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Kingdom of Heaven Avoids Muslim Outcry - by David Germain
Kingdom of Heaven Ignites Debate - Independent Online
Kingdom of Heaven May Aid Interfaith Dialogue - by Parvez Ahmed

'KINGDOM OF HEAVEN' AVOIDS MUSLIM OUTCRY

David Germain, Associated Press, 5/3/05
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/11554838.htm

In these uneasy times, you'd think a Hollywood epic about the Crusades would spark a major revival of hard feelings over the medieval religious wars in the Middle East.

Yet Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" is hitting theaters in comparative quiet, without the sort of uproar provoked by President Bush's post-Sept. 11 "crusade" gaffe or Mel Gibson's crucifixion saga "The Passion of the Christ."

There were uneasy rumblings among Arab groups that obtained an early treatment of the script a year or so ago. They found the film potentially fraught with stereotypes about 12th century Muslims fighting Christians for control of Jerusalem, negative images that might have inflamed anti-Muslim sentiment.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee was among those worried groups, but half a dozen members came away greatly relieved after a "Kingdom of Heaven" screening arranged for them by Scott.

"It's one of the better representations of Muslims we've seen out of Hollywood," said Laila Al-Qatami, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based group. "We thought that he did a good job tackling a potentially volatile subject and avoided doing a simplified, stereotyped story of Muslim vs. Christian."

The Crusades ebbed and flowed over a 200-year period starting in the 11th century as European knights traveled to the Mideast, proclaiming they were doing God's work in trying to reassert Christian rule in the Holy Land.

Behind the supposed religious compulsions were more pragmatic motives. Land, wealth and personal glory all drove the Crusades. Europe's leaders also sought to give knights squabbling among each other a common enemy to fight. Muslims were easy targets. 

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IGNITES DEBATE

Independent Online, 5/4/05
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=22&art_id=qw1114939980939R131

Arabs have not generally fared well in Hollywood blockbusters, where they are usually cast as blood-thirsty terrorists and savages intent on spilling the blood of innocent Westerners.

So in the current climate of conflict between the West and the Arab world, it was natural for Muslims to feel more than a little concern about a Hollywood blockbuster featuring their legendary warrior and leader Saladin in deadly battle with Christian knights.

Initial reactions to the $140-million (about R850-million) movie Kingdom of Heaven have included expressions of outrage - but not from Muslim groups.

Instead, it is Christians who are up in arms, accusing the film of falsely portraying Saladin as an exemplary humanist while the Christian crusaders are seen as ruthless, blood-thirsty extremists.

The movie, which had its premier in Hollywood on Thursday and opens in wide distribution on May 6, is the work of Gladiator director Ridley Scott.

Shot in Morocco and Spain, the movie stars Orlando Bloom as the knight Balian, who eventually surrenders Jerusalem to Saladin, played by veteran Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud, to save the lives of the city's inhabitants.

The movie aspires to be historically accurate, focusing on a tumultuous time in the late 12th century when Baldwin IV, the king of Jerusalem, brought peace to the region by opening the city to all faiths.

But after Baldwin's death in 1185, militant Knights Templar began attacking Muslim desert convoys, and Saladin laid siege to Jerusalem with an army of 200 000. Eventually, Balian surrenders, and Saladin grants the crusaders safe passage back to Europe.

Some scholars have voiced concern that the story could deepen animosity during the current conflict in which devout Muslim fighters are again battling Western invaders.

Khaled Abou el-Fadl, a renowned Islamic jurist at the University of California in Los Angeles, said he believes the film promotes the idea of "a civilisational showdown between Islamic and Christian culture".

"In my view, it is inevitable that there will be hate crimes committed directly because of it," he told Scotland's Herald newspaper.

But Scott said he made every effort to give the film the opposite message. He even invented a mythical order in which Jews, Christians and Muslims co-operated.

