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But on Palm Sunday morning, four people in sunglasses aged between 18 and 25 entered the exhibition just after it opened at 11am. One took a hammer out of his sock and threatened the guards with it. A guard grabbed another man around the waist but within seconds the group managed to take a hammer to the plexiglass screen and slash the photograph with another sharp object, thought to be a screwdriver or ice-pick. They also smashed another work, which showed the hands of a meditating nun.
The gallery director, Eric Mézil, said it would reopen with the destroyed works on show "so people can see what barbarians can do". He said there had been a kind of "inquisition" against the art work.
In a statement, he said the movement against Piss Christ had started at the time of President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling UMP party's controversial debate on religion and secularism in France. At a record low in the polls before next year's presidential election, Sarkozy has been accused of using anti-Muslim and extreme-right rhetoric to appeal to voters and counter the rise of the Front National.
Asked by the daily Libération why the Piss Christ protest had happened now, Mézil pointed to Sarkozy's speech in March lauding "the Christian heritage of France" at Puy-en-Velay, where the first Crusades were preached.
He said: "Clearly we saw in Saturday's demonstration that a Catholic fringe wanted to take the president at his word, with extremely violent appeals." He said there was a climate of tension, with protesters insulting museum staff of north African origin. One guard said he heard: "I'm going to pour donkey piss on the Qur'an." An email to the museum talked about "plunging the diary of Anne Frank in urine".
The French culture minister, Frédéric Mitterrand, condemned the vandalism as an attack on the fundamental freedoms of creation and expression, but recognised that the art work could shock audiences.
The secretary general of Civitas, Alan Escada, told Le Dauphiné Libéré paper: "I don't support or condemn what happened," adding that the attack on the picture "reflects an understandable exasperation" with the museum.
A police complaint has been filed by the gallery and the guards.
• This article was amended on 19 April 2011. The original referred to the Senator Jesse Helms as Jesse James. This has been corrected.
not to divert this thread, but woodrow, one must wonder where the muslim protesters were? if jesus was actually a muslim, then muslims are closer to christ then christians and yet i have failed to see the muslim world generate any care on the matter. the depiction of muhammad in a bear suit caused such tension, the naming of a teddy bear with the same name as muhammad caused such tension, the drawing of muhammad with a bomb on his head caused such tension, yet the portrayal of christ in a vat of urine goes by without any tension on the part of muslims at large. the question should not be "what if they were muslims" but rather, "why weren't they muslims?" and where is the anger and outrage in the muslim world? incidents such as this really calls into question the claim that christ is loved and revered by muslims. actions certainly speak louder than words.
The story is also in the Guardian, but of course the guardian is putting the emphasis on another issue.
SOURCE
It is sad there were North African Guards, it is even sadder that the Guardian is hinting that Muslims were protecting the horrid painting that demeans a Prophet(PBUH) who is much loved by Muslims. Leave it to the Guardian, to somehow involve Muslims.
we're not saying that muslims don't think that christians disrespect christ but rather that muslim action in this regard is largely contradictory to what they claim
naidamar, once again you simply refuse to actually deal with my post. the point isn't whether muslims rejoice about what christians (and which christians are we in fact talking about? simply because one is a westener does not make one a christian) do but rather what the very muslim ideology should lead a muslim to do. if muslims claim to revere christ as they revere all the prophets then why is there such silence in the muslim world whenever christ is ridiculed? we know that muslims are aware of these incidents because they seemingly keep up with every real or perceived slight towards muhammad and as such this is not a case of them simply being unaware. furthermore, you once again bring up the issue of christians but the point is that if islam is true then muslims should be thinking of christ as their prophet and as such could not leave the defense of christ to christians as you and i both know is actually the case. it is quite clear that the only thing that actually arouses muslims to protest is criticism of muhammad and not moses, david, and certainly not christ nor any of the other supposedly muslim prophets. i would even go so far as to say that not even ridicule of allah arouses much interest (for god as well is made fun of often in west and i have yet to see muslims protest because southpark/the simpsons/cartoonists have ridiculed god in their depiction). from muslim action, or rather lack of action, it would seem that muhammad is the only person of importance.
You keep on grasping on strawmen. Please show us where in the world that muslims are rejoicing because of such disgusting behaviour christians do towards their own mangod.
It is not muslims fault that christians themselves made fun of and degraded their own mangod.
You should ask your fellow christians why they keep trashing jesus (pbuh).
naidamar, once again you simply refuse to actually deal with my post. the point isn't whether muslims rejoice about what christians (and which christians are we in fact talking about?
What do you have against the Guardian by the way? With the Independent it's one of the two most liberal of the British 'quality' papers, it's audience tends towards the moderate left, and as has no 'anti-Islamic' agenda I've ever noticed.
naidamar, once again you simply refuse to actually deal with my post. the point isn't whether muslims rejoice about what christians (and which christians are we in fact talking about? simply because one is a westener does not make one a christian) do but rather what the very muslim ideology should lead a muslim to do. if muslims claim to revere christ as they revere all the prophets then why is there such silence in the muslim world whenever christ is ridiculed? we know that muslims are aware of these incidents because they seemingly keep up with every real or perceived slight towards muhammad and as such this is not a case of them simply being unaware. furthermore, you once again bring up the issue of christians but the point is that if islam is true then muslims should be thinking of christ as their prophet and as such could not leave the defense of christ to christians as you and i both know is actually the case. it is quite clear that the only thing that actually arouses muslims to protest is criticism of muhammad and not moses, david, and certainly not christ nor any of the other supposedly muslim prophets. i would even go so far as to say that not even ridicule of allah arouses much interest (for god as well is made fun of often in west and i have yet to see muslims protest because southpark/the simpsons/cartoonists have ridiculed god in their depiction). from muslim action, or rather lack of action, it would seem that muhammad is the only person of importance.
wa alaykum us-Salaam
*wonders if loon watch is a site to take information from*
not to divert this thread, but woodrow, one must wonder where the muslim protesters were?
It is good website. The website does present sources for its articles.
Most Muslims did not even know this article. It was not directed towards Islam, which is why there was no worldwide protest. Then again, Muslims do respect Prophet Jesus (P.B.U.H) and would be disgusted to see hear about this work.
I do wish at least some of our Brothers in France had staged some peaceful demonstrations against the despicable painting. Then again I wonder if any peaceful demonstration would have received any media attention? Perhaps there were some that did not receive any publicity. Islamic demonstrations against violence and/or terrorism seem to go unnoticed. Perhaps all peaceful protests by Muslims go unnoticed. Perhaps all peaceful protests by anybody go unnoticed. The media seems to prefer stories that involve at least a hint of violence.
....not to divert this thread, but woodrow, one must wonder where the muslim protesters were? if jesus was actually a muslim, then muslims are closer to christ then christians and yet i have failed to see the muslim world generate any care on the matter. the depiction of muhammad in a bear suit caused such tension, the naming of a teddy bear with the same name as muhammad caused such tension, the drawing of muhammad with a bomb on his head caused such tension, yet the portrayal of christ in a vat of urine goes by without any tension on the part of muslims at large. the question should not be "what if they were muslims" but rather, "why weren't they muslims?" and where is the anger and outrage in the muslim world? incidents such as this really calls into question the claim that christ is loved and revered by muslims. actions certainly speak louder than words.
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