‘It infringes sanctity of religion’— Muslim country calls on Netflix to ban ‘Messiah’

Jordan, a predominantly Muslim country, has called for the ban on ‘Messiah,’ American thriller web television series, saying it “could be largely perceived or interpreted as infringing on the sanctity of religion”.

Royal Film Commission (RFC), the country’s regulatory body, made the call in a statement to Netflix, according to Deadline.

“Having been made aware of ‘Messiah’s’ content, the RFC has asked officially the management of Netflix to refrain from streaming it in Jordan,” the RCF, headed by Mohannad Al Bakri, was quoted as saying.

“While still standing firmly by its principles, notably the respect of creative freedom, the RFC – as a public and responsible institution – cannot condone or ignore messages that infringe on the kingdom’s basic laws.

“For the last few months, the board of the RFC has worked to reassess its policies and has reached the conclusion that it will change its policy with regard to productions shooting in Jordan, by making sure the content doesn’t breach the laws of the country.”

The call further thickens global outrage trailing the release of season one on January 1, which contains 10-episode of the series.

Produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the series focuses on the modern world’s reaction to a man, who first appears in the Middle East claiming to be the eschatological return of ‘Isa (Jesus)’.

The sudden appearance and apparent miracles of Mehdi Dehbi, the lead character called al-Masih, stirred controversies, prompting investigation from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

While critics pointed out the flawed plot of the series, it has also been slammed for its anti-religion stance.

“The series has a lot going on, and it’s certainly food for thought. Yet given what a third-rail topic the subject tends to be, the rewards don’t seem to justify the risk, in the same way the merits of “Messiah” season one, once completed, don’t wholly justify the time investment,” said CNN’s Brian Lowry.

The development is also coming on the heels of the backlash that trailed the release of ‘The First Temptation of Christ,’ a controversial Netflix movie depicting Jesus Christ as “gay”.