'Really Offensive': Why Some Muslims Are Protesting Pop Star's Music Video

Muslims overseas have launched an online petition asking that YouTube remove Katy Perry’s music video of the song “Dark Horse,” because they believe its destruction of an Arabic pendant depicting the word “Allah” is blasphemous, the Middle East news site Al Arabiya reported.

The petition, which was launched Tuesday on change.org, had received more than 50,000 signatures as of this writing.

The pendant on the left says Allah in Arabic. (Screenshot "Dark Horse" via YouTube)

“The video is considered as highly controversial to its viewers as a result of its portrayal of blasphemy,” read the petition posted by Shazad Iqbal of Bradford in the United Kingdom.

In the video, Perry is cast as a Cleopatra-like character facing several adversaries. The controversial moment appears 1:15 into the video in which a male character wearing two necklaces – one bearing the word Allah in Arabic – is electrocuted and burned, along with the pendant.

“Such goes to show, that blasphemy is clearly conveyed in the video, since Katy Perry (who appears to be representing an opposition of God) engulfs the believer and the word God in flames,” stated the petition.

“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,” added the petition asking the video be taken down.

Those who signed the petition added their comments, including Zainab Shafiq who wrote, “I have deep love for my Lord and feel extremely hurt by the video. No individual should feel disgust in watching something that hurts them which is used for entertainment.”

Bilal Khan wrote in part, “Absolutely Disgusted at the music industry for allowing this to happen, music should be about spreading love not hate...”

“This video is really offensive to Muslim faith!” posted Taufik Hidayat.

Danyal Johnson wrote, “The fact that Islam didn’t even exist in ancient Egypt is what really confuses me as to why they felt the need to have anything to do with Islam in this video. Obviously it is symbolic of the anti Islamic message being portrayed.”

Shazad Iqbal who organized the petition wrote in an updated posting, “For all the negative comments out there I'd like to say; faith is something people hold very dear to themselves; Muslims Christians Jew's Hindu's or any faith alike, and when something like this happens it's inappropriate.”

The song Dark Horse was released in September and besides Perry features rapper Juicy J.

Here is the controversial video which has had more than 55 million views on YouTube:

(H/T: Al Arabiya)