181:
345:, described Behzti as "a terrific new play". She went on to say that it was "offensive, and furious and bloodthirsty and angry in all the right places." She noted that much of the action took place in a Gurdwara, and described the play as a "searing comedy" that included rape, abuse, murder, but was "hugely funny, touching and tremendously important." She further credited the writer's ability to "expose hypocrisy and pretence where they find it."
150:
future, Balbir presses Mr Sandhu, a respected figure in the local gurdwara, to look into potential marriage partners for her daughter. Subsequently it emerges that Mr Sandhu had been conducting a gay affair with Tej, and that Tej had killed himself out of shame that it would be revealed. Mr Sandhu goes on to rape Min in the gurdwara, though this is covered up by others in the temple. Balbir later kills Mr Sandhu with a
667:"Gosh! Cripes! Homosexual passion, serial rape and a miraculous murder in the holy gurdwara. What excitement! How the advanced provincial bourgeoisie must have gripped their seats! What animated chats about it they must have had in the bus going home! How the hearts of the all white management and production team of the Brummie Rep must have glowed at their own emancipated boldness!"
324:, criticised the play as sensationalist. He stated that "the gurdwara is where the Guru is in residence, and therefore has a different significance than a synagogue, a church or a mosque" and that by depicting a rape there Bhatti "disrespected the sanctity of the Guru." Rai defends the "subjective inscrutability of sacred icons" and cites the work of
332:
in their criticisms of "the constructed paradigms of rationalism". He states that "freedoms are never absolute, least of all in multicultural, multiracial societies where responsibilities to co-exist must limit them" and concludes that "the legacy of colonialism lingers, now disguised as a defence of
309:
One protester, Pritpal Singh, unsuccessfully appealed his conviction, arguing that the assembly was legal and that his rights were violated by the order to disperse. Lady
Justice Hallett, speaking for the majority, said the defendant's claim failed to address the rights of those who were frightened
162:
The opening night performance on 18 December 2004 was cancelled after violence erupted among protesters gathered around the theatre. Three people were arrested for public order offences and three police officers were injured. The Sikh protest organizers stated that they did not support the violence
149:
The plot revolves around the elderly Balbir and her daughter Min who have a difficult and tempestuous relationship. Though both Sikhs, they have been largely ostracised from the local Sikh community following the suicide of Balbir's husband Tej some years before. Seeking to secure her daughter's
288:
Religion and art have collided for centuries, and will carry on doing battle long after my play and I are forgotten. The tension between who I am, a
British-born Sikh woman, and what I do, which is write drama, is at the heart of the matter. These questions of how differences in perspective and
403:, said the play was offensive to people of all faiths: "The right to freedom of expression has corresponding duties to the common good. Such a deliberate, even if fictional, violation of the sacred place of the Sikh religion demeans the sacred places of every religion."
28:
655:"L'affaire Behzti: Christie Davies revisits the riot that ended the production of Behzti at the Birmingham Rep at the end of 2004 and the text of the play – and finds a very poor play and a public relations disaster for British Sikhs"
642:
addresses social, economic and cultural issues with an emphasis on the value of personal responsibility. We research, challenge and debate issues from welfare to warfare, always seeking to draw out the role of the individual's
137:, England, a protest was organised by local Sikh leaders which turned violent, with the Rep cancelling performances of the play two days later. The case became part of a wider discussion in Britain about the limits of
447:
691:
355:, an NGO, noted that he had not seen the play, but that he had read it, and could "imagine" how it could be performed. Davies described it as a "clumsy patch-work quilt with weak and hurried stitching."
276:, criticised the protestors for promoting an essentially outdated view of Sikhs rooted in the concerns of early Sikh migrants rather than the modern British-born Sikh youth, and the Labour government of
414:, where he states that "the effects of the storming of the theatre are far wider than the particular case: the danger of such episodes is that they cause writers to self-censor for fear of violence."
303:, as reported by The Skih Times, commented that while deploring censorship, he did feel a "degree of sympathy for the Sikhs", and found it hard "not to admire" the defence of their beliefs.
