Malaysia bans Biblical epic ‘Noah’

KUALA LUMPUR - The Associated Press

Much of the Muslim world, including Indonesia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, has banned the movie.

Malaysia has banned the Biblical epic “Noah,” joining other Muslim nations that forbid the Hollywood movie for its visual depiction of the prophet.

The Film Censorship Board says it reviewed the movie directed by Darren Aronofsky last month and found the portrayal of the ark-building prophet by Russell Crowe was against Islamic laws. Board chairman Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid said in a statement yesterday that the movie cannot be screened to “protect sensitivity and harmony in Malaysia’s multi-racial and multi-religious community.” Malay Muslims make up about 60 percent of Malaysia’s 30 million people.

Much of the Muslim world, including Indonesia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, has banned the movie. Some Christian conservatives have also complained it takes liberties with the Biblical account of the flood.

Noah, who in the Bible’s Book of Genesis built the ark that saved his family and many pairs of animals from a great flood, is revered by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. An entire chapter in the Koran is devoted to him.