Our Open Letter Denouncing Cineplex's Streaming of "The Kerala Story" in Canada |
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May 31st, 2023
Below: Justice For All Canada has written an open letter to Cineplex executives expressing deep concern over their streaming of "The Kerala Story" in Canada. The letter highlights how the film promotes false anti-Muslim propaganda and contributes to the demonization of Muslims. It calls on Cineplex to take a firm stance against Islamophobia and refuse to show this film, emphasizing the importance of fostering an inclusive and respectful society that rejects hate speech and discrimination.
Subject: Denouncing Cineplex Streaming of "The Kerala Story" as Islamophobic & Inflammatory
Cineplex executives Copied:
Dan McGrath, Chief Operating Officer
Gord Nelson, Chief Financial Officer
Kevin Watts, Executive Vice President, Exhibition and LBE
Fab Stanghieri, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Media
Dear Ellis Jacob, President and CEO of Cineplex,
I represent Justice For All Canada, a global human rights and advocacy nonprofit promoting equality and justice for minorities. Our work champions free speech, diverse viewpoints and the importance of arts, culture and entertainment in Canada. We express our deep concern regarding your decision to stream the Bollywood film "The Kerala Story" in Canada, even though it promotes dangerous anti-Muslim propaganda and Islamophobia.
This is a simple matter of hate speech in Canada.
"The Kerala Story" falsely portrays thousands of Hindu and Christian women from Kerala being forcibly "converted to Islam" and "recruited by ISIL." This film perpetuates the dangerous and unfounded conspiracy theory of "love jihad" and "forced conversion," contributing to the demonization of Muslims and the stoking of communal tensions in India. These unfounded claims only spread hatred and incite violence against a vulnerable minority across India and North America.
We find it alarming that Cineplex continues the dissemination of misinformation about Muslims, especially after regrettable titles "The Kashmir Files" and "Sooryavanshi" were previously featured despite our human rights concerns. The NGO Genocide Watch has warned that such state-sponsored propaganda actively contributes to the early genocidal stages of Muslims in India. We implore Canadian streaming services and cinemas, including Cineplex, to heed Genocide Watch’s alert and reconsider showing this film on the grounds of hate speech and Islamophobia.
A 2023 analysis from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlighted India's discriminatory policies, including discriminatory laws targeting religious conversion, interfaith relationships, wearing of hijabs, and cow slaughter. USCIRF’s report also documents ongoing state-complicit discrimination against religious and social groups, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Adivasis. "The Kerala Story" blatantly promotes the same racist policies condemned in the USCIRF report. Unfortunately, this film is one of many that perpetuates the injustice and intolerance of religious minorities in India.
Unsurprisingly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly supported “The Kerala Story” during an election rally. Such endorsement from government leaders only reinforces the film's discriminatory messages and exacerbates the abuse against Muslims in India.
As a genocide-prevention organization, our work involves asking Modi to address the root causes of propaganda. Our education and peaceful advocacy in Canada also urged Indian authorities to confront the divisive ideology of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), which is the right-wing parent organization of India's ruling BJP government responsible for promoting a Hindu nationalist supremacist agenda that allows for such propaganda, hate speech, including the incitement of genocide and mass violence against minorities.
Cineplex executives must know that founding members of the RSS derived their hateful ideology by drawing inspiration from Nazi leaders who targeted Jews in Germany. Similar to banning antisemitic films in Canada, “The Kerala Story” has no place in Canadian entertainment and culture.
It is important to note that Hindi movies have historically served as propaganda tools to influence public opinion on various issues. "The Kerala Story" is unfortunately no exception. Muslim groups and political parties in Kerala and across India have already challenged the film, with organizations like The Muslim Youth League offering a substantial reward for evidence to refute the false claims made in the movie.
In recent years, human rights groups, including ours, have consistently criticized the malicious representation of social and political issues in Bollywood movies, particularly the portrayal of minorities and caste discrimination.
The "love jihad" narrative, which features prominently in "The Kerala Story," has also faced scrutiny from human rights organizations such as the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Human Rights Watch has criticized the "love jihad" campaign as a toxic attempt to fan communal hatred. At the same time, the OHCHR has expressed concern about the growing trend of religious intolerance and discrimination in India, including promoting "love jihad" conspiracy theories. The OHCHR has called for measures to address these issues and encourage respect for diversity and human rights in the country. Several state governments in India have also concluded that Hindu nationalist groups invented the term to justify discrimination against Muslims.
Given "The Kerala Story"’s promotion of serious hate and discrimination against Muslims, we call on Cineplex to take a firm stance against Islamophobia and refuse to show this film. We expect Cineplex to refuse to contribute to the hatred and racism Canadian Muslims face. We also expect Cineplex to consider the well-being and safety of diverse Indo-Canadian Muslims in this country. Doing so would demonstrate your commitment to fostering an inclusive and respectful society while conveying that discrimination and harmful stereotypes have no place in Canada’s entertainment industry.
We also request an opportunity to discuss this matter with you further.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent issue. I look forward to your thoughts, and I would be happy to answer any questions.
