Al-Azhar rejected and expressed deep concern over Iran’s intention to produce a movie that personifies the Prophet Mohamed and recounts his life story.
All the scholars of Al-Azhar and the Sunni communities rejected the work and demanded that Iran bans showings of the film.
An Iranian director had announced the film, titled "Mohamed, Peace Be Upon Him." The film recounts the life of the Prophet Mohamed since his birth and the beginning of his mission, as well as some events that took place before his birth.
According to the state-owned daily Al-Ahram, Hassan al-Shafie, a senior Al-Azhar official, warned of the consequences of such a work. He noted that Shia scholars in Iran should stand firmly against the film, which he said does not differ from that of the satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed published in Denmark in 2005.
Shafie said the Islamic Research Academy, which includes senior Sunni scholars, had issued a fatwa forbidding the depiction of prophets as well as his ten companions that were promised paradise in artistic works. He stressed that Islam does not reject meaningful works of art, but forbids the personification of prophets for their special sanctity.
