A German opera house has canceled a three year production of a plan entitled ‘Idomeneo,’ a Mozart work with additional scenes. One additional scene is the spark of the controversey as there are dacapitated heads of Poseidon, Jesus, Muhammed and Buddha. The Deutsche Oper said they are canceling the production due to an “incalculable risk,” an incalculable risk that just appeared after the production has been in existence for three years.

“We know the consequences of the conflict over the (Muhammad) caricatures,” Deutsche Oper said its statement announcing the decision. “We believe that needs to be taken very seriously and hope for your support.”

On Tuesday, Deutsche Oper director Kirsten Harms said security officials had recommended, but not ordered, that she either cut the scene or pull the entire production from the 2006-2007 lineup.

“The State Criminal Office assessed the situation and came to the conclusion that if the Deutsche Oper stages this version of Idomeneo in its originally produced form, it will pose an incalculable security risk to the public and employees,” Harms told reporters.

“If I were to ignore this and say, ‘We are going to stage this nevertheless, or because of this,’ and something were to happen, then everyone would say, and would be right to say: ‘She ignored the warning of security officials,’” Harms said.

It doesn’t sound like any threats have been made but rather it was suggested there might be threats so the production should be canceled. So now we’re canceling things because there may be threats down the line? How can we possibly live this way when everything we do may be offensive to other people?

The leader of Germany’s Islamic Council welcomed the decision, saying a depiction of Muhammad with a severed head “could certainly offend Muslims.”

“Nevertheless, of course I think it is horrible that one has to be afraid,” Ali Kizilkaya told Berlin’s Radio Multikulti. “That is not the right way to open dialogue.”

That’s Islamophobia, not criticism of radical Islam or Islamic society as we’re told by the likes of CAIR on a daily basis.  But three cheers to the leader of Germany’s Turkish community.

The leader of Germany’s Turkish Community said that while he could understand how the production could be seen as offensive, he also encouraged Muslims living in the West to accept certain elements of the traditions here, noting an opera production is not equivalent to a political point of view.

“I would recommend Muslims learn to accept certain things,” Kenan Kolat told the online Netzeitung newspaper. “Art must remain free.”

And that’s the whole point.

UPDATE: The London Times offers a bit more.  Apparently there was an anonymous phone call into a Berlin police office that spurred Ehrhart Koerting, Berlin’s top police official, into calling Harms.

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