Katy Perry 'Dark Horse' video causes offence after featuring burning 'Allah' pendant

Katy Perry’s "Dark Horse" music video has been edited after a petition calling for it to be removed reached 65,000 signatures. The US pop star caused offence to some Muslims who claimed her latest video was "blasphemous.In one scene, a man wearing an “Allah” pendant is struck by lightning and disintegrates into sand. While the music video has not been pulled in its entirety, the pendant has been cut so that only a plain gold chain can now be seen (as above).

It remains unclear whether YouTube edited the video or was told to by the singer’s record company as both parties have yet to comment. Shazad Iqbal who started the Change.org petition originally wrote: "Blasphemy is clearly conveyed in the video since Katy Perry – who appears to be representing an opposition of God – engulfs the believer and the word "God" in flames." He went on to argue that using the name of God in an "irrelevant and distasteful manner" would be deemed inappropriate by any religion, not just Islam. Iqbal was "thrilled" with the result of his petition.

The name of Allah has been removed from the "Dark Horse" video – we couldn't have done it without everyone’s support so I thank each and every one of you deeply, our voices have been heard," he wrote. "I feel that the impact we have made and the total number of signatures obtained does convey just how worthy a cause this is, it is a significant step towards the right direction." Perry is seen dressed as an Ancient Egyptian princess in the "Dark Horse" video, which also features bizarre cat-human hybrids pole-dancing. More than 37 million people have viewed the video on YouTube since it was uploaded on 20 February.

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