261:
We all have the right to protest peacefully if a work of art offends us. We do not have the right to use violence and intimidation to prevent that work of art from being seen by others.
175:
In a Sikh temple, sexual abuse does not take place, kissing and dancing don't take place, rape doesn't take place, homosexual activity doesn't take place, murders do not take place.
581:"Sikh play protester loses appeal: The use of anti-social behaviour laws to break up a protest by Sikhs against a controversial play worked well, the Court of Appeal has ruled"
396:
Mohan Singh, a local Sikh community leader, said: "When they're doing a play about a Sikh priest raping somebody inside a gurdwara, would any religion take it?"
911:
926:
921:
365:
is definitely for you. Gurpreet's new play is set in a
Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) and explores a number of themes with a variety of interesting characters. "
869:
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Sarita Malik, writing for ArtsProfessional magazine, noted that the reaction to Behzti showed a sharp divide between minorities and the art community.
125:(Sikh temple) included scenes of rape, physical abuse and murder, with some members of the Sikh community finding the play deeply offensive to their
737:
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of a minority of protesters, and stated they would be happy to see minor changes in the script so that the play was not set in a Sikh gurdwara.
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On 20 December 2004, after an emergency meeting of the theatre management and discussions involving the local Sikh community,
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as backing the "promotion of religion in public life", ignoring internal tensions in communities and stifling dissent.
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belief are negotiated in
Britain today will, I hope, continue to bring about a lively and vital debate.
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and France in
October–December 2006. It was published (in French) by the theatre publishing house
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618:"Behzti, Birmingham Repertory Theatre Gripping and essential: an offensive yet searing comedy"
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magazine said of the play: "If you're looking for some witty and thought provoking drama then
205:
878:
558:
448:'It's sad we live in a culture where the taking of offence is sufficient excuse for violence'
166:
Sewa Singh Mandla, organiser of the protest and chairman of the
Council of Sikh Gurdwaras in
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333:'free speech'. Ironically, it finds its most xenophobic expression among liberals."
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and whether this can be curtailed where it offends the faith of religious groups.
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842:
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775:. Collection Bleue (in French). Les Solitaires Intempestifs. p. 176.
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Bhatti, Gurpreet Kaur; Bekaert, Rudi (French translation) (October 2006).
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The play has been translated into French by Rudi
Bekaert and performed in
380:
154:, and Min forms relationship with Elvis, her mother's black care-worker.
126:
122:
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signed a letter in support of the playwright. The letter read, in part:
384:
318:
Jasdev Singh Rai, director of the Sikh Human Rights Group, writing for
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in the United
Kingdom in December 2004. A controversial scene set in a
151:
852:
179:
743:(in English and French). the British Council. n.d. Archived from
110:
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Gurharpal Singh, professor of inter-religious relations at the
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Supporters of the play said the cancellation was an affront to
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for the best play written by a woman in the
English language.
48:
Min, Balbir, Mr Sandhu, Polly
Dhodhar, Teetee Parmar, Elvis
677:"Behzti (dishonour) by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti – reviewed",
184:
Cancellation notice of the play at the Birmingham Rep
484:
Stars sign letter in support of playwright in hiding
83:
75:
67:
52:
44:
34:
20:
873:– Violent Sikh demo forces theatre to cancel play
714:. blackburnprize.org. 3 July 2005. Archived from
430:Tale of rape at the temple sparks riot at theatre
129:. On the opening night, 18 December 2004, at the
848:Times Online – Extremists hijacked play protest
825:. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 54.
466:Writer in hiding as violence closes Sikh play
406:The cancellation of the play is discussed in
399:The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham,
8:
887:BBC News: Protest play could find new venue
858:BBC News – Theatre ends play in Sikh protest
811:, 20 December 2004, retrieved 19 April 2011
26:
17:
492:, 23 December 2004, retrieved 9 June 2009
474:, 21 December 2004, retrieved 9 June 2009
456:, 21 December 2004, retrieved 9 June 2009
438:, 20 December 2004, retrieved 9 June 2009
803:Sikhs storm theatre in protest over play
383:on 16 November 2005. It was produced in
208:. More than 700 arts figures, including
695:author wins prize for women playwrights
422:
823:Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction
412:Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction
196:, The Rep decided to cancel the play.
