The Lady of Heaven: Producer of cancelled film denies it aimed to spark outrage

The executive producer of a film pulled from cinemas following accusations of “blasphemy” has claimed it was never the intention to spark outrage.

The Lady of Heaven, a story about Fatima, the daughter of the prophet Muhammad, was cut from Cineworld theatres across the UK following protests by Muslims who claimed they were offended by it.

When asked if “dividing Muslims” was part of the publicity plan, producer Hussein Ashmere denied the suggestion.

“It wasn’t initially planned,” he explained.

“We didn’t believe that they would be able to pull the film from the cinema.”

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