Muslim activists in Birmingham have set their sights on national treasure John Cleese, demanding the comedian be cancelled over so-called ‘Islamophobia’. A group calling itself ‘Deenified’ released a video on social media berating the Fawlty Towers star for ‘using your platforms to attack Islam’ and calling for his Birmingham comedy show, part of a wider national tour, to be banned. The relatively young bearded activists accuse Cleese of ‘spreading dangerous misinformation and creating hostility towards Muslims’.
One chap warns that ‘saying things like Islam is all about killing… isn’t comedy’. He declares: ‘That’s hate speech and you’re just a hate preacher.’ The group then complains that ‘free speech has become a convenient shield for anti-Muslim hostility and vilification with no consequences’.
The video ends with a demand that Birmingham Town Hall cancel Cleese’s show, which took place last night. Alas for the would-be comedy censors, as far as Mr S can see the performance went ahead as planned.
But the campaign may not end there. Islamic website 5Pillars suggested similar demands could follow Cleese around ‘several of the cities on the (comedy) tour’ that ‘are home to substantial Muslim communities’. The Ministry of Silly Walks was funny. Birmingham’s self-appointed Ministry of Silencing Speech is rather less so.
UPDATE: John Cleese this evening confirmed his show last night ‘passed off without incident’. He posted on X: ‘My thanks to all who posted support. I think that may have changed some minds. A British publisher had asked me to write a book on Islamic humour. However, they want a first draft by tomorrow. I told them I could do that.’
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