06-17-2005, 10:25 PM
<b>Sangh forum asks Hussain to withdraw 'Saraswati' painting </b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pro-RSS cultural forum Bharatiya Vichara Kendram on Saturday accused celebrated artist M F Hussain of buckling under fundamentalist pressures in withdrawing the film "Meenaxi-a tale of three cities" while refusing to stop exhibiting his controversial "Saraswati" painting.
Charging Hussain with "sheepishly surrendering to the demand of the fundamentalists", the Bharatiya Vichara Kendram wanted the artist to "stop displaying the 'Saraswati' painting which offended the sentiments of the Hindus all over the world through the depiction of the Goddess in nude".
"If Hussain has the least grain of honesty in him, he must unconditionally withdraw all his offensive paintings and tender unconditional apology. If he does not do it, it will only prove that he is an Islamic fundamentalist, who is happy to insult Hindus or a coward or both", a statement issued by the Kendram's central team said.
"Hussain had ignored protests by Hindus all over the world against his depiction of Saraswati in nude glossing over the Goddess' traditional representation as fully dressed in white robes", it said.
"The so-called secularists had been vociferously supporting Hussain while abusing the protestors as fundamentalists and terrorists out to destroy the artist's basic freedom of expression, betraying sheer hypocrisy and double standards on their part", the statement said <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
while..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hussain withdraws 'Meenaxi'
  By: PTI
  April 16, 2004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A day after some Muslim organisations took objections to one of the songs in the M F Hussain's recent film 'Meenaxi - A Tale of Three Cities', the eminent artiste today ordered for immediate withdrawal of the film from public shows in the entire country.
"I have told my sole distributor Yash Chopra to withdraw the film from public shows from all over the country with immediate effect," Hussain said.
"Since I have not sold the film, directed and produced by me, to anyone, including Chopra, I would like to stop screening of the film," he said.
When asked for the reason behind it, Hussain said "I have not made the film to make money nor have I sold it to anyone. Therefore, I need not give any reason for withdrawal of the screening of the film to public."
Terming the song 'Noorun-ala-Noor' of the film, starring Tabu in the lead role, as "blasphemous", the All India Ulema Council had yesterday demanded an immediate ban on it.
"The song, picturised on Tabu, contains words which are directly lifted from the text of the Quran," the organisation, supported among others by Milli Council, All India Muslim Council, Raza Academy, Jamiat-Ul-Ulema-E-Hind and Jamat-e-Islami, said, adding "In Quran, the words are used to define the persona of Prophet but in Hussain's film, it is being use to depict the physical beauty of the heroine."
The song has hurt the sentiments of the Muslims, they claimed.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pro-RSS cultural forum Bharatiya Vichara Kendram on Saturday accused celebrated artist M F Hussain of buckling under fundamentalist pressures in withdrawing the film "Meenaxi-a tale of three cities" while refusing to stop exhibiting his controversial "Saraswati" painting.
Charging Hussain with "sheepishly surrendering to the demand of the fundamentalists", the Bharatiya Vichara Kendram wanted the artist to "stop displaying the 'Saraswati' painting which offended the sentiments of the Hindus all over the world through the depiction of the Goddess in nude".
"If Hussain has the least grain of honesty in him, he must unconditionally withdraw all his offensive paintings and tender unconditional apology. If he does not do it, it will only prove that he is an Islamic fundamentalist, who is happy to insult Hindus or a coward or both", a statement issued by the Kendram's central team said.
"Hussain had ignored protests by Hindus all over the world against his depiction of Saraswati in nude glossing over the Goddess' traditional representation as fully dressed in white robes", it said.
"The so-called secularists had been vociferously supporting Hussain while abusing the protestors as fundamentalists and terrorists out to destroy the artist's basic freedom of expression, betraying sheer hypocrisy and double standards on their part", the statement said <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
while..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hussain withdraws 'Meenaxi'
  By: PTI
  April 16, 2004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A day after some Muslim organisations took objections to one of the songs in the M F Hussain's recent film 'Meenaxi - A Tale of Three Cities', the eminent artiste today ordered for immediate withdrawal of the film from public shows in the entire country.
"I have told my sole distributor Yash Chopra to withdraw the film from public shows from all over the country with immediate effect," Hussain said.
"Since I have not sold the film, directed and produced by me, to anyone, including Chopra, I would like to stop screening of the film," he said.
When asked for the reason behind it, Hussain said "I have not made the film to make money nor have I sold it to anyone. Therefore, I need not give any reason for withdrawal of the screening of the film to public."
Terming the song 'Noorun-ala-Noor' of the film, starring Tabu in the lead role, as "blasphemous", the All India Ulema Council had yesterday demanded an immediate ban on it.
"The song, picturised on Tabu, contains words which are directly lifted from the text of the Quran," the organisation, supported among others by Milli Council, All India Muslim Council, Raza Academy, Jamiat-Ul-Ulema-E-Hind and Jamat-e-Islami, said, adding "In Quran, the words are used to define the persona of Prophet but in Hussain's film, it is being use to depict the physical beauty of the heroine."
The song has hurt the sentiments of the Muslims, they claimed.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->