A film on the life of Prophet Mohammad, Iran’s most expensive in its cinematic history, was set to be released in about 140 theaters nationwide last week, before being postponed and scheduled to premiere at the Montreal Film Festival on Thursday.
Following the release, however, some Sunni Muslim clerics in the Arab world are demanding that Tehran ban it. The brief postponing of the biopic – which cost around $40 million to make – was explained by Iranian authorities as being due to “technical issues.” But this was not the first time it was postponed.
It was previously pulled out of the Fajr International Film Festival last January, which coincided with the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, also due to “technical” difficulties. Another Iranian premiere called, “Hussein, Who Said No,” was also previously also postponed for “technical reasons.”
The lingering question in the mind of many is whether Iran’s postponement of these particularly expensive films which pack a powerful religious message, is solely due to “technical issues”, or whether there were other reasons behind the delay. And now, following the release of “Mohammad,” what kind of backlash can be expected?
Iran’s religio-political scene
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has publicly demonstrated his support for the film. The religious and political philosophy of Iran’s Supreme Leader suggests the “Rahbar (leader)” or “Imam” of Iran is not only the leader of the Shiite community but the leader of the Ummah – the Islamic world.
Since Iran views itself as forerunner of Islam and the leader of the Ummah – the Islamic world – any religious opposition is seen by Tehran as an undermining of its legitimacy. The release of the movie on the scheduled, eagerly-awaited date had raised concerns with Iranian leaders. It could have stirred up a major protest and unrest in the region from prominent religious figures and schools. This could damage Iran’s religious and political legitimacy and undermine its projection of leading a united Ummah in the Middle East and beyond… see more
source: alarabiya.net
Tags: Entertainment, Iran's Movie, Muhammad
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