“After the first season debuted in January, there were complaints that the series contained subtextual anti-Islamic sentiment…”
“Subtextual.” That means you won’t notice them unless you’re a paranoid Leftist or Muslim authoritarian who wants to use claims of victimhood to gain total control over the public discourse.
Would Netflix cancel a series over charges of “subtextual anti-Christian sentiment”? Not on your life.
“Messiah: Netflix series cancelled after allegations of anti-Islamic sentiment,” by Louis Chilton, Independent, March 29, 2020:
TV thriller Messiah has been cancelled by Netflix after just one season.
The series starred Michelle Monaghan as a CIA agent investigating an enigmatic figure known as Al-Masih, who builds a legion of followers after claiming to be sent to Earth by a higher power. In Islamic eschatology, Al-Masih ad-Dajjal is an evil figure comparable to the Antichrist – whose name translates to “the false messiah, liar, the deceiver” in Arabic.
One of the series’ stars, Wil Traval, confirmed on Instagram that the series would not be returning to the streaming service….
After the first season debuted in January, there were complaints that the series contained subtextual anti-Islamic sentiment, with the Royal Film Commission of Jordan (where parts of the series were shot), even calling on Netflix to ban the series from its country….
While the allegations of religious insensitivity may have played a part in the series’ cancellation, it has also been suggested that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made international filming schedules much harder to co-ordinate – which may be the key factor in the streaming service’s decision not to renew .
Boromir's Horn says
Obama has a strong business relationship with Netflix, if he wanted the show to continue, you can bet it would. The only religion the left doesn’t have a problem with is Islam, and that’s only out of fear. Leftists aren’t particularly brave.
Savvy Kafir says
The political left’s relationship with Islam is a lot more complicated than that. It’s not just fear that motivates them. Political correctness has become an amazingly powerful force among most (but not all) of today’s rank-and-file Lefties. And cultural relativism is one of the central articles of faith among the PC. Also, there’s an absurd amount of guilt regarding Western Civilization’s supposed evils, among logic-challenged liberals with a very poor grasp of world history. And Muslims are at the very pinnacle of the victimhood hierarchy that the Regressive Left has become obsessed with.
Also, more & more people are making a compelling argument for the idea that left-wing globalists (and Marxists) are intentionally trying to destroy Western Civilization (and capitalism), and are harnessing the power of Islam to accomplish their evil goals, by flooding the West with Muslim immigrants. That seems so utterly insane that I’ve been reluctant to believe it; but I’m now convinced this is true among some of the hard-left “elites” running the European Union and governing some European countries.
mortimer says
Cinema, TV and plays are supposed to be provocative, edgy and thought-provoking. If they give into Islam, they will be FINISHED.
Chistopher Watson says
After watching American series for many years the ‘innocence’ of the middle-eastern characters is constantly rammed down our throats. Whenever arab characters are depicted they are always the good guys or working under cover for the CIA or the FBI.
Rufolino says
Moslems are not the good guys in the brilliant tv series “Homeland”. In fact I was continually astonished at the hard realism of most of this story about Islamic terrorism and the West. Made me wonder how it even got made.
Paul J says
Mad Mo’s army is exactly that, an army being utilized to implement Marxist goals. What the marxists don’t realize is that islam has it’s own agenda as well. The commies in Iran ( who helped the Ayatollahs come to power) soon found out about that.
JoBo says
Lenin was a coward and hid from fights.
Rastus says
or bright for that matter.
Cheryl says
More appeasement. What fun. Stupid dhimmi’s!
mortimer says
Yes, indeed, Cheryl. How they must howl at how easy it is to trick the stupid, dirty kufaar. The worst part is how those dupes at the top boast about their own virtue-signalling.
Leftards in the entertainment business are presiding over the SHUT-DOWN of their own industry by people who don’t WANT an entertainment industry!
