Katy Perry News Update: An appeal has been launched to have Katy Perry's latest music video "Dark Horse" to be removed from YouTube after she was accused of blasphemy by Muslims.
In the clip, she is seen as an Egyptian queen, dressed as a Cleopatra-type character, who has the power to destroy her subjects with lightning and turn them into sand. In one scene a man is shown being scorched by lightning while wearing a pendant forming the word 'Allah' - the Arabic word for God. The pendant is also burned in flames before the man turned into ashes.
"At 01:15 (minutes) into the video Dark Horse; a man is shown being burned, whilst wearing a pendant (also burned) forming the word Allah, which is the arabic (sic) word for God. Such goes to show, that blasphemy is clearly conveyed in the video, since Katy Perry (who appears to be representing an opposition of God) engulfs the believer and the word God in flames." As stated from the report of Sydney Morning Herald.
Reports from ContactMusic said that members of the Muslim community have criticised the video, calling it blasphemous. They demand its removal from video-sharing site YouTube.
"Shazad Iqbal who put the petition, which has over 50,000 supporters, on the change.org website claims the video 'promotes blasphemy'. He wants the video sharing website to pull it down because 'using the name of God in an irrelevant and distasteful manner would be considered inappropriate by any religion'." Quoted from Sky News reports.
According to Dnaindia, one of those offended by the imagery has launched a petition on Change.org, which states: "This petition is lodged In (sic) regards to Katy Perry's music video 'Dark Horse'... The video is considered as highly controversial to its viewers as a result of its portrayal of blasphemy."
"We are Muslims and that is Allah's name on his neck and she burns it that's great disrespect to Islam," Nida Ahmed from Huddersfield, one among those who signed the said petition wrote.
"Absolutely disgusted at the music industry for allowing this to happen, music should be about spreading love not hate, it's shameful that you allow stupidity, you need to look up the meaning of the word explicit and rectify your terms and conditions," said Bilal Khan from Birmingham.
Support for the appeal has come from all over the globe, including Indonesia, Dubai and The Netherlands.
According to Sky News, Mr Iqbal, 22, said he started the petition because he wants to raise awareness of inappropriate content in music videos.
Perry was brought up in a devoutly religious household and both of her parents are Pentecostal ministers.
