Tunisian TV executive to stand trial for “blasphemy” over animated movie

From People of Shambhala.
Nabil Karoui, owner of the Tunisian Nassma TV station is set to stand trial for “violating sacred values” and “disturbing the public order.”

he faces up to three years in jail if he is found guilty. The Tunisian authorities are upset that Karouri allowed the French animated movie Persepolis to be aired on his station in October 2011.

The French animation is based on an Iranian autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. Islamic critics have described the movie as “blasphemous” as it shows a dream sequence in which the heroine imagines herself talking with God.

According to Egyptian media outlet BikyaMasr, “The airing of the film triggered a wave of violence, including an attempt to firebomb Karoui’s home on October 14. Salafi activists also staged angry protests in front of the offices of the station.”

Karoui has told reporters, “I will plead not guilty, of course. It is outrageous that it was I who appear, as people who burned my house were released.

“The new defenders of the moral order in Tunisia want to… read more.

6 Replies to “Tunisian TV executive to stand trial for “blasphemy” over animated movie”

  1. I posted a comment before about this. The real reason the nuttos are after this guy is because Persepolis showed how the islamists turned on their libral allies the instant the Iranian revolution was over. It then shows how horrible life became in Iran after they took over.

    It was broadcast as a warning to the Tunesian public about the dangers of letting the religious extremists take power.

    The extremists aren’t angry because the film depicted god.

    They’re angry because the film depicted them. And quite accurately.

    This is not a religious trial. It’s a political show trial meant to intimidate anyone who opposes a hard line extreme religous take over of Tunesia.

    The US State Dept has an obligation to let the Tunesian government know that these kinds of highjinx will have negative consequences for them as it’s our fault that this guy is in the predicament he is.

  2. That’s right. I saw Persepolis and the message was exactly as you describe it. The Tunisian authorities do not want their people to consider that all that talk about socialist democracy and social justice is nothing but a cover for the implementing of a religious dictatorship. If they’re banning Persepolis, they are the new Taliban, no doubt about it.

  3. It’s funny. In Persepolis she has a scene where she talks to God, and it is so clearly God, and not Allah, that she is talking to – it’s kind of funny. I don’t think the poor girl who wrote the movie had any idea what Allah is, even though she was born Muslim.

  4. My responce to this was to post in various places that people should contact their representitives and express their concearn over Mr. Nabil Karoui’s predicament.

    It made me feel great to think I might be helping a real specific person and I highly reccomend all readers of this story to do exactly the same.

  5. I must retract my last stament about the US and Europe being directly responsible. I momentarily confused Tunesia with Libya.

    But our nation still has a moral obligation to step in and assist Mr. Nabil Karoui who is being persecuted for peacefully using free speech. It is one of our own most cherished rights and one we should use our influence to spread.

  6. “Islamic critics have described the movie as “blasphemous” as it shows a dream sequence in which the heroine imagines herself talking with God.” What a gross instrusion into the personal, private and spiritual sphere of the individual!

    When it come to supressing freedoms such as that of: speech and expression the Islamic mullahs top and beat the lot out, even the Stalins & Maos , the Hitlers and all other collection of dictatorial, criminal allsorts both past and present would not be able to keep up with them!