Al-Azhar moves to ban “Noah” from screening in Egypt

Al-Azhar, Egypt’s central institution of Sunni Islamic education and jurisprudence, has called on censors to ban the Hollywood movie “Noah” from screening in the country.

A Paramount Pictures film based on Biblical accounts of Noah and his ark directed by Darren Aronofsky, “Noah” was slated for nationwide release in late March. But Al-Azhar’s resistance means the movie most likely won’t make it to local cinemas.

“Al-Azhar, its grand imam and the Council of Senior Scholars and the Islamic Research Council reject any work that depicts the images of God’s prophets, messengers and the companions of the Prophet Mohamed,” said a statement released by the institution.

Noah, his family and their ark are mentioned several times in the Quran, particularly in the chapter bearing his name, Surat Nuh.

The statement also mentioned that such cinematic depictions of the prophet Noah, or God’s other prophets, “violate the principles and fundamentals of Sharia, and provoke the ire of believers.”

Some conservative Christian and Jewish communities also appear to be irked by the Hollywoodization of their prophets and Holy Scriptures.

In response to complaints from religious groups in the US, on Wednesday Paramount Pictures added the following disclaimer to the movie: "The film is inspired by the story of Noah. While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide."

An amateur short movie entitled “Innocence of Muslims” released on YouTube on September 11, 2012 ignited days of violent protests outside the American Embassy in Cairo and other Muslim countries worldwide.

This low-budget YouTube clip not only depicted the Prophet Mohamed, but was also widely regarded as denigrating both him and the Islamic faith. It’s posting led to legal appeals to remove the clip from this social media site. YouTube swiftly responded by blocking access to this movie from Egypt and a host of other countries.

A number of legal appeals were made to ban access to YouTube in Egypt altogether, but none were successful.

More recently, the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Square” about the 2011 uprising directed by Jehane Noujaim also failed to receive clearance for screening in Egyptian cinemas, although it has been screened in cinemas worldwide.