In the News: Play “Djihad” Censored in Quebec City

Lever la censure sur la pièce «Djihad» (Lift the censorship of the play “Djihad”), Djemila Benhabib, Le Devoir, 2017-03-13

The Belgian play “Djihad” by Ismaël Saïdi, which deals with the issue of Islamist radicalization among youth in Brussels, has been censored in Quebec City. It was to be presented in schools this fall, but the city has nixed that because the play concentrates on radicalization among Muslims. As Djemila Benhabib comments, must the play also deal with radicalization among Buddhists and whale-lovers in order to be fair?

This is another case of censorship similar to the cancellation of an event at the Maison de la littérature in the same city. (See Blog 081: The Repression Mounts, point (4), concerning this issue.)