British imam dismissed for encouraging protests against controversial film

A British imam was dismissed from his job on Saturday after being accused of backing protests against a controversial film about the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, British media reported on Sunday.

Qari Asim, an imam and lawyer in Leeds, was dismissed by the UK government from his role as independent adviser on Islamophobia and deputy chairman of the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group after publicly criticising "The Lady of Heaven," a film which Muslims in a number of countries have denounced as blasphemous.

Asim's dismissal comes days after he posted a Facebook post on Monday that said the film was "disparaging" and had “caused much pain and hurt to Muslims.”

The drama is billed as the first film on the life of the Prophet Mohammed's daughter Fatimah, and draws links between the Islamic State group in the 21st century and historical figures in Sunni Islam. Since its release last weekend in the UK, it has been at the heart of a heated debate over freedom of speech, with some saying it should not be banned although it is offensive to certain religious communities.

Protests outside UK movie houses last week led Cineworld and Showcase, two cinema chains, to cut all screenings of the film. 

Morocco on Saturday announced it would ban the film, which was denounced as blasphemous by Egypt, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq.