Iranian makes film on Prophet, alarms scholars

parijataka

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The Iranian film maker Majid Majidi says the world knows Islam through terror and tha he wants to show the real face of Islam.

Iranian makes film on Prophet, alarms scholars

SIRAJ WAHAB Riyadh | 16th Sep 2012

Leading Islamic scholars from the Arab world have appealed to Iran to stop the screening of a big-budget film on Prophet Muhammad.

Ahmad Al-Tayeb, chief of Al-Azhar, the revered Cairo-based pre-eminent theological institute of Sunni Islam, said the production of any film on the Prophet is not sanctioned in Islam. "We demand that Iran refrain from releasing this movie," said a statement signed by him and many other fellow scholars.

According to a report in Arab News, the film, by internationally and critically acclaimed Iranian director Majid Majidi, has been in the making for four years and cost him $50 million. Al-Azhar scholar Hamed Abu Taleb, who is among those who signed the statement, said making any film on the Prophet is inappropriate, especially for an Islamic country. "Since there is no direct knowledge of the Prophet's personality, any depiction of him will be far from reality and will, therefore, be a lie," Abu Taleb was quoted as saying in Arab News on Saturday.

Another Al-Azhar scholar, Hassan El-Shafei, warned Iran against depicting Prophet Muhammad in any art form, and went to the extent of comparing Majidi's film to the blasphemous Danish cartoons. "The prophets and the messengers, as well as the revered companions, must not be depicted in any art form with a view to maintaining and respecting their sanctity," he said. "This film will cause a rift and 'fitna' in the Islamic world."

Interestingly, Majidi had in the past pulled out of a Danish film festival in protest against the publication of the Danish cartoons that denigrated Prophet Muhammad.

"I believe in God and live with my beliefs in every single moment of my life. I would like to protest against insulting any religious belief and icon. For this reason, I would like to announce my withdrawal from your festival," wrote Majidi in his protest letter.

Two high-ranking and respected Saudi religious scholars, Dr Ali bin Abbas Al-Hekmi and Abdullah bin Salman Al-Munea, joined their counterparts from Al-Azhar in denouncing the film.

"Depicting prophets is against the laws of Islam. It violates the sanctity and sacredness of the Prophet," Al-Hekmi said. "There is no justification whatsoever for the picturisation of the Prophet. This involves caveats — perhaps, the most important one being that no one deserves to embody the Prophet," he said.

Al-Munea insisted that the portrayal of the Prophet by "illegible persons" distorts his image. "This leads to mocking him and lowering his stature," he said.

Director Majidi himself plays the lead role in the film. The current film is said to be the first of a trilogy on the life and times of the Prophet. Majidi defended the film by saying it was dedicated to "the enlightenment of humanity".

"Spiritual and moral values were first and foremost in my mind while I was making this movie ... The movie presents the Prophet as the embodiment of these values," he was quoted as saying in the Arab News report.

In a recent interview to a Turkish newspaper, Majidi discussed the film and the controversy surrounding it. "We have been working for four years for this film. We did research on it for two years. The world knows Islam with terror. Therefore, I wanted to make a film to show the real face of Islam.

"There are films that have been made before. They did not show the face of Prophet Muhammad out of respect for Islam and the Prophet. But there is nothing like this in the religion. Only his face is not visible. He will appear physically but we will not see his face," said Majidi.

He urged his critics to watch his work before condemning it.
 

A chauhan

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They are afraid of the violent part and Shia angle, but what is ridiculous when they say no one knows about prophet lol!
 

Yusuf

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This is going to be fun :troll:

Will the Saudis and Pakis and te likes go up in arms against Iran?

All the best to Majidi.
 

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