Have you ever heard of a Pakistani FEATURE MOVIE ??? That’s because Sharia law would STOP such a thing.
mortimer says
This is what will happen to CINEMA and TV when ISLAM is allowed to take over. DEPRESSING … but normative Islam.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Pakistan
Pakistani cinema entered into a decline during the regime of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who began to Islamicise the country. One of the first victims of this sociopolitical change was Pakistani cinema. The government forcibly closed most of the cinemas in Lahore. New tax rates were introduced, further decreasing cinema attendances. Growing censorship policies against displays of affection, rather than violence, came as a blow to the industry. The once romantic and lovable image of Pakistani cinema in the 1960s and 1970s had transformed into a culture of violence and vulgarity by the 1980s. This ironically came while the government under ZIa ul Haq’s regime was attempting to “Islamise” the country. Being an actress associated with the current crop of productions became an understandable taboo and many middle-class people began shunning these films. Collapse (1990–2002)[edit]
At the start of the 1990s, Pakistan’s film industry was gripped with certain doom. Of the several dozen studios across the country, only 11 were operational producing around 100 films annually.
gravenimage says
Netflix series “Messiah” canceled after charges of “subtextual anti-Islamic sentiment”
……………………
More cringing dhimmitude.
mortimer says
Agree with GI. However, did the GENIUSES at Netflix realize that MUSLIMS don’t like DAJJAL either?
If Muslims dislike DAJJAL, then why are Muslims opposing a negative portrayal of DAJJAL?
Contradiction, isn’t it?
gravenimage says
Muslims don’t have to be reasonable, of course.
OTTER says
If all other religions have the policy of perpetual appeasement in the name of political correctness and Islam alone as a policy of absolute intransigence, then it is no surprise which religion is going to win in the long term. This is suicidal accommodation.
b.a. freeman says
well, the believers of most other religions will *not* be so willing to kowtow to the ummah, but enough of the leaders of said religions will, and so their followers will be directed to kowtow as well.
+1
SKA says
Don’t bet on that in India where Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists have developed a resistance based on their experience of subjugation under their one-time conquerors. Nor in the Balkans where Christians have long memories of Ottoman domination.
Janice Mermikli says
True. Good post.
mortimer says
Very nicely expressed, OTTER. If they CEOs of entertainment companies understood this, they would realize that when they give in, they are presiding over the shut-down of their industry by people who don’t like entertainment and don’ t want it.
When all entertainment products are BLAND, politically correct and non-offensive to everyone, then people will stop watching.
James Lincoln says
mortimer says,
“When all entertainment products are BLAND, politically correct and non-offensive to everyone, then people will stop watching.”
Absolutely true – and it’s already happening.
Countless somewhat “edgy” movies – and even TV shows (“All in the Family”) – could not be made today – and they are some of my favorites…
Niemoller says
Overt anti-Christian bigotry, no problem! Subtextual criticism of regressive elements in Islam? Smash it all and behead those who insult islam!!
Unlike coronavirus, the catching virus of Islamism is a choice. Netflix chooses greedy accomodation of Islamism over security.
b.a. freeman says
when nobody stands up for free speech, the one who does stand up for it is an easy target; either we *all* stand up to the pious ummah, or we individually go ahead and say the shahada now. not that doing that will save your cowardly a**, because if a gang-banging pious muslim wants what U have, he’ll take it now and justify it later – with no repercussions for him.
+1
mortimer says
Somewhat disagree with Niemoller: “Islamism is a choice.” In fact, Islam is a SEDUCTION … bait and switch.
Once you are caught, Islam is like a lobster trap for the mind, the soul, the body.
CogitoErgoSum says
I haven’t seen the series. Did a character named Isa appear toward the end and kill all the Jews and Christians? I would think the Muslims would love watching something like that.
Janice Mermikli says
I imagine that they would, because it is what is supposed to happen in their end times.. He’s expected to kill all the pigs, as well as the Jews and Christians.
Charming religion, isn’t it?
gravenimage says
Yes, Janice–when Muslims say they “revere Jesus”, I doubt that many Christians have the slightest idea what that actually means.
Mo says
Unbelievable. This from Hollywood, who makes EXPLICITLY anti-Christian stuff all the time.
Jerry Morgan says
God is going to cancel Islam real soon. It’s called the revelation.
Wellington says
“God is going to cancel Islam real soon. It’s called the revelation.”
Don’t think so. I don’t mean to be irreverent but only realistic.
Counting on God “to cancel Islam real soon” is, I would contend, not a winning strategy. After all, doesn’t the God you believe exists Himself assert that people are best off when they help themselves?
Just as we should not have counted on God “to cancel Nazism real soon” or “to cancel Communism real soon,” neither should we count on God “to cancel Islam real soon.”
