Pakistan has banned The Da Vinci Code, as Pakistani Christians protest.

[phk]

Theres no need to ban this movie for 2% of the population IMO.

Pakistan bans Da Vinci Code movie

BBC: June 4, 2006
Pakistan bans Da Vinci Code film





Pakistan has banned The Da Vinci Code, which has been the subject of protests from members of Pakistan's small Christian community.

Culture Minister Ghulam Jamal said the film was blasphemous.

The screen adaptation of Dan Brown's book revolves around the theory that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and their descendants survive today.

A number of states in India have banned the film, although the federal censors have cleared it for release.

Although the film has not been screened in any theater in mostly-Muslim Pakistan, authorities decided to ban it out of respect for the feelings of the country's minority Christians.

Earlier this week, Christians staged protests in two Pakistani cities against the movie, demanding a global ban. Christians make up about 3 percent of Pakistan's 150 million people.

The film version of Dan Brown's murder mystery novel is based around the premise that Jesus Christ and one of his followers, Mary Magdalene, had children whose descendants are still alive.

Supported

Mr Jamal said: "Islam teaches us to respect all the prophets of Allah Almighty and degradation of any prophet is tantamount to defamation of the rest," the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.

The government had indicated last week that it wanted to ban both the film and the book. The book has been available in Pakistan for some time.

Christian protestors have been supported by the country's six-party Islamic alliance, the MMA.

On Saturday, Andhra Pradesh became the seventh state in India to ban the film.

Shahbaz Bhatti, a prominent Christian leader, thanked the country's leadership and said the ban will go a long way to ensuring sectarian harmony.

"The Da Vinci Code is a sacrilegious act in the guise of freedom of expression and fiction," Bhatti said Saturday. "It has hurt the religious sentiments of Christians and Muslims throughout the world."

He also criticized Brown, saying the author had "evil intentions" and wanted "to undermine the historical as well as theological truth about Jesus Christ."

[minionofmidas]

LOL!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

So dazzleman, is this "political correctness"?

And therefore, is th is actually a left wing action?

Let's see how popular it is on DU.

[Jake]

A fight for freedom, if only to spare the population of a horrible movie.

[Cubby]

phknrocket, do you know which Indian States have banned the movie?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

In a strange way this is actually good news... judging by some of the groups that supported a ban that is...

[phk]

phknrocket, do you know which Indian States have banned the movie?

Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Pondicherry, Goa, Nagaland, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

In a strange way this is actually good news... judging by some of the groups that supported a ban that is...

Like who?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

In a strange way this is actually good news... judging by some of the groups that supported a ban that is...

Like who?

I think the main Islamist alliance supported the ban.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

How's that good news? Increased Islamist power sure isn't.

[WMS]

Theres no need to ban this movie for 2% of the population IMO.
...
Culture Minister Ghulam Jamal said the film was blasphemous.
...
Although the film has not been screened in any theater in mostly-Muslim Pakistan, authorities decided to ban it out of respect for the feelings of the country's minority Christians.
...
Supported

Mr Jamal said: "Islam teaches us to respect all the prophets of Allah Almighty and degradation of any prophet is tantamount to defamation of the rest," the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.

The government had indicated last week that it wanted to ban both the film and the book. The book has been available in Pakistan for some time.

Christian protestors have been supported by the country's six-party Islamic alliance, the MMA.

Actually, it appears the Muslims found it blasphemous as well, so you're going well above 2% of the population rocket...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How's that good news? Increased Islamist power sure isn't.

You've missed the point... like I said it's good in a strange way...

[minionofmidas]

phknrocket, do you know which Indian States have banned the movie?

Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Pondicherry, Goa, Nagaland, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Exchange Andhra and Panjab for Mizoram and Nagaland, and I think you got you a list of states with highest percentages of Christians.

[Cubby]

phknrocket, do you know which Indian States have banned the movie?

Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Pondicherry, Goa, Nagaland, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Thanks    Good to see Kerala isn't on the list.

[Ben.]

Makes a change from state sponsered persecution.

[phk]

Theres no need to ban this movie for 2% of the population IMO.
...
Culture Minister Ghulam Jamal said the film was blasphemous.
...
Although the film has not been screened in any theater in mostly-Muslim Pakistan, authorities decided to ban it out of respect for the feelings of the country's minority Christians.
...
Supported

Mr Jamal said: "Islam teaches us to respect all the prophets of Allah Almighty and degradation of any prophet is tantamount to defamation of the rest," the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.

The government had indicated last week that it wanted to ban both the film and the book. The book has been available in Pakistan for some time.

Christian protestors have been supported by the country's six-party Islamic alliance, the MMA.

Actually, it appears the Muslims found it blasphemous as well, so you're going well above 2% of the population rocket...

If the protests hadn't happened, Muslims wouldn't have cared.

[WMS]

Theres no need to ban this movie for 2% of the population IMO.
...
Culture Minister Ghulam Jamal said the film was blasphemous.
...
Although the film has not been screened in any theater in mostly-Muslim Pakistan, authorities decided to ban it out of respect for the feelings of the country's minority Christians.
...
Supported

Mr Jamal said: "Islam teaches us to respect all the prophets of Allah Almighty and degradation of any prophet is tantamount to defamation of the rest," the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.

