Tamburlaine the Great
Date: 2005
Region: Europe
Subject: Religious
Medium: Theatre
Artist: Christopher Marlowe, (1564 - 1593)
Confronting Bodies: play director David Farr, artistic director of the Bristol Old Vic Simon Reade
Date of Action: November 2005
Location: The Barbican, London UK
Description of Artwork: Tamburlaine the Great tells the story of a shepherd-robber who defeats the king of Persia, the Emperor of Turkey and, seeing himself as the "scourge of God," burns the Koran
The Incident: Mr. Farr "adapts" the play, avoiding the comments on the not worthines of Mohamed , and "smooths over" the burning of the Koran, burning a pile of unidentified books indstead.
Results of Incident: Mr. Farr's critics ranged from the public, scholars, and even the muslim council of Britain media secretary Inayat Bungawala for censoring Marlow's masterpiece.
Source: The Times, The times online UK
