In the first place, I don’t know why someone wants to
portray Jesus as gay. That is not my concern. But why the Church makes a hue
and cry when such a thing happens is of course something that I would like to
think about.
Nikos Kazantzakis was in the dock for his controversial
novel ‘The Last Temptation of Jesus Christ’ and so was Salman Rushdie for his ‘Satanic
Verses’. World-renowned Indian artist M F Hussein was often targeted by
right-wing Hindus for his portrayal of Hindu goddesses in nude.
A director, actors and a producer who staged
an American play depicting Jesus and his disciples as gay were arrested in
Greece. Charges of blasphemy have been filed against them. Athens had imposed
a ban on the controversial play “Corpus Christi” after weeks of daily protests
by priests from Greece’s Orthodox Church, members of the far-right party, the
Golden Dawn, and other right-wing protesters earlier this month. My fellow blogger
Kristina Chew says that these demonstrations and the blasphemy charges, filed
by Bishop Seraphim of Piraeus, are all more signs of a rise in right-wing
sentiment in Greece, also evidenced in reports of violent attacks on immigrants
and the government’s implementation of its “Xenios Zeus” policy, a crackdown on
illegal immigrants.
Albanian-born Laertis Vasiliou, who directed the play was
reported to have expressed disbelief that authorities have made such a huge
issue about the play. It may be remembered that Greece is struggling hard to
tide over the economic crisis that prevails in the country, unemployment and
other issues.
Though no specific date for a trial for the director
Vasiliou and the others has yet been set, if convicted, they could face sentences
of several months.
According to Reuters, the lawsuit against those involved in
the “Corpus Christi” production follows the arrest of a 27-year-old man who
created a Facebook page that mocked a deceased Orthodox monk. These incidents
indicate a right-wing turn in the country, also apparent when Greek state TV
censored a kiss between two men while airing a segment of the British period
drama “Downton Abbey” in October, reports the agency.
No comments:
Post a Comment