“Indonesia, Egypt and United Arab Emirates have banned the film because of scenes they say contradict Islam.” Qatar, Bahrain, and apparently also Jordan and Kuwait have also banned the film. A far greater cause for concern is the self-censorship that the Western media increasingly practices in regard to things that offend Muslims: for example, the near-universal unwillingness to reprint the Muhammad cartoons, which despite the furor they caused were actually quite bland. A willingly Sharia-compliant media is the enemy of free people.
“Malaysia bans ‘Noah’ film as un-Islamic,” from AFP, April 5:
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Malaysia has joined other Islamic countries in banning the Hollywood biblical epic “Noah” starring Russell Crowe, decrying it as irreligious and saying it violates Islamic law against depicting prophets.
A home ministry official Saturday confirmed that Paramount’s latest big budget film, which has sparked an outcry among Muslim groups worldwide, will not be screened in predominantly Muslim Malaysia.
The film has already angered some Christian institutions in the United States over Crowe’s reportedly unconventional portrayal of Noah, who is regarded as an important figure in both Christianity and Islam.
Malaysia’s home ministry’s Film Censorship Board unit chairman Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid said a decision to ban the Noah film was made about two weeks ago.
“Yes, I can confirm that it has been banned by the board, the movie can cause quite a lot of anger and distress if it is shown in Malaysia,” he was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail Online.
Abdul Halim said the main reason for the ban was the portrayal of Noah by Crowe, since Islam forbids visual depictions of any prophet.
Muslims make up 60 percent of multi-ethnic Malaysia’s 30 million population, while Christians account for about nine percent.
Neighbouring Indonesia, Egypt and United Arab Emirates have banned the film because of scenes they say contradict Islam.
Malaysia has censored other movies on religious grounds in the past, including “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Passion of the Christ.”
It has also occasionally pulled the plug on shows by foreign — usually Western — artists out of fear of angering conservative Muslims.
Conservatives cry foul over concerts by Western artists whom they accuse of promoting promiscuity, corrupting young people or offending religious sensitivities.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
One of the great benefits of being a Moslem is that you can claim rights to the belief system of the Jews and Christians, co-opted at the very beginning with the help of an underpaid, but literate, mentor to the Holy Prophet.
This is only banning a film, and free speech is a distant idea in Dar al-Islam, and was maybe necessary, in light of what happened outside the beauty pageant in Nigeria, where hundreds were slaughtered because of their sensitivity about the morals commanded by the Ko-Ran.
This episode is just about biblical incorrectitude, which admittedly could incite the hairy masses. Hell, you make a green-enviro film to earn some dough but you get burned for abusing one of history’s great men to make an easy screenplay.
Buraq says
Malaysia has joined other Islamic countries in banning the Hollywood biblical epic “Noah” ………..
It never rains, but it pours!
Clowns!
Champ ✿ says
“Indonesia, Egypt and United Arab Emirates have banned the film because of scenes they say contradict Islam.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hubby and I saw this film with friends from our church a few nights ago, and we all agree that many scenes completely contradict the Bible …but none of us want to see this film “banned”. And we knew this about the film from different reviews we’d all read ahead of time–and yet we *chose* to see Noah anyway.
mohammedans, if don’t like the film, then don’t GO! …and let those who do want to see it go and see it of their own free will. Hey now there’s a new concept for mohammedans to ponder: free will! Yeah *freedom* of any kind is just sooo unislamic.
b says
There are around 400 ‘flood’ legends on the middle eastern area from different cultures. Not surprising as there are two great rivers there, which made floods a frequent occurrence. Then there is the more plausible tsunami from the eruption of Santorini which is estimated from archaeology and other evidence to have occurred around 1500 BC or earlier. This was a massive event which affected the whole of the Northern hemisphere and had effects as far away as China.
