A new, full-length Danish animation movie "The Trip to Saturn" will premier next Friday and it's not for the sensitive. In the movie, which is an update and rewrite of the deceased cartoonist and author Claus Deleuran's album classics about a Danish space expedition, there's belching, farting and throwing up. A series of scenes make fun of religious attitudes and beliefs. In a scene which takes place in the Christian heaven, the Holy Spirit is peed on, while St. Peter kicks the unfaithful out through the Pearl Gates with curses and brimstones. The only major character whose belief and convictions aren't derided is the Muslim character, Jamil, who's the cook in the space expedition.
Thirty year old Thorbjørn Christoffersen, one of the three directors of the film, says that it was completely intentional that the Muslim character is exempted from the sharp satire. Attempts at it were given up by the film team already in the manuscript stage. The reason was concern for the directors' own safety.
"It's unfortunately been impossible to make fun of the Muslims' religion. I think we make many jabs at the person Jamil in the film, but it's correct that we're not touching his belief. It's simply too sensitive an area, that I can't take the responsibility to get involved. I certainly need to think of both my family and my workplace. I'm not a fighter, and I don't like to have raging Muslims knocking on my door," says Thorbjørn Christoffersen.
He nods affirmatively to the tragedy this involves.
"I 100% support that people should be able to make fun of everything. but this is not about special consideration for Muslims, it's about consideration for myself and my family," says the director.
But how can the relationship between Danes and Muslim immigrants ever be different if everybody is too reluctant to treat them just as we treat ourselves?
"I don't see this as my or the film's problem. I will not necessarily be a tool in a campaign, just because I make a cartoon film. At the design studio we all felt concerned by threats against the Muhammed cartoonist, which I completely support, but at the current time I think that it will be dumb to repeat the demonstration. Moreover, I don't believe in the confrontation model, as I believe that the Muslims with enough time will adapt to Denmark's standards," says Thorbjørn Christoffersen.
Author Kaare Bluitgen was an indirect cause for the Muhammed crisis, when he couldn't find an artist who dared illustrate his book about the Muslim prophet. Kaare Bluitgen called Thorbjørn Christoffersen's attitude 'disappointing', since he thinks that Claus Deleuran himself would have made a good satire of both Christians and Muslims.
"I am sure that if Claus Deleuren would have lived today he would have made the 13th Muhammed cartoon, and it would have been the funniest of them all. Therefore it disappoints me if people push political correctness even here."
Former culture minister and current justice minister Brian Mikkelsen thinks self-censure is 'sad'.
"It's sad it it's become so that individual artists censure themselves out of fear of religious fanatics. We have in Dnemark a strong and good tradition of satire, also in connection with religious subjects. And we should hold fast to it," says Brian Mikkelsen.
Source: Berlingske (Danish), h/t Veritas Universalis
Thirty year old Thorbjørn Christoffersen, one of the three directors of the film, says that it was completely intentional that the Muslim character is exempted from the sharp satire. Attempts at it were given up by the film team already in the manuscript stage. The reason was concern for the directors' own safety.
"It's unfortunately been impossible to make fun of the Muslims' religion. I think we make many jabs at the person Jamil in the film, but it's correct that we're not touching his belief. It's simply too sensitive an area, that I can't take the responsibility to get involved. I certainly need to think of both my family and my workplace. I'm not a fighter, and I don't like to have raging Muslims knocking on my door," says Thorbjørn Christoffersen.
He nods affirmatively to the tragedy this involves.
"I 100% support that people should be able to make fun of everything. but this is not about special consideration for Muslims, it's about consideration for myself and my family," says the director.
But how can the relationship between Danes and Muslim immigrants ever be different if everybody is too reluctant to treat them just as we treat ourselves?
"I don't see this as my or the film's problem. I will not necessarily be a tool in a campaign, just because I make a cartoon film. At the design studio we all felt concerned by threats against the Muhammed cartoonist, which I completely support, but at the current time I think that it will be dumb to repeat the demonstration. Moreover, I don't believe in the confrontation model, as I believe that the Muslims with enough time will adapt to Denmark's standards," says Thorbjørn Christoffersen.
Author Kaare Bluitgen was an indirect cause for the Muhammed crisis, when he couldn't find an artist who dared illustrate his book about the Muslim prophet. Kaare Bluitgen called Thorbjørn Christoffersen's attitude 'disappointing', since he thinks that Claus Deleuran himself would have made a good satire of both Christians and Muslims.
"I am sure that if Claus Deleuren would have lived today he would have made the 13th Muhammed cartoon, and it would have been the funniest of them all. Therefore it disappoints me if people push political correctness even here."
Former culture minister and current justice minister Brian Mikkelsen thinks self-censure is 'sad'.
"It's sad it it's become so that individual artists censure themselves out of fear of religious fanatics. We have in Dnemark a strong and good tradition of satire, also in connection with religious subjects. And we should hold fast to it," says Brian Mikkelsen.
Source: Berlingske (Danish), h/t Veritas Universalis