Sincerely,
Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director on behalf of Justice For All Canada
Below: Justice For All Canada has written an open letter to Cineplex executives expressing deep concern over their streaming of "The Kerala Story" in Canada. The letter highlights how the film promotes false anti-Muslim propaganda and contributes to the demonization of Muslims. It calls on Cineplex to take a firm stance against Islamophobia and refuse to show this film, emphasizing the importance of fostering an inclusive and respectful society that rejects hate speech and discrimination.
Subject: Denouncing Cineplex Streaming of "The Kerala Story" as Islamophobic & Inflammatory
Cineplex executives Copied:
Dan McGrath, Chief Operating Officer
Gord Nelson, Chief Financial Officer
Kevin Watts, Executive Vice President, Exhibition and LBE
Fab Stanghieri, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Media
Dear Ellis Jacob, President and CEO of Cineplex,
I represent Justice For All Canada, a global human rights and advocacy nonprofit promoting equality and justice for minorities. Our work champions free speech, diverse viewpoints and the importance of arts, culture and entertainment in Canada. We express our deep concern regarding your decision to stream the Bollywood film "The Kerala Story" in Canada, even though it promotes dangerous anti-Muslim propaganda and Islamophobia.
This is a simple matter of hate speech in Canada.
"The Kerala Story" falsely portrays thousands of Hindu and Christian women from Kerala being forcibly "converted to Islam" and "recruited by ISIL." This film perpetuates the dangerous and unfounded conspiracy theory of "love jihad" and "forced conversion," contributing to the demonization of Muslims and the stoking of communal tensions in India. These unfounded claims only spread hatred and incite violence against a vulnerable minority across India and North America.
We find it alarming that Cineplex continues the dissemination of misinformation about Muslims, especially after regrettable titles "The Kashmir Files" and "Sooryavanshi" were previously featured despite our human rights concerns. The NGO Genocide Watch has warned that such state-sponsored propaganda actively contributes to the early genocidal stages of Muslims in India. We implore Canadian streaming services and cinemas, including Cineplex, to heed Genocide Watch’s alert and reconsider showing this film on the grounds of hate speech and Islamophobia.
A 2023 analysis from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlighted India's discriminatory policies, including discriminatory laws targeting religious conversion, interfaith relationships, wearing of hijabs, and cow slaughter. USCIRF’s report also documents ongoing state-complicit discrimination against religious and social groups, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, and Adivasis. "The Kerala Story" blatantly promotes the same racist policies condemned in the USCIRF report. Unfortunately, this film is one of many that perpetuates the injustice and intolerance of religious minorities in India.
Unsurprisingly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly supported “The Kerala Story” during an election rally. Such endorsement from government leaders only reinforces the film's discriminatory messages and exacerbates the abuse against Muslims in India.
As a genocide-prevention organization, our work involves asking Modi to address the root causes of propaganda. Our education and peaceful advocacy in Canada also urged Indian authorities to confront the divisive ideology of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), which is the right-wing parent organization of India's ruling BJP government responsible for promoting a Hindu nationalist supremacist agenda that allows for such propaganda, hate speech, including the incitement of genocide and mass violence against minorities.
Cineplex executives must know that founding members of the RSS derived their hateful ideology by drawing inspiration from Nazi leaders who targeted Jews in Germany. Similar to banning antisemitic films in Canada, “The Kerala Story” has no place in Canadian entertainment and culture.
It is important to note that Hindi movies have historically served as propaganda tools to influence public opinion on various issues. "The Kerala Story" is unfortunately no exception. Muslim groups and political parties in Kerala and across India have already challenged the film, with organizations like The Muslim Youth League offering a substantial reward for evidence to refute the false claims made in the movie.
In recent years, human rights groups, including ours, have consistently criticized the malicious representation of social and political issues in Bollywood movies, particularly the portrayal of minorities and caste discrimination.
The "love jihad" narrative, which features prominently in "The Kerala Story," has also faced scrutiny from human rights organizations such as the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Human Rights Watch has criticized the "love jihad" campaign as a toxic attempt to fan communal hatred. At the same time, the OHCHR has expressed concern about the growing trend of religious intolerance and discrimination in India, including promoting "love jihad" conspiracy theories. The OHCHR has called for measures to address these issues and encourage respect for diversity and human rights in the country. Several state governments in India have also concluded that Hindu nationalist groups invented the term to justify discrimination against Muslims.
Given "The Kerala Story"’s promotion of serious hate and discrimination against Muslims, we call on Cineplex to take a firm stance against Islamophobia and refuse to show this film. We expect Cineplex to refuse to contribute to the hatred and racism Canadian Muslims face. We also expect Cineplex to consider the well-being and safety of diverse Indo-Canadian Muslims in this country. Doing so would demonstrate your commitment to fostering an inclusive and respectful society while conveying that discrimination and harmful stereotypes have no place in Canada’s entertainment industry.
We also request an opportunity to discuss this matter with you further.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent issue. I look forward to your thoughts, and I would be happy to answer any questions.
Sincerely,
Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director on behalf of Justice For All Canada