"The characters portrayed in the film are so important in Muslim culture that I knew we had to do it absolutely properly and correctly," he said. "Saladin fights battles, but he also enters into dialogue. We want to show that dialogue can be much better than war."

"It's not like a stupid Hollywood movie," said the movie's leading actress, Eva Green. "It's very clever and brave, and I hope it will wake up people in America to be more tolerant, more open towards the Arab people."

That message seems to have gotten through to Muslims, who have taken the rare step of approving a Hollywood movie. The Council on American-Islamic Relations declared the film to be "a balanced and positive depiction of Islamic culture during the Crusades" while postings to alt.muslim, an interactive online news and discussion community, have been largely positive.

'KINGDOM OF HEAVEN' MAY AID INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
By Parvez Ahmed

[Parvez Ahmed, Ph.D., is a national board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group. He may be reached at pahmed@cairfl.org.]

Because Sir Ridely Scott's new epic "Kingdom of Heaven" was filmed against the backdrop of the Crusades, it is likely to stir up religious passions still associated with that centuries-long conflict. ("Kingdom" is scheduled to open in theaters nationwide May 6.)

Many Muslims were concerned about the possibility of religious or ethnic stereotyping when they first heard that yet another Hollywood movie would feature Arab-Muslim characters. That concern was not without valid precedent.

In his exemplary book "Reel Bad Arabs," Professor Jack Shaheen notes that only Native Americans outdistance Arabs and Muslims in being vilified by Hollywood. Dr. Shaheen details a sad history of stereotypes in films that portray Arab-Muslims as terrorists ("Black Sunday," "The Siege"), greed mongers intent on controlling U.S. banks ("Rollover") or bumbling comic foils ("Ishtar," "Protocol," "Jewel of the Nile"). He notes that only a handful of films have portrayed Arabs and Muslims with any sympathy ("Three Kings," "The 13th Warrior").

Bucking the general trend, "Kingdom of Heaven" provides a balanced portrayal of a painful historical conflict. It refrains from the usual stereotyping or dehumanizing of Muslims.

American Muslim representatives recently took part in a screening of "Kingdom." They said the film is a "positive" depiction of Islamic culture during the Crusades. They also said that one of the film's most striking messages, that Muslims and Christians can live together in peace, will provide an opportunity for increased interfaith dialogue.

In the film, the bad guys are not all Muslims and the Christians are not all angels. Perhaps "Kingdom of Heaven" will do for Muslims what Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves" did for Native Americans, humanize a perceived "other."

Unfortunately, Internet chat rooms and talk radio shows are already abuzz with the concerns of those who cannot fathom how Muslims can be portrayed as dignified, proud and humane people for whom the ends did not justify the means. Media reports indicated that some conservative Christian are "marshalling their forces" against the film, claiming it is "insulting and unfair."

Perhaps all of us could take a lesson or two from Salahuddin Ayubi the great Muslim general depicted in the film who, even when attacked, upheld Islamic traditions of hospitality, prohibiting the killing of non-combatants and advocating kindness to people of other faiths.

The Quran, Islam's revealed text states: "Fight in God's cause against those who wage war against you, but do not commit aggression - for, verily, God does not love aggressors." (2:190) And also: "As for those who do not fight against you on account of [your] faith, and neither drive you forth from your homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to behave towards them with full equity: for, verily, God loves those who act equitably." (60:8)

Stereotypes about Islam and Muslims used to rally the Crusaders persist to this day. These misperceptions are not mere footnotes in history, they continue to have a negative impact, sometimes influencing our nation's policies when dealing with Muslims both at home and abroad.

If nothing else, "Kingdom of Heaven" may spark renewed efforts to promote interfaith understanding and reconciliation based on an appreciation for the real history of that violent period in the histories of both Christianity and Islam.

We must all take advantage of this film to take whatever constructive steps are necessary to ensure that we learn from, and do not repeat, the mistakes of the past.

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posted 5/1/2005