Katy Perry under fire for Dark Horse video
Singer Katy Perry has upset members of the Muslim community by featuring "blasphemous" imagery in the music video for her new hit Dark Horse.
In the promo, the Roar hitmaker plays an Egyptian queen who has the power to zap her subjects with lightning and turn them into sand, and she has offended Muslims by killing one male subject, wearing a pendant reading God (Allah) in Arabic. The jewelry item is also zapped.
Members of the Muslim community have criticized the video, calling
it blasphemous and demanding for it be removed from
YouTube.com.
One of those offended by the imagery has launched a petition on
Change.org, which reads, "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.
"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.
"This is the reason for lodging the petition so that people from
different walks of life, different religions and from different
parts of the world, agree that the video promotes blasphemy (sic).
Using the name of God in an irrelevant and distasteful manner would
be considered inappropriate by any religion."