Qatar bans Hollywood film 'Noah' on religious grounds

Qatar has banned the Hollywood film "Noah" on religious grounds even before its worldwide premiere, a representative of Paramount Pictures has told Reuters.

This ban follows similar actions in Bahrain and the UAE, while several other Arab countries are expected to follow suit.

Islam frowns upon representing prophets in art and depictions of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) in European and North American media have repeatedly sparked protests across the world.

"Censors for Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) officially confirmed this week that the film will not release in their countries," Paramount Pictures said.

The $125 million film, starring Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins, will premiere in the United States on March 28.

"The official statement they offered in confirming this news is because 'it contradicts the teachings of Islam'," the representative said.

The studio expected a similar ban in Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait.

Noah is the prophet who built the ark that saved his family and many pairs of animals from a great flood.

He is revered by Judaism, Christianity and Islam and an entire chapter in the Quran is devoted to him.

Cairo's Al-Azhar, the highest authority of Sunni Islam and a main center of Islamic teaching for over a millennium, issued a fatwa, or religious injunction, against the film.

"Al-Azhar ... renews its objection to any act depicting the messengers and prophets of God and the companions of the Prophet (Mohammad), peace be upon him," it announced in a statement.

They "provoke the feelings of believers ... and are forbidden in Islam and a clear violation of Islamic law," the fatwa added.

However, Mel Gibson's 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ" on Jesus's crucifixion was widely screened in the Arab World.

This happened despite a flurry of objections by Muslim scholars.

A 2012 Arab miniseries "Omar" on the exploits of a seventh century Muslim ruler and companion of the Prophet Mohammad also managed to defy objections and air on a Gulf-based satellite television channel.

"Noah," whose official video trailer depicts a burly Crowe wielding an axe and computer-animated geysers swamping an army of sinners hoping to board his ark, has also stoked religious controversy at home. (arabianbusiness)