Saudi King drawn into cinema row

Riyadh: A group of hardline Islamists from the western city of Jeddah sent a petition to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz asking him to intervene and stop the screening of films in the region.

The petition, signed by hundreds of prominent figures, drew attention to the growing trend of films being screened in Jeddah and other regions in Makkah province.

"This would spoil the purity of souls," they claimed.

"As in the past, cinema is still regarded as an evil at present also. It was unacceptable at this holy land earlier.

"How then will it be acceptable to this blessed period when people are becoming more and more mindful of respecting their sanctities and obeying the commands of God and keeping away from what He forbids?" they said.

According to the petition, cinema not only brought a degradation of social virtues but would only fill people's minds with evil that no sincere believer - fervent in his religious faith and seeking to be untainted by corrupt practices - would tolerate.

The petitioners argued that films shown were tools spreading disunity and schism in society.

The move by hardliners coincides with the emergence of many promising film producers and talented actors and actresses in various parts of the kingdom. Cinema is still banned in the country despite the recent screening of some films, especially the popular feature film Menahi in major cities.

This movie met stiff opposition from some quarters, and was even forced to cancel its screening in the southern region of Jizan. In Jeddah more than five films have been shown during the last few months.

There have been two strong sections of people in their attitude to the cinema. One group argues that the film industry should be utilised as a strong medium serving its mission for the good of the society. Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, chairman of the board of directors of the Kingdom Holding Company, is among them. Commenting on cinema after the screening of Menahi, the Arab billionaire said that nobody could dismiss the influential role of cinema in society. "Cinema should be utilised to play its positive role in society," he said.

One the other hand, another section of society still holds strong reservations about the cinema and the screening of films. They vehemently criticise attempts by the still-budding film industry to seek solid foundations in the kingdom.

Their views were echoed in the recent comments by the Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh when he said that cinema and theatre are against Shariah as they are tools that distract people from work and efforts to achieve progress.