AFP, August 2, 2007
A satirical musical about Islamist terrorism and Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has sparked protests in Britain, with critics blasting it as tasteless.
“Jihad: The Musical,” which features songs including “I wanna be like Osama” and is described as “a madcap gallop through the wacky world of international terrorism,” is on at the Edinburgh Fringe festival this month.
But a petition has been launched on Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Downing Street website.
“We the undersigned petition the prime minister to condemn the tasteless portrayal of terrorism and its victims in ‘Jihad The Musical,’ says the online protest.
The musical, by the Silk Circle Production company, had its world premier this week in the Scottish capital’s Fringe festival, famous for satirical and off-the-wall shows.