THE comedian whose controversial play about Jesus will open in Belfast this week has hit back at DUP calls for Ulster theatre-goers to boycott the production.

Abie Philbin Bowman is the writer and star of Jesus: the Guantanamo Years – a satirical take on US government anti-terror legislation depicting Jesus as an inmate at the US detention centre.

The play, which has already had runs in America, London's West End and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, will be staged in Belfast's Blackbox Theatre on Thursday and Friday of this week.

DUP councillor Christopher Stalford said the comparison between Jesus and terror suspects being held at Guantanamo was in "bad taste" and he urged people not to attend.

Philbin Bowman has now responded to his remarks.

"Councillor Stalford has got the wrong end of the stick," he said.

"I'm not suggesting that Jesus was a terrorist – I'm suggesting that we have become so paranoid that we would treat Him as one, even though He's obviously innocent.

"My real target is the hypocrisy of the Bush administration. Guantanamo Bay is profoundly unchristian. Jesus Himself said, 'what you do to the least of these, you do also to me'. In that sense, He is in Guantanamo."

The premise of the play is that as a Middle Eastern man with a beard, Jesus would automatically be considered a terror suspect if he entered modern-day America.

However, Cllr Stalford had queried why the comic singled Jesus out for "mockery" yet had not focused on the Prophet Mohammed, another bearded man from the Middle East.

Philbin Brown said this analysis was missing the point.

"The councillor's suggestion that I depict Mohammed in Guantanamo is a lazy, knee-jerk reaction which completely misses the point of the show," he said.

"Guantanamo is not run by Muslims. So the fact that it violates Islamic principles isn't hypocritical or controversial. If the councillor, or anyone else, wants to write a play about Mohammed and his values, it should be set in a prison in Iran or Pakistan. I would be very happy to see that play. But I'm not Iranian or Pakistani. I am a Westerner. I wanted to address the problems of my own society first.

"If you look at how Jesus lived, He travelled from place to place, addressing large crowds of people and challenging those who abused their power. I think carrying on that tradition is more important than going to church every Sunday."

Making a reference to the orange jump suits worn by Guantanamo inmates and the sashes worn by Orangemen, the comic claimed the DUP councillor was being "hypocritical".

"Since when has the DUP had a problem with people dressing up in orange and talking about God," he asked.

Cllr Stalford said that remark revealed the comic's "own prejudices and sectarian attitude" toward members of the unionist community.

He added: "Mr Philbin Bowman enjoys the liberties that he does to make plays like this is because he lives in a free democracy. It is those principles of freedom of speech and liberty that those currently being held in Guantanamo would wish to attack."

Cllr Stalford said the "false comparison" between Jesus and Guantanamo detainees was offensive.