Blog 9: Malaysia, Indonesia Ban Biblical Epic 'Noah'

Summary:

Malaysia and Indonesia have joined the ranks of a number of countries to decide to ban the movie Noah.  The movie is based on the biblical tale of a man who saves his family and two of every animal from a global flood by building an ark.  The movie has experienced a lot of kickback from fundamentalist Christians in America, but is now experiencing complaints from other countries, especially ones that hold strong religious ties in their governments.  Muslims make up about 60 percent of the Malaysian people, and Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation.  The film censors decided to block the movie to avoid negative kickback.  Indonesia specifically banned the movie for fear of “controversies and negative reactions”.  The Quran mentions 25 prophets by name, and Noah is beloved by many Islamic groups, such as the Indonesian Council of Ulama, support the decisions, going so far as to say films with corrupt religious teachings should be completely outlawed.  Many filmmakers are disappointed with the bans, saying that it is a step backward in development. 

Analysis:

This is a very interesting case examining the interaction of religion with both government and art/media.  What stands out about this particular case is the cooperation of the two religious groups that often end up at odds with each other.  Muslim and Christian fundamentalists seem to almost be joining forces to criticize Darren Aronofsky (who incidentally identifies as atheist) and his portrayal of the biblical account.  The censorship highlights the power of religion when it is a central influence of the government.  While it is not uncommon for American movies to be banned from other countries due to differences in ratings and what is acceptable to show, this movie has been banned solely for the misrepresentation of the biblical narrative.  This article also shows the interaction religion has with art.  Many members of the filmmaking community are claiming the censorship as a step in the wrong direction when it comes to freedom of expression and development.  Filmmaking, considered to be an art form by many, is an expression of the actors, directors, producers, and technical operators.  To censor the movie is to restrict their expression.  Many argue that religion should be an avenue to further express themselves, not restrict expression.  In such a globalized community that we all live in now, people are bound to create things that do not fit or satisfy all religious beliefs.  The task now is to decide when to draw the line of the far-reaching effects of religious belief systems into government and media. 

 http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/malaysia-bans-biblical-epic-noah-23217661#.U0gIX0sbddE.email