Muslim..Out Reachthe Passion in Muslim countriesHi everyone,
Bushmaster and I talked about this and we were both very excited to read it. We wondered about it going public on the forums, but now in thinking again, I want to keep it here, so it doesn't become something that will be a problem for the Muslims posting.
I guess you may have all heard that the Passion is being shown around the Middle East at the moment and many many Muslims are going to see it. It's been restricted to those over 15 years in most ME countries, but according to the reports, the anti semetic accusations against it have caused an incredible interest amongs muslims. One Missionary said this in a recent email
"To everyone's shock and surprise, 'The Passion' was released
today here in Qatar. Until now we have only been able to show
the _Jesus_ film in Arabic to a handful of Qataris in the secret
of a home setting. In the coming weeks, potentially tens of
thousands of Arab Muslims will see this powerful portrayal of
Christ's suffering and death. In two short hours, more Qataris
heard the gospel than I have been able to reach in nearly five
years of living here."
another said
Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Pa**ion of the Christ," accused by some Jewish organizations of encouraging anti-Semitism, is drawing a sizeable if unexceptional audience here while apparently touching an emotional nerve in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
"Coming out of the theater ... I saw a lot of people in tears," reported Fayez Wehbe, who saw the film -- with Arabic sub-titles -- in Damascus.
Certain sequences are in Aramaic, the language that was dominant in the Holy Land at the time of Christ and which can still be heard in certain towns in Syria, notably Maalula and Saadnaya near Damascus.
"Some members of the audience could not conceal their astonishment on hearing some expressions -- such as Ya Illah (My God) -- that are close to Arabic," said Wehbe.
Added another Syrian cinema-goer: "The fact that this film is being shown in the current Middle East context, which opposes Israel and the Arabs, explains part of its success."
Given its popularity in Damascus a fourth showing has been added to the three that had been initially offered, with people often buying tickets in the morning to be sure of getting a place.
The film has spawned reams of commentary because of its unflinchingly graphic portrayal of Christ's crucifixion. In some quarters it has been seen as promoting anti-Semitism by a negative depiction of Christ's fellow Jews, while that view has been strongly rejected in others.
Here in Beirut, the film has been warmly received. Lebanon's Maronite church has described it as "impressive" and found it not to be anti-Semitic.
"It is very sad, extremely impressive," commented Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the spiritual head of the Maronite church.
"We don't see any anti-Semitism there."
An official from one of Beirut's larger movie houses said "the public has come in strong numbers to see 'The Pa**ion' but it has not been an exceptional rush."
North of the capital, in the heavily Christian Junieh region, the film is selling well, although it is off limits to youths under the age of 15.
Elsewhere in the Arab world, Palestinian leader Ya**er Arafat (news - web sites) saw the film at his headquarters in Ramallah on the West Bank and pronounced it "moving."
"The Pa**ion of the Christ" will also be shown in Cairo, where it is likewise forbidden to minors because of its violent scenes, starting March 31, and has been available to movie goers in the Gulf state of Qatar since last Sunday.
"We submitted 'The Pa**ion of the Christ' to the censorship committee, which had no objection to its screening" in Qatar, said Abdul Rahman Mohsen, the director general of a private Qatari cinema company.
The committee usually censors scenes or images depicting prophets from the holy books.
The film is being shown three times a day in a cinema in Doha and will be screened for at least one month, Mohsen said.
Three other Gulf states are currently still reviewing the film, he said.
The movie will be shown to the public in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) beginning March 31 after having been given the green light by the ministry of culture and information, the UAE's Gulf News reported Sunday.
http://www.thequran.com/News/detail.asp ... annel=News
I'm now reading daily reports of the same sort of response. Even in Saudi Arabia, the black market is booming with sales of pirated copies.
Let us all pray and ask God to touch the Muslim world in a way none of us could have anticipated a few months ago.
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