DUBAI (AlArabiya.net)
A Christian leader lashed out on Monday at Haifa Wahbi for insulting the church with her latest video, in which she dances seductively with a cross in the background.
Archbishop George Rahma said he contacted Lebanese authorities to demand that the video be banned from Lebanese channels, according to the Arabic-language Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar.
Rahma said he received a number of phone calls from people criticizing the video for "being inconsiderate towards the feelings of Christians."
Haifa's personal assistant, Cynthia Mehana, said the attack is unjustified because the video clip was filmed in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Lebanese University and not in a church as some assumed.
"Does it make sense that a church would allow the filming of the video?," she said, adding that the dance was not "erotic," as some journalists has said.
The backlash was not limited to the Lebanese singer, but also the director Yahya Saada, who has been criticized in the past for some of his other works.
The video he directed for Lebanese singer Amal Hegazy, called "Bayaa El-Ward" (The Flower Seller), led to rumors that she is a lesbian because she wore a shirt with the logo of company that designs clothing for gays.
Rahma said it is the responsibility of religious bodies to prohibit anything that violates traditions or degrades religion, but noted that the church has no authority over Haifa since she is Muslim.
The church prevented a Western band from singing in Lebanon eight years ago because their lyrics insulted Jesus, he said.
(Translated from the original Arabic by Sonia Farid) |
