Orthodox Christian filmmakers are planning to shoot a movie in Egypt portraying the life of Christ.  The project would be the first Arabic-language film about Jesus.  Objections have been raised by Muslim authorities, including some associated with the highest authority in Sunni Islam, the Al Azhar institution in Cairo.

Abdel Mooti Bayumi, an Al Azhar professor, noted on Monday that the institution had issued fatwas, or religious edicts, against any "depiction of the prophets" - which is the way Jesus is regarded in Islam.

"Al Azhar rejects the depiction of Jesus in a film because Christ is not only the prophet of the Christians but also present in Islam," he said.

Another Islamic expert at Al Azhar concurs:

Abdel Moti Bayumi, a member of the Academy of Islamic Studies at Al Azhar, said the prophets can not be portrayed, as that reduced their value in the human mind. "Muslims hate seeing Jesus represented in human form and especially if they show him in moments of weakness."

"Moments of weakness" would definitely rule out scenes of the crucifixion, as well as Christ's agony in Gethsemane.  Perhaps the resurrected Jesus could be shown, but it's a little hard to make sense of that if his death and burial are excised.  (Now that I think of it, I bet those Muslims clerics would like the Gospel story a whole better if Jesus did call down twelve legions of angels to lambaste the Romans soldiers arresting him.  But I digress.)

Screenwriter Fayez Ghali says Al Azhar's opinion is irrelevant because the film is being made by Christians, and Islamic doctrine does not apply to them.  The film's producer, Mohammed Ashoub, pointed out that previous films depicting Christ, including Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ have been shown in Egyptian movie houses without incident.

Mr Ashoub made another comment that may come back to cause trouble for Christians:

"Al Azhar does not have the right to intervene in something which concerns the Christians, otherwise it would have to tear down the icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary from churches," he said.

Careful!  Don't give those guys any ideas.

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via Christianity Today Reel News.