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Singapore (dpa) - A play deemed to portray Muslims in a negative light was prohibited from being staged in Singapore on Saturday and Sunday after its arts entertainment licence was withdrawn.
The title of the English language production, Smegma, refers to genital secretions.
The license was withdrawn by the Media Development Authority (MDA)on Friday after it had been issued on Tuesday.
The play was scheduled to be performed by theatre group Agni Kootthu at The Substation Guinness Theater during the weekend. Ticket refunds are to be made available on Monday.
Playwright P Elangovan said the MDA's turnaround reflected the lack of freedom in the arts.
"This is always happening to me," he added.
Smegma, which consists of ten vignettes, "interrogates the moral, cultural, religious, political, economical legitimacy world from many perspectives of the underdogs and their masters," the synopsis said.
In one scene two Singaporean men discuss their sexual conquests in Indonesia and two Asian soldiers humiliate a Muslim woman.
It was the second time a production by the controversial playwright was prohibited from proceeding.
The play "undermines the values underpinning Singapore's multi- racial, multi-religious society" and "portrays Muslims in a negative light," the MDA said in a statement reversing its earlier decision.
The script had been submitted to the MDA a few weeks ago.
The Arts Consultative Panel was consulted. "The members were concerned that the play could create unhappiness and disaffection among Muslims," the statement added.
Elangovan said the MDA informed him of its decision by phone on Friday and by letter three hours afterwards.
Elangovan, 47, ran into controversy in 2000 with Talaq, a Tamil- language play. Although it had been staged in Singapore in 1998 and 1998, the monologue about Indian-Muslim women suffering marital abuse was rejected for staging in English and Malay.
He was investigated by the Internal Security Department in 1975 because of his reinterpretation of a classical Indian story involving a Muslim and Hindu king.
The city-state's predominantly Chinese population contains 14 per cent Moslem-Malays and 6 per cent Indians.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
