Thousands Protest Film In Tunisia
Written by: FFT Webmaster | October 17th, 2011
Police in the Tunisian capital of Tunis had to use tear gas last week to disperse thousands of people protesting the television broadcast of the French animated film PERSEPOLIS. The film, which uses animation to tell the autobiographical story of a young woman’s coming of age in Iran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was called blasphemous and an affront to the Muslim religion. The mob firebombed the home of the television station’s owner and held a full fledged riot in the streets. The owner, who has apologized for the broadcast, was not at home and no injuries were reported. PERSEPOLIS was an award-winning film that was celebrated around the world after its premiere two years ago at the Cannes Film Festival but its pro-feminist, anti-dogma interpretation of the patriarchal control of Muslim clerics has been a lightning rod of controversy in the Moslem world.