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May 18, 2006

Russia: Muslim Mufti Wants "Da Vinci Code" Banned

There are three main Muslim bodies in Russia, the two foremost of which are the Council of Muftis, led by Mufti Rival Gainutdin, and the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims (CSDM), led by Supreme Mufti Telget Tajetdin (pictured). The CSDM has released a statement damning both the film of "The Da Vinci Code", which premiered in Cannes Film Festival yesterday, and also the original book, by Dan Brown.

Mosnews today reports on the statement, which calls the film "blasphemous", and requests that it be banned in Russia. The statement reads: "We equal this film with the recent Prophet Muhammad extremist cartoons as the novel and the film desecrate the Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ) worshipped by the Muslims. The Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia demands that the Da Vinci Code film and Dan Brown's novel be banned in Russia."

The statement was sent to the General Prosecutor's Office and Russia's leadership. It called the Da Vinci code "a highly sophisticated form of spiritual genocide against the peoples of Russia."

"The Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia has spent much effort to stop the Russian Muslims from bringing their anger against the scandalous cartoons out in the streets. It would be equally difficult to do the same without the timely reaction of the state to the irresponsible film distributors’ action," the statement continued.

The authors also said that people have complained to the CSDM that the distribution of the Dan Brown book and the upcoming film "violate their dignity."

News from the 59th Film festival about the film is not good, according to AFP via Expatica, with critics saying it was "stodgy, grim" and verging on the dull. At the end of its showing, there were some whistles and no applause. At one crucial moment of the film, there were hoots of laughter.

In Thailand, a narrow vote of six votes to five approved the showing of Ron Howard's film uncut, even though there had been suggestions to trim its final ten minutes. According to AKI, a decision on whther the film will be shown will be announced today. It has received criticisms from Christians in India.

The book is already controversial. In yesterday's UK Daily Telegraph the results of a poll demonstrated that two thirds of British people who read the book now believe Jesus fathered a child. 17% of readers now believe that Opus Dei, the Catholic group mentioned in the book, have carried out or ordered a murder. The poll questioned 1,005 adults between May 12 and May 14.

But the announcement in Russia by a Muslim body is curious. The "Supreme Mufti", Telget Tajetdin, who is based in the Russian city of Ufa, is already a controversial figure, used to making headlines from his bizarre pronouncements. In April 2003 he was shown on television in the Volga region brandishing a sword, and calling for donations of funds. These were to be used to buy weapons to support a jihad against the United States. He said: "For two weeks now, the anti-Christ of the world has been waging a war (in Iraq)." These comments were harshly condemned by other Muslim leaders in Russia. The Russian Prosecutor-General's Office threatened to disband the CSDM on account of these comments.

In February this year he campaigned against a gay parade in Moscow, adding his voice to the Orthodox Church. This is not unusual, considering his Islamic theology, but his comments were designed to attract attention. He said: "If they go into the streets, they should be thrashed. All normal people will do it, both Muslims and the Orthodox." He also added that Mohammed, (who was a child molester), had ordered homosexuals (consenting adults) to be killed, as "their behavior leads to the end of human race." Again, these calls for thrashings, and intimations of killing were met with condemnation from other Muslim bodies. In the end, the planned march did not take place.

So perhaps we should regard the prattlings of the CSDM against the "Da Vinci Code" as the desperate pleas for public attention from yet another Muslim media whore.

Keywords: Talgat Tadzhuddin, Telget Tajetdin, Talgat Tajuddin

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 18, 2006 4:46 PM

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