, free speech clash

A canceled play, a damaged theater, a playwright in hiding.

The violent clash of views sparked by a dark comedy depicting rape and murder in a Sikh temple shows that art and religion still often fail to understand each other.

Some British Sikhs feel “Behzti” (Dishonor) is offensive to their religion -- an opinion shared by Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Birmingham, who said the play “demeans the sacred place of every religion.” Artists and civil libertarians fear the devout are growing bolder in attempts to silence “offensive” artwork and say that government moves to ban religious hatred will make things worse.

“The causing of offense is part of our business,” said Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of the National Theatre.

“I don’t think people have the right not to be offended by works of the imagination,” he told the British Broadcasting Corp.

On Dec. 20, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre canceled its run of “Behzti” after a violent protest by members of the Sikh community. Several police officers were injured and three people arrested after a small group within a 400-strong demonstration tried to storm the theater, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Birmingham Rep said it had reluctantly scrapped the play because it could not guarantee the safety of audiences and staff. Playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti is reportedly in hiding after receiving death threats.

Sikh leaders say the play, which depicts acts of sexual abuse and murder in a fictional gurdwara, or Sikh temple, demeans their religion. They applauded the theater’s decision.

But artists and civil libertarians were dismayed. More than 700 actors, directors, writers, composers and academics -- including actors Prunella Scales and Timothy West, poet laureate Andrew Motion, playwright Michael Frayn and Monty Python comedian Terry Jones -- signed a letter in support of the play.

“It is a legitimate function of art to provoke debate and sometimes to express controversial ideas.... Those who use violent means to silence it must be vigorously opposed and challenged, whatever our faith, belief or opinions,” said the letter, published Dec. 23 in the Guardian newspaper.

Reaction to the play is split between the devout of all faiths and the secular. Christian leaders joined their Sikh counterparts in criticism.

Britain has a long tradition of free speech, but the legal picture is murky. There is a law against blasphemy, but it applies only to the Christian faith and has not been used successfully since 1979.

Mohan Singh, spokesman for the Guru Nanak temple in Birmingham, said there must be limits to free speech. “Maybe 5,000 people would have seen this play over the run. Are you going to upset 600,000 Sikhs in Britain and maybe 20 million outside the U.K. for that?” he said. “Religion is a very sensitive issue, and you should be extremely careful.”