Lolwah Al Khater denounces demeaning portrayal of Jesus Christ at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Published: 29 July 2024
NT Bureau
Doha
Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater has denounced and condemned the demeaning portrayal of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) at the opening ceremony of Paris Olympics 2024.
In a post on X platform, the Minister expressed her solidarity with fellow Christians.
Catholics and other Christian groups were outraged by a scene during the opening ceremony at Paris Olympics that evoked Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting with drag queens, a transgender model and a singer made up as the Greek deity of wine.
The portrayal had also invited criticism from several Muslim groups.
“As a Muslim I totally reject and denounce the demeaning manner of how Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) was characterized. I express solidarity with fellow Christians who were offended, rightly so,” Al Khater wrote on X.
“What we have seen is absolutely disgusting, but unfortunately this is not the first time we see this shameful representation of Jesus Christ in some Western media and art production,” the Minister added.
“Some like to claim they have been “emancipated” from religion, but the reality is they have only become captives of their own uncontrolled desires, humans don’t matter anymore as long as the money machine is counting,” Al Khater said.
Her comments have sparked a wide range of reactions on social media, with many commentators praising her stance, which they said represented the Islamic perspective on the issue as Muslims consider Jesus Christ as a prophet.
Meanwhile, the Organising Committee of Paris 2024 has apologised to Christian groups over the controversial scene.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” the Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference. “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry.”
