A pendant bearing the word “Allah” was removed from Katy Perry’s music video for “Dark Horse”, after backlash that declared it was offensive to the Muslim religion.
UK resident Shazad Iqbal spoke out about the video, claiming that the use of the word was “highly controversial”, reports Eonline. He initiated a petition on Change.org that received over 65,000 signatures.
At the 1:15 mark of the video, a man wearing the pendant is burned. Iqbal claimed that this was a “portrayal of blasphemy”, as Katy Perry sets the word “Allah” in flames.
“This is the reason for lodging the petition, 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,” Iqbal wrote on the petition.
The video remains on Youtube but the word “Allah” has been quietly removed, reports FOX News.
“Guys I'm thrilled to let you all know the name of Allah has been removed from the 'Dark Horse' video. We couldn't have done it without everyone's support, so I thank each and every one of you deeply. Our voices have been heard! God bless you all,” Iqbal commented yesterday on the petition.
The video for Dark Horse was released on Feb. 20 and has since gained almost 30 million views.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons