Virtual Koran Projection Can Make Any Part of France a "No Go Zone”

Here’s the great thing about the Koran, it’s like a magic spell, project it on a bridge and pedestrians can be attacked for trying to cross the bridge. And then the Muslim artist will walk away in a huff with his virtual Koran because the dirty feet of French women desecrated it, even though he had projected it on a place where people normally walk.

Mounir Fatmi said he was putting his work on hold until the exhibit could be shown properly — without the chance of people walking on the verses — at the "Printemps de Septembre” art festival in the southwestern city of Toulouse.

The exhibit was only meant to be shown at the weekend, with measures taken to ensure no one could set their feet on the ground as the verses from the Muslim holy book and other images were projected there.

But on Tuesday evening, with no preventative measures in place, the video was projected onto the busy bridge and quickly attracted the attention of locals who gathered to try and stop people walking over the verses.

Tensions rose when the demonstrators called in young people from the city’s housing projects to help them, and erected barriers to keep pedestrians away. (continue reading...)