http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8337721.stm

Epic Muhammad movie in pipeline

An epic movie about Islam’s Prophet Muhammad is in the pipeline, backed by a producer of the Lord of the Rings.

American Barrie Osborne, who also produced The Matrix, told Reuters the film would be an “international epic” aimed at “bridging cultures”.

In accordance with Islamic rules, the Prophet cannot be depicted on screen. Images of the Prophet are considered blasphemous by Muslims.

The $150m (£91m) English language film should go into production in 2011.

2010 talks

Qatari media company Alnoor Holdings, which is behind the plans, said it wanted to attract the “best international talent” for the film.

“The film will educate people about the true meaning of Islam,” Osborne said.

Raja Sharif, vice president of international projects at Alnoor, told Reuters he expected to conclude deals next year.

I’m really curious as to how they’ll have a movie about somebody, yet not have that person shown in it.  I can think of three ways right offhand:

1)  Have it filmed as though literally seen through Muhammad’s eyes.  Unless there’s a mirror or something like that, then there would never be any representation of Muhammad himself.

2)  Always have Muhammad just offscreen, with perhaps only occasionally his shadow or a bit of his robe or something entering view.

3)  Blur out the image.

I think that any approach would be a bit of a challenge.

4) “Muhammad? Ooh, you *just* missed him…”

5) Filmed in the Mirror Universe, where it’s ok. You can tell because Muhammad has a goatee.

6) Plausible deniability: At all times, show three people, but never say which one is supposed to be Muhammad.

7) The part of Muhammad is played by a potted plant.

8) CGI solves everything.

Blur out his face perhaps? I believe that’s what’s done when he’s represented in artwork.

I really don’t know how they think this’ll be a good idea though. It just smacks of unfortunate implications.

ZeldaQueen - 19 November 2009 02:32 PM

Blur out his face perhaps? I believe that’s what’s done when he’s represented in artwork.

No, absolutely no representation of him is allowed.  You can’t even take a pitcher of carrot-juice and say, “This represents the Prophet Muhammad in this film.”  The one and only visual representation of him that is allowed is to write his name.  So I suppose that they could just have the words “This is Muhammad” floating around on the screen. . .maybe.

Either that or have Muhammad Ali on screen, beating the heck out of evildoers.

Huh. I was pretty certain that he was allowed to be shown in “educational” type of depictions (like him as a person) but when there were Islamic paintings of him as a prophet his face was whited out.

I probably am mixed up though. That happens to me a lot with Islamic studies. Which probably explains the grade I have in that class. >.<

On a different note, is it just me or do the words “the Matrix” stick out very strangely in an article about Mohammad?

ZeldaQueen - 20 November 2009 07:30 PM

Huh. I was pretty certain that he was allowed to be shown in “educational” type of depictions (like him as a person) but when there were Islamic paintings of him as a prophet his face was whited out.

I probably am mixed up though. That happens to me a lot with Islamic studies. Which probably explains the grade I have in that class. >.<

Well, there are always various sects of Islam, so perhaps in some of the less strict ones they’d allow that.  I think that the Shi’a are more relaxed at times.  Or those could be non-Muslim books that are just printed to teach about Islam.

The Quran itself doesn’t actually say anything one way or the other on the subject.  Instead, the matter is addressed in hadith (sort of appendices to the Quran added at later dates) and fatwas (a judicial decision based on Sharia law).  And whether a particular hadith or fatwa is accepted or ignored by a certain group of Muslims is somewhat arbitrary.

In any case, though, a very large percentage of Muslims do adhere to the rules that you simply cannot show any images at all representing Muhammad, his associates, and so on.  Heck, many ban drawings or artwork of people or animals at all, and limit their art to images of plants or of pretty patterns.

On a different note, is it just me or do the words “the Matrix” stick out very strangely in an article about Mohammad?

Yes, it’s just you that sticks out very strangely.