Brussels: Muslim artwork taken down (UPDATED: Death threats)

Brussels: Muslim artwork taken down

Pictures of it here. It was supposed to be displayed from Sep 5th to Oct 5th.

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A work by a young French artist, put up in a display window in Brussels, has caused negative reactions. The display had to be taken down.

The work is by Mehdi-Georges Lahlou. It displays a prayer area for Muslims, and in the middle of men's shoes, a pair of women's shoe with high heels.

The work caused negative reactions from passers-by. People threw stones at the shop window, spit at it, and the shop window was vandalized.

In recent days the shop window was covered with a panel. The work was taken down earlier than planned.

The artist says that the Muslim community didn't understand the message of the work.

Source: Nieuwsblad (Dutch)


UPDATE:

The work is called 'Cocktail, or auto-portrait and society'.

Mehdi-Georges Lahlou says he was threatened by phone by several youth after the work was displayed, and that now he got death threats.

"I think it's a type of censorship. Humor and ISlam reamins a problematically compatible combination. Look at what reactions the cartoons of Mohammed provoked. With my work I wanted to make an impossible synthesis with a aphoristic character. The story that I wanted to tel, was understood wrongly. As the title of the work makes clear, this work is a self-portrait in which I represent the role of the transvestite with red high-heels. Sadly this message didn't get there."

A Delhaize shopper who stopped by the journalist: "I'm myself a Muslim and many of my friends clearly didn't understand this artwork. Mostly because it was shown on Ramadan. Now I've heard the epxlanation of the artist, I can see myself in it. Though you shouldn't be strangely surprised if certain Muslim believers do take offense here.

Source: Nieuwsblad (Dutch), h/t NRP

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