Coming under pressure from "anti-Muslim bigots," Starplex Cinemas in Irvine decided to cancel a screening of the USA vs Sami Al-Arian this past Monday. The cinema breached a contract signed with CAIR-LA to show the film at their theatre in Irvine today, just a week before screening. Here are more details about the incident:
Calif. Theater Cancels Al-Arian Doc After Pressure from ‘Anti-Muslim Bigots’
(ANAHEIM, CA, 4/17/08) - The Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) said today that Starplex Cinemas succumbed to pressure by “anti-Muslim bigots” and canceled a screening of "USA vs. Al-Arian," a documentary highlighting the injustices faced by former Florida professor Dr. Sami Al-Arian.
CAIR-LA officials say Starplex Cinemas breached a signed agreement to screen the documentary.
When the Starplex-owned Woodbridge 5 theater in Irvine, Calif., canceled its contract on Monday, the company released the following statement on a blog: "Starplex Cinemas has no ties or relations with the organization that rented the theater to do a film screening. The intent and content of the film was not disclosed. We have not political affilication [sic] and have canceled the screening. We thank the community for brining [sic] this to our attention. For any questions or comments, please contract [sic] Kristen Wheaton at kwheaton@starplexcimemas.com."
"By succumbing to pressure from anti-Muslim bigots, Starplex Cinemas sends the message that only some points of view deserve to be heard," CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. "It is un-American for any group to stifle free speech by seeking to censor political views."
Ayloush said another theater has agreed to screen the documentary this evening. The theater, also located in Irvine, is a newer facility and is able to accommodate an additional 100 guests. That facility is also coming under pressure from the same anti-Muslim sources.
3 comments:
How sad that people still think that banning a film stops people from seeing it these days.
Boycotting, banning, being on the defensive when we don't see eye to eye, hardly delivers results to any side.
Like academia, a cinema experience is a safe/progressive way to exchange points of view.
maytha-
compelted unrelated, but i saw this and thought of your posts about the kuffieyeh craze:
http://www.al-akhbar.com/ar/node/71119
Wow-thanks! I am so going to post on this. I just actually wrote an article for a nationally distributed magazine on the history and the present popularity of the kuffiyah in America.
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