So that is most credible as the origin of the ‘Great Flood’ story , people who had no understanding of vulcanology and tsunamis (they were not well understood until the 20th century in fact) made up a story about Noah. Quite apart from the many inconsistencies of the legend, like where did all the water come from and how did peasants with no knowledge of the world beyond their own area manage to go to the Arctic and get polar bears, or to undiscovered Australia to get kangaroos and koalas etc. and how do you keep thousands of wild and domesticated animals and birds fed for 40 days or more? In fact how can you even build a vessel big enough from wood?
Then there is the small matter of how to repopulate the world from a small group of closely related people, needing incest to start with. It has been shown that it is not possible.
Of course who needs science when you have religion and Hollywood?
So forget about Noah it is just a legend.
Liam1304 says
“Of course who needs science when you have religion and Hollywood?”
For a second there I thought you were talking about Anthropogenic Global Warming!
But seriously, your statement rests on some assumptions that you may want to reevaluate.
Is the evidence of a Great Flood limited to cultures around the ANE? China has a flood legend; if I remember correctly the Chinese character for “flood” is 8 people in a boat. Are there not oral histories of the Flood in South American cultures? How do we explain that – we might if it can be accepted that all peoples came from descendants of those on the Ark and carried the story with them.
You seem to also assume (this is not uncommon) that the world before the Flood was much as it now is. Several land masses; water covering 3/4 of the Earth’s surface; gigantic high mountains; extreme seasonal changes and so on.
People often ask, for instance, “where did all the water from this Flood go?” when the Earth is covered mostly by water now and outlines of larger continental shelfs can be seen on topographical maps. It seems to me that a lot of the water didn’t go anywhere.
Might the world have had at one time a much thicker water vapour canopy that also served to moderate weather and protect us from stellar radiation? Might such a change be a contributing factor to the dramatic decrease in age of humans since the Flood – if we are to take the Antideluvian ages literally?
These are just questions, but we must avoid the temptation to anachronism.
The greater issue by far for someone who allows for the existence of God is: Has the Biblical God who judges sin (as he defines it) and yet loves to be merciful & fogiving, changed? How does that effect us now?
All the best
Champ ✞ says
B,
Please check out this *excellent* website …
“Was There Really a Noah’s Ark & Flood?”
by Ken Ham & Tim Lovett
Excerpt:
The account of Noah and the Ark is one of the most widely known events in the history of mankind. Unfortunately, like other Bible accounts, it is often taken as a mere fairy tale.
The Bible, though, is the true history book of the universe, and in that light, the most-asked questions about the Ark and Flood of Noah can be answered with authority and confidence.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/really-a-flood-and-ark?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AIGDaily+(Answers+in+Genesis+Daily+Articles)
Liam1304 says
We shouldn’t ban it here. But we should provide sick bags under every theatre seat. This seems to be the most insightful review of the hideous thing, for those that are wondering why it is so utterly unlike the Biblical account…
http://drbrianmattson.com/journal/2014/3/31/sympathy-for-the-devil
Jerry says
All is not lost, and Malaysian enthsiasts can always catch a flight with Malaysia Airways to try to view the film elswehere, though the rumour is that they have already introduced a Code Sharing agreement with Al-Qaeda Airways.
Allahu-Akh…boom
Jerry says
In reply to the question that some of you may have had:
The complimentary drinks trolley is only wheeled out after the flight
is no longer under control … and no control can be restored!
Thus you are all martyrs – maybe even those unknowingly co-opted!
FatherJon says
You’re correct about the supine responses from Western governments and media concerning the global Muslim threat. I’ve had recent responses about the topic deleted on ‘The Guardian’, and I’ve been placed on ‘moderation’ which means, effectively, censoring my comments on radical Islam. For a newspaper which used to pride itself on its fearlessness and liberalism, it’s quite a come down.
FJ
elisheva14 says
I would be interested in their list of movies appropriate for viewing. Many countries are trying to ban utube and censor the Internet. The question is: How long will we be fortunate to have the freedoms we do?