Besides, Nazism and Communism lasted only for brief amounts of time, though doing of course enormous damage. But Islam has now lasted for some 1400 years (and has done incalculable damage), so what is holding God up here? Is He sleeping on the “job?” indeed, what’s He up to?
Why did God allow Islam to exist in the first place? Ah, it’s an inscrutable, divine plan believers in an omniscient, omnipotent, all-merciful God will respond respecting such queries, but I see such responses as not arguments but excuses masquerading as arguments.
Perhaps we are really alone after all and man created God and not the other way around—and the universe is indifferent to our existence. Not sure. Can anyone be?
And if sure, then what is the point of faith, which, as David Hume pointed out, MUST entail an element of doubt? Then again perhaps there is a God but, per the 18th century Deistic view, this entity created the universe but then metaphorically walked away from it—or put a bit more comically by George Carlin, God may exist but He just doesn’t give a shit.
Thinking that God cares is itself an assumption and not an axiom, axioms being something religions aplenty contend exist but never providing proof for them. Religion puts forth extraordinary claims but NEVER provides extraordinary evidence—and yet threatens people with some kind of eternal punishment if the extraordinary claims are not accepted. This is not right, IT IS NOT RIGHT, and here within lies the greatest weakness of all religions, Islam being easily the worst of the lot because of the “third threat” unique to Islam and which threat I have oft mentioned here at JW. However, I do appreciate the ethical aspects of Judaism and Christianity, which are quite fine, all the while despising the ethical aspects of Islam which, a la Arthur Schopenhauer, are “despicable” and not at all conducive to free societies as Judaism and Christianity are.
Enough for now.
Kepha says
A hopefully respectful disagreement with moth Jerry Morgan and Wellington here. First, traditional theisms (I count Evolutionary Materialism as a “reilgion”, too) do make large claims. But, considering the demand for evidence, when we get down to first things, the task is a little like measuring all the liquid water, ice, and vapor in the Solar System with an eyedropper. Hence, as a Christian, I also believe that God will cancel Islam ultimately. I believe in the final victory of Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead on the third day.
But I am wary when people start seeing in every crisis the “proof” that the Second Advent is going to happen in the next 5…7…12…40 years, oops, our generation…
Christ said that nation will rise against nation between the time of his delivery of the Olivet Discourse and the final judgment. Further, if the prophets teach us anything, it is that God accomplishes his foreordained ends with created means. For example, the king of Assyria wanted loot and land, but behind that was God’s determination to punish a sinful Israel and Judah (Is. 10:5 ff.).
And, I would propose to my good friend Wellington that the ethical aspects of Judaism and Christianity (ethics that derive from the Hebrew Bible, and are echoed in the New Testament) may themselves be evidence that God indeed “gives a s–t” (to disapprovingly use Carlin’s term). That Christ came and worked redemption for us is proof that God gave himself.
Why is the Western world free? Why is it prosperous? Why was it able to unite the globe into a single community, as no other civilization was able to? It is free because God called for the ruler’s subjugation under law (Dt. 17) and, rather than deifying kings and forbidding all criticism of them, showed how they fail (read the books of Joshua-II Kings, please). The Wet is prosperous because its Christian forbears saw from Genesis that the Garden of Eden was not a playground, but a place where man, even in innocency, worked physically to till and keep the ground and intellectually by naming the animals. Our crisis today is the same as that facing Israel in the days of Hosea: we credit our gifts of liberty and prosperity to little gods of our own making when they were gifts of the God previous generations worshiped.
Wellington says
Thanks for your reply, my Christian friend, Kepha. As usual, you state your positions well.
Just a couple of points. I consider evolution to have been scientifically proven. We have over 80,000 Neanderthal skeletons alone, at least six species of Australopithecus, even older hominids than Homo and Australopithecus like Orrorin tugenensis (c. 6 million years old) and Sahelantrhopus tchadensis (c. 7 million years old). As for the genus Homo we have, at the minimum, three species—habils (as far back as 2 and a quarter million years old), erectus (anywhere from 1.8 million to a mere 300,000 years ago—and with possibly a dwarf specie of erectus on an Indonesian island that lasted until just some 18,000 years ago), and of course, us, i.e. sapiens, and we to back perhaps as far as 400,000 years ago. To deny evolution, you might as well deny the earth revolves around the sun. As for material evolution in general, there is no illogic involved in either thinking that it just happened or that it occurred because of some higher power, i.e. God. Personally, I am not sure yet (is anyone?). Getting back to evolution, I certainly think that a higher power may have directed this and thus I see no incompatibility between believing in God and accepting evolution. Put another way, one can be both a physical anthropologist and a Christian.
