Fatwa against A.R. Rahman for ‘Messenger of God’ film

An Indian Islamic group has issued a fatwa against Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi and the Oscar-winning Indian composer A.R. Rahman over the depiction of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in a new film, reports the Indian Express.

The Mumbai-based Raza Academy called for Muslims to reject Muhammad (PBUH): The Messenger of God, a big budget Iranian film that has courted controversy by including shots of the Prophet’s (PBUH) back, via a low-angle shot of a teenage Mohammad (PBUH) against the sky, and his hands and legs as a baby. Many Muslims, in particular those from the Sunni tradition, see physical depictions of Mohammad (PBUH) as taboo, and the academy said the new film made a mockery of the religion.

Clerics also remarked that the $35 million (Dh128.5 million) film featured professional actors, including some non-Muslims, in key roles. The fatwa accuses Majidi and Rahman of sacrilege and calls for them to re-solemnise their marriages and re-read the kalima, an essential tenet of Islam. The academy had previously written to the Indian government and Maharashtra state ministers calling for them to ban Majidi’s film, which is expected to be the first of a trilogy.

On Tuesday night, Rahman posted a statement on his Facebook page, saying his decision to compose the music for the film was made in good faith.

“I’m not a scholar of Islam. I follow the middle path and am part of traditionalist and part rationalist. I didn’t direct or produce the movie I just did the music. My spiritual experiences of working on the film are very personal and I would prefer not to share these,” he said.

“Today, there is a blur between the real world and the virtual world and I have taken aback to see that, for some years now, unethical, unacceptable and unkind remarks are made online concerning the Holy Prophet (PBUH). These abhorrent comments are no doubt due to the lack of understanding. I have always felt that we must counter this reaction with love and kindness, and through the audio-visual media reach out to people who wish to broaden their understanding”

The Messenger of God shows the Prophet’s (PBUH) life from birth to the age of 13, largely in flashback. The film has also been denounced by Egypt’s Al Azhar university, which called into question whether the actor playing the Prophet (PBUH) might later portray a criminal, leading viewers to associate Islam with crime.

Majidi’s film is the first on the subject since Mustafa Akkad’s 1977 film The Message, and the first to visually depict the Prophet (PBUH), though a rival Qatari team is currently said to be developing its own Mohammad (PBUH) franchise. The epic screened at the Montreal film festival last month to positive reviews, with the Guardian’s Phil Hoad praising “an evocative and engrossing account of Islam’s gestation”.

Sequels are expected to cover the Prophet’s (PBUH) life from age 13 to his 40s, and finally the period from middle age to his death in which Mohammad (PBUH) became the prophet of Islam.

The Messenger of God was shown to select Iranian film-makers, critics and tastemakers in February and reportedly made $60,000 on its August 27 debut at 143 cinemas in Iran.