The Muslim Public Affairs Council fired back Thursday at “Emilia Pérez” Best Actress Oscar nominee Karla Sofia Gascón after a series of since-deleted tweets suggesting an Islam ban in Europe resurfaced earlier in the day, calling them “hurtful, offensive and shocking.”
In a statement exclusive to TheWrap, MPAC Hollywood Bureau SVP Sue Obeidi expressed disappointment over Gascón’s controversial remarks.
“Deleted or not, these tweets are hurtful, offensive, and shocking, most especially coming from someone who is a member of another vulnerable community. Muslims are part of every community, including the transgender community. ‘European values’?” Obeidi wrote. “Does she mean the ones that led to the Holocaust? She needs to immerse herself in Islamic history. When Europe was in the dark age, Muslims were busy discovering math, science, and medical equipment. Learn, woman.”
Originally written in Spanish and translated into English, one of the controversial tweets positioned Gascón as supporting religions that “go against European values” being banned from European countries like her native country of Spain.
“Sorry, is it just my impression or are there more and more Muslims in Spain? Every time I go to pick up my daughter from school there are more women with their hair covered and their skirts down to their heels,” read Gascón’s tweet from November 2020. “Maybe next year instead of English we’ll have to teach Arabic.”
“Until we ban religions that go against European values and violate human rights, such as Islam, under the protection of freedom of worship, we will not end part of the huge problem we face. Faith manipulates those who cling to faith,” read another tweet.
Other deleted tweets criticized the reaction to George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council is a national public affairs nonprofit organization working to promote and strengthen American pluralism by increasing understanding and improving policies that impact American Muslims
The deleted-tweet controversy came after Gascón made headlines earlier this week for implying in an interview that some of the supporters of fellow Best Actress nominee Fernanda Torres from Brazilian film, “I’m Still Here,” were working to tear down “Emilia Pérez” and Gascón’s Oscar chances.
The actress’ comments prompted many to wonder whether she had violated the Academy’s rules about nominees disparaging other contenders.
The Academy determined, however, that Gascón had not violated official Oscars policy and the actress clarified her remarks in a statement Wednesday.
“I am an enormous fan of Fernanda Torres and it has been wonderful getting to know her the past few months,” she said. “In my recent comments, I was referencing the toxicity and violent hate speech on social media that I sadly continue to experience.”
Gascón’s Oscar campaign has taken a significant hit in recent days. Despite being the first out transgender woman to earn an Academy Award nomination, “Emilia Pérez” has been criticized for its portrayal of the transgender experience and for the fact that it was made by a French director, Jacques Audiard; filmed in France; and cast largely with non-Mexican actors.
“If you think I approached it too lightly, I apologize,” Audiard said in an interview. “Cinema’s purpose isn’t to provide answers but to provoke questions.” The filmmaker suggested that the film is his “interpreted reality” of Mexico and that it was meant to be an operatic representation rather than a realistic one.
“I spent over four years crafting this story about a country I deeply respect,” he said. “I was very careful. I didn’t want to offend Mexicans, to hurt anyone … If this work can spark conversations and questions, it will have achieved something meaningful.”
