GERMANY: Muslim leaders attend restaged production of controvesial Mozart Opera which depicted a beheaded prophet Mohammad

Muslim leaders in Germany on Monday (December 18) attended a re-staged production of Mozart's "Idomeneo" at a Berlin opera house in an attempt to allay fears of a violent reaction to a scene showing the Prophet Mohammad's severed head. Berlin's Deutsche Opera caused a storm in September when it cancelled performances of the 200-year-old work over security fears amid charges the director had caved in to alleged threats. Police had warned staging the potentially offensive scene with the severed heads of Jesus, Buddha and Poseidon alongside Mohammad, could enrage Muslims and pose a security risk. "I would advise all critics to go and have a look at this piece. I think it was a great performance," Kenan Kolat, head of Turkish Communities in Germany said. "In my view this has nothing to do with religious feelings. Sure, there is criticism of religions. You have to accept that in a democracy," Kolat added. The opera tells the story of Cretan king Idomeneo and production director Hans Neuenfels added the scene in question. Leading members of eight Muslim groups, along with Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, attended the opera to show culture can boost mutual understanding, according to a ministry spokeswoman. Police, who had in the summer warned of an "incalculable" security risk, said they had no indication of any danger connected to Monday's show. While Muslim groups welcomed the staging of "Idomeneo", many also said the row had damaged a nascent debate on the integration of Germany's 2 million Muslims. As fears of radicalism grow around Europe, Muslims in Germany complain of growing Islamophobia, especially after police arrested two Lebanese men suspected of trying to set off bombs on German trains in July. The strength of feeling unleashed by the cancellation underscores the challenges Germany faces in soothing tensions and boosting understanding with its Muslim communities. Only last week, a cardinal in Cologne banned Catholic pupils praying with non-Christians just before Christmas. Most of Germany's Muslims are Turkish and although they have lived peacefully in the country for fifty years, many have borne the brunt of social problems and failed to integrate fully.

ITN Source | December 21, 2006

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