After her art exhibition was shut down over safety concerns by a Swedish cultural centre, artist Sadaf Ahmadi has been invited to Brussels by Sweden Democrats (SD) MEP Charlie Weimers to display her sculptures of women wearing the Islamic Chador.
Ahmadi’s sculptures, which have been displayed previously in parts of France, were set to be displayed in the city of Borås, Ahmadis’ hometown, but the Borås Cultural Centre shut down the exhibition claiming, according to a report from the newspaper Aftonbladet, that the exhibition would pose a possible safety risk.
“This feels like censorship and it’s not the right way to deal with these important issues,” Ahmadi said and added, “I see art as a way to shed light on the issue of women’s rights in Iran. When you censor it, isn’t it the same thing that happens in Iran?”
Ida Burén, cultural director of the City of Borås, explained the cancellation of the exhibit by saying,
It has been a very difficult decision to make, given the role of art and culture in society. But it is a weighted assessment, which is also very much about the work’s location in our cultural centre, an open space where all Borås residents can enter.
If it had been exhibited at the art museum, the issue could have been dealt with in a completely different way. Now I have had to make a weighted assessment, based on the fact that it is precisely in our open culture house.
Alongside the sculptures by Ahmadi, the exhibition was also set to feature portraits of women killed by the Islamist Iranian regime during women’s rights protests last year. Unlike the sculptures, the portraits will be displayed as planned.
According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 522 people were killed during the protests that were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini who died in custody after being arrested by the regime’s morality police.
The exhibition in Borås was set to begin on September 16th, the anniversary of the death of the 22-year-old.
Following the cancellation of the exhibit, Sweden Democrats (SD) member of the European parliament Charlie Weimers offered to host an exhibit of Ahmadi’s sculptures in Brussels.
“Iranian artist criticizing political Islam censored in Sweden. That’s why I’m inviting Sadaf Ahmadi to showcase her art in the EU Parliament. Despite the absence of concrete threats, the head of culture in the City of Borås stops artworks depicting female bodies in chador. The sculptures have been exhibited several times in France, but in Sweden, it is apparently too dangerous and may cause offence,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Weimers told The European Conservative, “It is a criticism of political Islam and I see strong reasons to support it.”
“I can’t think of a better way to use my seat as an MEP than by dedicating it to an exhibition for this project,” he said and added, “In this case, it is pure censorship. Ahmadi herself makes it clear that this is not a criticism of Islam but of political Islam, veiling, and the regime in Iran. And I see very strong reasons to support that.”
In his post on X, Weimers noted that the cancellation may be linked to the recent burnings of the Islamic Quran which have subsequently led to Sweden increasing its terrorist threat level last month.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson explained the reasoning for raising the alert level saying,
Sweden has gone from being considered a legitimate target to a prioritised target for terrorist attacks. Our government agencies, not least the Swedish Security Service and the Swedish Police Authority, are working hard to guarantee safety and security in Sweden, and we know that planned attacks have been averted. Swedish interests abroad are also under threat.
The raising of the alert level came after the terrorist group Al-Qaeda called on supporters to commit attacks against Sweden and Denmark in response to the Quran burnings
Quran-burning protests have led to violence in Sweden as well as abroad, with the Swedish embassy in Iraq stormed and set on fire in July.
The most recent riots took place just days ago on September 3rd in the southern city of Malmö, in the notorious no-go Rosengard suburb, with dozens of cars set on fire after Iraqi refugee and anti-Islamic activist Salwan Momika set a Quran ablaze during a protest earlier in the day.
