The highest Sunni Muslim authority, the Cairo-based Al Azhar, gave the final go-ahead on Tuesday to an unprecedented film on the life of the Islamic prophet Mohammad.
The film, "Mohammad, the Last Prophet," by former Disney director Richard Rich, was approved in principle on May 16 by Al Azhar's Center for Islamic Research provided that an image of the prophet's paternal uncle is removed, said AFP.
Al Azhar gave its final approval Tuesday on the erasing of the uncle's image from the film.
The 90-minute animated film tells how the prophet more than 1,400 years ago preached in the Arabian holy city of Mecca, the difficulties he found, his departure for Medina and the battles he fought to spread the message of Islam.
The film, which has both an Arabic and English version, targets the world's one billion Muslims, according to the production company Badr International Corp., registered in the British Virgin Islands.
It was designed in Burbank, California under the supervision of Islamic law professor at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Khaled Abul Fadl, according to Badr International.
The producers and directors avoided personifying the prophet, who is represented by a bright light and off-screen voice.
Al Azhar’s approval of the film will make it easy to pass the censors in Egypt, where Al Azhar has direct influence, as well as in other Arab and Muslim countries where it also has clout – (AFP)
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