879:– Censorship – life six months after
701:, 8 March 2005, retrieved 9 June 2009
503:Sikhs are the real losers from Behzti
7:
912:History of Birmingham, West Midlands
653:Davies, Christie (7 February 2006).
534:GLOVER, STEPHEN (21 December 2004).
200:Response to protest and cancellation
606:, Dr Jasdev Singh Rai, The Guardian
109:) is a play written by the British
927:Obscenity controversies in theatre
922:Religious controversies in theatre
468:, Tania Branigan and Vikram Dodd,
14:
616:Cross, Helen (21 December 2004).
559:"Censorship – Life after Behzti"
351:, in an essay published by the
310:or endangered by the protest.
194:Commission for Racial Equality
1:
917:Sikhism-related controversies
902:Plays by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
843:– Abhor Violence, Not Protest
557:Malik, Sarita (4 July 2005).
536:"Abhor Violence, Not Protest"
517:"This warrior is fighting on"
853:Birmingham Repertory Theatre
131:Birmingham Repertory Theatre
738:"British Twist New Writing"
561:. ArtsProfessional magazine
506:, Professor Gurharpal Singh
390:Les Solitaires Intempestifs
374:Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
948:
56:18 December 2004
821:Warburton, Nigel (2009).
657:. The Social Affairs Unit
25:
863:27 November 2005 at the
679:Asians in Media Magazine
268:University of Birmingham
640:The Social Affairs Unit
292:
264:
185:
178:
285:
283:The author responded
258:
183:
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190:West Midlands Police
115:Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
39:Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
808:The Daily Telegraph
772:Behzti (Déshonneur)
583:. BBC. 28 July 2006
353:Social Affairs Unit
342:The Birmingham Post
117:. The play sparked
71:Birmingham, England
932:Fiction about rape
838:Stephen Glover of
681:, 13 December 2004
523:. 13 January 2005.
486:, Tania Branigan,
432:, Tania Branigan,
186:
620:. The Independent
206:freedom of speech
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76:Original language
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877:Dr Sarita Malik
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453:The Independent
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408:Nigel Warburton
401:Vincent Nichols
359:Asians in Media
349:Christie Davies
330:Michel Foucault
326:Jacques Derrida
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210:Prunella Scales
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68:Place premiered
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133:(The Rep), in
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786:. Retrieved
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521:The Guardian
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242:Jonathan Coe
230:Richard Eyre
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158:Cancellation
148:
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97:
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88:Black comedy
15:
337:Helen Cross
254:Samuel West
218:Terry Jones
139:free speech
119:controversy
113:playwright
907:2004 plays
896:Categories
418:References
278:Tony Blair
226:Jude Kelly
170:, stated:
168:Birmingham
135:Birmingham
105:ਬੇਇੱਜ਼ਤੀ,
60:2004-12-18
45:Characters
35:Written by
314:Reception
214:Tariq Ali
107:Dishonour
861:Archived
381:Brussels
372:won the
368:In 2005
192:and the
123:Gurdwara
385:Belgium
103:Punjabi
90:, drama
79:English
58: (
881:Behzti
788:9 June
779:
754:9 June
722:9 June
693:Bezhti
661:6 June
624:9 June
587:9 June
565:9 June
542:9 June
370:Behzti
363:Behzti
252:, and
152:kirpan
98:Behzti
21:Behzti
748:(PDF)
741:(PDF)
127:faith
84:Genre
790:2009
777:ISBN
756:2009
724:2009
663:2009
626:2009
589:2009
567:2009
544:2009
328:and
145:Plot
111:Sikh
898::
519:.
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101:(
62:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
