Death Threats and Law Suits For Famous Indian Artist Over Naked Hindu Goddess Paintings
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It looks like India is having it's own Mohammad cartoon controversy; but rather than cartoons depicting Mohammad in an unflattering light, this time it's art of naked Hindu gods and goddesses by a pre-eminent Muslim artist whose art work can cost you over a million dollars.
M.F. Husain, all of 94-years-old, believes that nudity is a symbol of purity, and I suppose if you consider we are born naked rather than clothed and that newborns, too, are symbols of innocence and purity, then I suppose you might be persuaded he had no intention to offend. But offend he did. Though not to the extent the Mohammad cartoons have offended, and the tremendous violence they generated across the world, he too has had his share of death threats which forced him to move outside of India. In this case, however, it was only from Hindu extremists in India and not elsewhere.
Husain began living abroad in 2006 in Dubai and Doha when an ultra-nationalist Hindu group offered a reward of millions of dollars for his death after he painted a revered Hindu goddess in the nude.
There also have been criminal cases filed against him, and although a plea was filed to dismiss the complaints, the court today rejected his plea.
... the court said it had no power to direct the government to withdraw the cases as they had been filed by individuals, the Press Trust of India reported.
As a result of all of the controversy surrounding his paintings, Husain renounced his Indian citizenship and chose to become a Qatari citizen, since he has been unable to return to India.
He's obviously no stranger to controversy because in addition to the most recent 95, he has had over 900 other complaints filed against him.
I suppose what the Hindu radicals took offense to was not the nudity in itself, but the fact that it was a Hindu deity that was unclothed, though I could be wrong. What I find interesting is that it was Muslim painter that dared paint them nude. One would think as a Muslim he would be more in tune to the religious sensibilities of Hindus, considering how easily offended they get, but perhaps he is a secular Muslim and just had no clue.
Sometimes certain artistic endeavours go over the line, and are truly tasteless and offensive, but artists have a right to produce their art without restrictions. And we have every right to be offended, and every right to voice that concern, but threatening to kill someone over a cartoon or art work is insanity and acting out in a violent manner is criminal.
It's those who have threatened to kill Husain who should have criminal complaints lodged against them, not vice versa.