As for freedom, yes, the Jude-Christian ethic plays a major role here BUT so does the ancient Greek ethos which is responsible for freedom, actually more so, than the Judeo-Christian world. Remember, it was the ancient Greeks that invented democracy, not the ancient Jews. And Western Civilization’s two intellectual cornerstones are ancient Jewish religious thought and ancient Greek philosophical thought.
I would close here by asserting that the ancient Jews created quite arguably the most sophisticated and impressive religion of antiquity (with Christianity its major offshoot). But just because something is very impressive and sophisticated doesn’t mean it accords with some kind of ultimate reality. The bottom line is that no one really knows if God exists. If one did, again a la Hume, what is the point of faith and which is why Hume said that the only true Christian is a skeptic. There may be a God but there might not be. These are the two options and one must, a la Kierkegaard, take that leap of faith if one ends up believing there is because all the intellectual arguments for God, however clever, ultimately fail, as Kant pointed out, because existence is not necessarily a category of an idea.
As always, I write with respect for you, Kepha. You are obviously highly intelligent and well informed. Take good care in this Corona Age we live in, which hopefully will end sooner rather than later.
gravenimage says
Good exchange.
somehistory says
“doesn’t the God you believe exists Himself assert that people are best off when they help themselves?”
The God of the Bible in Whom I believe, does not assert this.
That is an idea from some guy in the 1600’s, I do believe. Some say Ben Franklin was the originator of the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves.”
Jesus didn’t wait for people to try to ‘heal” themselves before He offered His help. As an example, the young man from Nain…who was dead and couldn’t very well help himself back to life…and the young girl who died and Jesus brought her back…and of course, Lazarus who had also died. Besides the many blind, lepers, demon-possessed, crippled, etc. whom He helped. There were those who had faith that Jesus could and would help them, but they weren’t able to first help themselves and many…such as those dead…who couldn’t exercise faith that He would raise them up.
There are way too many things that man cannot do that we are told in the Psalms to “Wait for God.” Concerning these things, we who believe, “Wait.”
gravenimage says
None of this means that we can’t help ourselves or our brothers when we are able, Somehistory.
Wellington says
Thanks for your reply, somehistory. Seems the line actually originated in ancient Greece though the Wikipedia article about this very phrase (and I know you have to be careful with Wikipedia) does list nine examples from the Old Testament and New Testament (mostly from Proverbs) that implies this phrase—“an ethic of self-reliance” as the article states.
Nevertheless, thanks for pointing out what you did. Learning never stops, does it?
mortimer says
Jerry, Islam is dualistic. It contains dozens of dualism, each of which is contradictory.
Islam is the religion of bait and switch. It is hard to catch Islam, because it changes color and shape whenever threatened.
James Lincoln says
Jerry Morgan,
I actually think that Bob Dylan had it right in his song “With God On Our Side” – a sarcastic look at a war in which each side worships a different God.
Each side thinking that they will “win the next war”…
Kepha says
When Joshua approached Jericho, a mysterious figure with a drawn sword stood in his way. “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as a captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship…(Jos. 5:14ff.). Hence Abraham Lincoln’s powerful rhetoric in his Second Inaugural Address.
Mr. Dylan might also have considered “with Natural Right on our side…” or “Historical Necessity on our side…” or “Human Progress and Social Justice on our side…” For people living in the 2d half of the 20th century or the beginning of the 21st century, those would have been the more telling statements.
tim gallagher says
I do think that, despite all these disgusting efforts to kowtow to Islam, eventually most people will wake up to Islam’s vile nature and we non-Muslims of the world will win this 1400 year long war with Islam. What the world needs is for all our people wake up to Islam the way that the Hungarians, the Czechs, the Poles and Slovakians have woken up (also the way Burma woke up and threw its Muslims out – problem solved). Like other commenters, I am sick of these examples of abject surrender to evil Islam, such as this Netflix program. So many gutless wimps around the place when the evidence of Islam’s barbarity and evil is there, day after day, for all to see. It is amazing that “sub-textual anti-Islam sentiment” isn’t allowed. Such criticism probably only exists in the paranoid Muslim and leftists’ minds. The level of cowardice by the Netflix mob is truly pathetic. They should tell the Muslim and leftist paranoids to get stuffed.
