Religious-themed play canceled

The directors of a British play depicting sexual abuse and murder in a Sikh temple reluctantly scrapped their production this week because of fears that violent protests against it would escalate.

The directors said they stood by the play and principles of free speech, but had taken the decision to avoid a repeat of riots outside the theater last weekend.

“Sadly, it’s clearly evident that the violent protesters have won,” said Stuart Rogers, executive director of the Birmingham Repertory Theater. “We cannot operate this theater in a state where people are throwing bricks through our windows.”

Three officers were hurt and three men arrested on Saturday night when a peaceful protest against the play turned violent. Some 400 turbaned Sikhs gathered outside the playhouse and some pelted it with stones.

The play, “Behzti” (Dishonor), was written by a Sikh woman, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, and is described as a black comedy about a woman and her sick mother visiting a gurdwara, or Sikh temple, for the first time in years. Protesters say it mocks Sikhism, which has around 250,000 adherents in Britain.

The issue may not be dead. The Birmingham Stage Company offered to stage the work at another venue in the city. “Freedom of speech is more important than health and safety,” said Neal Foster, the company’s actor-manager.