The government had indicated last week that it wanted to ban both the film and the book. The book has been available in Pakistan for some time.

Christian protestors have been supported by the country's six-party Islamic alliance, the MMA.

Actually, it appears the Muslims found it blasphemous as well, so you're going well above 2% of the population rocket...

If the protests hadn't happened, Muslims wouldn't have cared.

Actually, the Muslims backed the Christians over The Last Temptation of Christ, as well. Remember, Jesus is an honored prophet in Islam...

[phk]

Theres no need to ban this movie for 2% of the population IMO.
...
Culture Minister Ghulam Jamal said the film was blasphemous.
...
Although the film has not been screened in any theater in mostly-Muslim Pakistan, authorities decided to ban it out of respect for the feelings of the country's minority Christians.
...
Supported

Mr Jamal said: "Islam teaches us to respect all the prophets of Allah Almighty and degradation of any prophet is tantamount to defamation of the rest," the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.

The government had indicated last week that it wanted to ban both the film and the book. The book has been available in Pakistan for some time.

Christian protestors have been supported by the country's six-party Islamic alliance, the MMA.

Actually, it appears the Muslims found it blasphemous as well, so you're going well above 2% of the population rocket...

If the protests hadn't happened, Muslims wouldn't have cared.

Actually, the Muslims backed the Christians over The Last Temptation of Christ, as well. Remember, Jesus is an honored prophet in Islam...

Actually, my cousin was able to purchase copies of the Da Vinci code book last year, without a problem before people started a ruckus about it.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Well I think the da vinci code(both movie and book are tripe) so I'm not going to read them. Pakistan's government are FFs over this issue.

[WMS]

Theres no need to ban this movie for 2% of the population IMO.
...
Culture Minister Ghulam Jamal said the film was blasphemous.
...
Although the film has not been screened in any theater in mostly-Muslim Pakistan, authorities decided to ban it out of respect for the feelings of the country's minority Christians.
...
Supported

Mr Jamal said: "Islam teaches us to respect all the prophets of Allah Almighty and degradation of any prophet is tantamount to defamation of the rest," the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.

The government had indicated last week that it wanted to ban both the film and the book. The book has been available in Pakistan for some time.

Christian protestors have been supported by the country's six-party Islamic alliance, the MMA.

Actually, it appears the Muslims found it blasphemous as well, so you're going well above 2% of the population rocket...

If the protests hadn't happened, Muslims wouldn't have cared.

Actually, the Muslims backed the Christians over The Last Temptation of Christ, as well. Remember, Jesus is an honored prophet in Islam...

Actually, my cousin was able to purchase copies of the Da Vinci code book last year, without a problem before people started a ruckus about it.

Which means...what again? The issue wasn't on the radar last year in Pakistan, so if no one was calling for a ban then, well of course your cousin could buy copies of The Da Vinci Code. If the Muslims didn't back the Christians over this in Pakistan then there would've been no banning, correct? That seems to be the deeper point here...the Muslims and Christians agreeing...

[minionofmidas]

Actually it seems to be: Islamic governments providing their own Christians the sort of protection of their honour that they were also demanding from us, in the so-called caricature dispute, not as a political statement - let alone a new development - but as a matter of course.

Now whether that's a good thing depends on your opinion of the relative importance of honour and freedom of speech ... but it's good to point out, anyhow.

[WMS]

Actually it seems to be: Islamic governments providing their own Christians the sort of protection of their honour that they were also demanding from us, in the so-called caricature dispute, not as a political statement - let alone a new development - but as a matter of course.

Now whether that's a good thing depends on your opinion of the relative importance of honour and freedom of speech ... but it's good to point out, anyhow.

Very interesting perspective.

And yeah, I was making no comment on whether this was good or not, just pointing it out.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Actually it seems to be: Islamic governments providing their own Christians the sort of protection of their honour that they were also demanding from us, in the so-called caricature dispute, not as a political statement - let alone a new development - but as a matter of course.

Now whether that's a good thing depends on your opinion of the relative importance of honour and freedom of speech ... but it's good to point out, anyhow.

I guess that while they are being consistent, the same is true of the governments allowing the Islam defamations and Mohammed caricatures. None of them would even think of banning The Da Vinci Code, not even the most extreme religious right here would do that.

So it's really just a difference in values.

[phk]

I suppose the saying, "religions don't really change over time, the cultures that house them do" really comes into play here.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Folks, go read about a guy in India named Nicolas Almeida. Almeida is a Catholic who recently placed a bounty on the life of the author of 'The Da Vinci Code' - which is exactly the same thing Khomeini did to Salman Rushdie.

Notice how there has been almost ZERO coverage of Almeida's extremism by the media.

Then tell me if you think it's fair that the media hasn't covered this nearly as much as they covered Khomeini's incident.

I really do think it's time we expand the Fairness Doctrine to newspapers.