James Lincoln says
tim gallagher,
A correct analysis.
Countries like the United States need to be on offense against Islam 24-7.
Instead of CNN blasting left-wing propaganda at all US airports, there should be several 24-7 cable channels devoted to the anti-jihad effort.
That would at least be a start…
tim gallagher says
We have certainly got a long way to go, James. Nowhere near enough people have woken up to Islam’s vile nature yet, at least in Australia and definitely not enough in most of Europe, although the Visegrad bloc countries are trying to show the rest of us the right way to go. I’m guessing that the people in the USA haven’t yet woken up in big enough numbers to begin the fight back against this pathetic caving in to islam that all our societies seem to suffer from. Nevertheless, I do believe that eventually the unpalatable truth about Islam will be seen by enough of the slow learners for us to defeat this vile enemy once and for all. Maybe it’s just something I prefer to believe. No doubt the victory over islam will be a long way off though, but it’s a war that has already been going for 1400 years against this evil ideology.
somehistory says
“subtextual anti-Islamic sentiment…”
This phrase could be applied to just about any comment regarding islam…that is true or hints at the truth…where the speaker doesn’t come right out with such words as: islam is garbage, isalm is a pack of filth, islam is full of lies, islam is satan’s wild beast, there is no truth in islam, there is no goodness in islam, no virtue in islam, islam does not mean peace…but means submit or else, moslims engage in extortion for their fake religion, the so-called “prophet” was a mass-murdering raper of children who spoke with satan and told lie after lie while living a life of moral filth, and the meeting places where moslims prey are really army barracks where war plans are made and weapons stockpiled, moslims engage in terrorism for their fake ‘god,’ who is satan the devil. moslims lie, steal, rape and murder for their fake ‘god’ and his false ‘prophet.’
Now those are not “sub-textual” but they are very much anti-islamic and not just “sentiment,” but the absolute truth. And as Jesus Christ made clear: the Truth cannot, and will not, remain hidden.
Bella says
No one would complain if it was Christian or Jewish. Giving into them in the smallest respect is bowing to their nonsense. Give an inch they’ll take a mile. Western countries have become so damn stupid and suicidal.
Spiro says
I was told once on this site not to preach surrender
Sorry but the more I read on this site
The more I see surrender to every
Muslem. demand
Netflix is another example
Wellington says
Much surrender but not by a plethora of commenters here at JW.
And don’t forget this as well, i.e., more people worldwide have a negative view of Islam than just a generation ago and this number of people will grow (exponentially I think) with each passing year as Islam can’t help but reveal itself as I have stated before here many times, “the turd in the punchbowl of world religions.”
It’s going to take still some time for mankind as a whole to wrap itself around the idea—the truth—that mankind got a major religion which is simply awful and even evil. Mankind is in the process of doing this and, yes, it may not be in time, but as a sometime betting man, I think it will be in time—but now with much leeway.
Close call here. I’m still betting on Islam long term being not dominant but excoriated. Count me in as a skeptical optimist.
gravenimage says
Hear, hear, Wellington!
Anne says
Not so sure W, here in the U.S. more and more Muslims are elected to public office.
Wellington says
I’m not sure either, Anne, and that’s why I said it’s going to be a close call.
mortimer says
There is no way to stop Islamic censorship without stopping the message of Islam from being believed. Once Muslims perceive that the Koran was written by fallible humans, they immediately cease to believe.
Battle says
Boycott Netflix.
Boycott Netflix.
Boycott Netflix.
DazzleMe says
+1
maemae77 says
Boycott Netflix. They’re Sharia Law compliant.
DazzleMe says
+1
David says
The Muslim Brotherhood should be re-named the Muslim Victimhood. It would gain more sympathy, because it makes them sound pathetic. They are.
Brian Hoff says
The show could have being about Jesus of 2000 year ago not about than CIA hunt for the antiChrist.
gravenimage says
Is the appalling “Brian Hoff”–really, “DefenderofIslam”–telling Infidels what they can and cannot film? Is he threatening them if they step out of line as his violent coreligionists see it?
Why not? He has already said that he intends to destroy the Constitution and impose bloody Shari’ah law as soon as he and his fellow Muslims are able.