14 DAY TRIAL // Katy Perry's new “Dark Horse” video has been described in many ways and the words most frequently used in these descriptions, be they good or bad, were “over the top,” “cheesy,” “colorful” or “kitschy.” But the video has also recently came under fire from Islamic groups for portraying the melting of a man who bore an “Allah” symbol pendant.
Muslims were quick to respond to this matter which they deemed as disrespectful to Islam and put forward a petition which asked that the video in question be removed from the media. More than 65,000 people signed the petition.
Seeing this huge wave of negative response, the producers of the video have quietly decided to alter “Dark Horse” by removing the man's pendant, as reported by the Daily News.
Now, in the new version of “Dark Horse,” Katy Perry impersonating Queen Cleopatra can be seen turning the same man into dust, but this time the pendant is absent, so no one's religious beliefs are offended any longer.
Katy Perry's camp has yet to comment on the issue, but the people who started the petition were overjoyed that their efforts have led to this significant change.
On the website hosting the petition, change.org, the original petitioner, a man by the name of Shazad Iqbal said “Guys I'm thrilled to let you all know 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! God bless you all.”
There is also some speculation that the change may not have come from Perry's production company, but from YouTube, in order to prevent from taking down the video from the website. Despite the controversy, “Dark Horse” is a very popular hit with viewers, having amassed over 40 million views in its first week online.
Controversy is the last thing that Katy needs in her life right now as she's preparing to start her new world tour, “Prism,” with several dates in Canada and the United States.
There is enough controversy surrounding her personal life, as reports are flooding the media she and boyfriend John Mayer have decided to break up in secret and are no longer together. Though the two were thought to be preparing for an engagement or even a marriage, it turns out they have parted ways instead, most likely over conflicting work schedules.