Katy Perry’s Middle Eastern-themed music video for Dark Horse has upset some Muslim viewers so much that they’re signing a petition to get the promo pulled from YouTube.
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The video is set in Egypt, and Katy Perry plays Cleopatra. Well, Cleopatra bestowed with magical powers. She is then presented with potential suitors, who offer her gifts. If she doesn't like the men, she uses her magic lightning strength to turn them into sand. The first man she disintegrates wears a necklace bearing the name of Allah, which is also destroyed. So, in summary, Katy turns a necklace saying ‘Allah’ into sand, which has upset some viewers.
You can watch the video below if you like:
Shazad Iqbal, from Bradford, is so upset by the video's ‘blasphemy’, he set up the petition calling for the video's to be pulled. ‘Blasphemy is clearly conveyed in the video, since Katy Perry – who appears to be representing an opposition of God – engulfs the believer and the word “God” in flames,’ he says. He adds that the purpose of the petition is, ‘So that people from different walks of life, different religions and from different parts of the world, agree that the video promotes blasphemy, using the name of God in an irrelevant and distasteful manner would be considered inappropriate by any religion.’
The petition has 52,000 signatories so far, there is no word from YouTube as to whether they're considering the video's removal, however, the debate underneath the video is getting pretty stupid, even by YouTube's commenter standards. Our favourite is, ‘Burn in hell you minion of satan, you think you can parade here like a fucking souless worshiper of lucifer and get away, Ill [sic] fucking hang you and your entire family in the name of the lord † † †.’
It's only a small necklace, right? And it's not focused on or zoomed in on in the video. Which then begs the question – why was it included in the first place?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.