British playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti has broken her silence to speak about the violent protests against her play Behzti, which caused outrage amongst some members of the Sikh community for its depiction of rape and murder in a Sikh temple, or Gurudwara. The writer, who received death threats and was forced to go into hiding, said she stands by her play, and that she was “very saddened” by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s decision to withdraw it, but “accepted that the theatre had no alternative when people’s safety could not be assured”. Three police officers were hurt in the demonstrations and 800 theatre-goers, including children, had to be evacuated.
Members from the Sikh community met with theatre staff before the show opened. A statement from the local Sikh community was planned for distribution at the venue; peaceful public protest would not be opposed; the program would include positive messages about the Sikh faith. But throughout it was understood that the play could not be censored, let alone banned. But the violent events of 18 December changed this, and altered the Sikh community´s agenda. Those representing Birmingham’s Sikhs abandoned negotiation. The staff of the Birmingham Rep, in the middle of a season packed with children’s shows, felt they had to pull the play on public safety grounds.
Since the furore there have been countless debates about freedom of expression and religion and the role of the theatre in community life in the United Kingdom. Author Salman Rushdie went on record saying freedom of speech should be more vigorously protected by the British government, and the National Theatre’s artistic director said that causing offence was part of theatre’s “business”.
The Sikh faith is one of the most open, democratic and community-focused of all Britain’s major faiths. Sikhs believe religion should be practiced by living in the world and coping with life´s everyday problems; they don´t retreat from the world, they participate. That explains the attempt to debate. Some believed that the answer was to relocate the key action of the play from a Gurudwara to an ordinary community centre. Others argue that the kind of scenes portrayed in the play, including rape and murder, would never take place in a Gurudwara anyway.
But Gurudwaras — a Punjabi word meaning ‘gateway to the Guru’ — are open places. They are focal points for community support activities as well as preaching. Any experienced Sikh, man or woman, may lead prayers there. But, as a result, the management of this kind of open public space is left to ordinary men and women. Behzti attempts to look at what might happen when these ordinary people are not up to the task.
“The name of the play is important here”, said Asian media commentator Sunny Hundal. “The central premise is that there are people in the Asian community who are more afraid of dishonour — behzti — than actually confronting injustice. Ironically that is exactly what is being played out here.”
After the Birmingham Stage Company based at the Old Rep decided to discontinue plans to offer an alternative venue for the play, The Royal Court theatre in London expressed an interest, with a possible opening in a few months’ time.
