Indonesia Bans ‘Noah’ Film Amid Fears of ‘Provoking Reaction’

ICC Note: In a surprise move, Indonesia has become the latest in a line of majority Muslim nations to ban screenings of a new Hollywood film depicting the Biblical story of Noah. Typically regarded as an example of a religiously diverse and tolerant Muslim-majority democracy, in recent years major incidents have indicated that the nation of 250 million is becoming increasingly hostile towards religious minorities, including Christians. In 2012, at least 50 Christian churches were forcibly closed by local governments after protests by radical Islamic groups. 
3/26/2014 Indonesia (UCA News) – Indonesia has banned the release of the Hollywood blockbuster Noah, saying the biblical epic contradicts the teachings of the Koran and may mislead people.
“We don’t want a film that could provoke reactions and controversies,” said Film Censorship Board member Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi on Monday, according to news portal Detik.com. “Members of the Film Censorship Board have agreed to reject [the film].”
Noah, an adaptation of the Old Testament story of Noah’s Ark, stars Russell Crowe in the title role and was scheduled to be released in Indonesia on March 28 — the same date as in the U.S.
However, the largest cinema franchise in Indonesia, 21 Group, confirms that it will no longer be releasing the film. “We will follow the censors’ decision, and Noah will not be screened,” said Catherine Keng, the company’s corporate secretary.
The news of the ban has been greeted largely with condemnation and derision in Indonesia’s social media forums. “Stupidity is indeed unlimited. The example is at LSF!” tweeted Mumu Aloha, managing editor of Detik.com’s entertainment website detikHot, referring to the Indonesian initials of the Film Censorship Board.
Other Twitter users pointed out the glaring inconsistency in the banning of the Darren Aronofsky–directed blockbuster on the one hand and the free availability of locally made soft-porn horror flicks on the other.
Said filmmaker Joko Anwar on his Twitter account: “Common sense in Indonesia regresses far. So sad.”
Islamic scholar Mohamad Guntur Romli also slammed the ban. “A film that is based on a biblical story can’t be accused of violating, for example, Islamic doctrines,” Guntur tweeted.
Noah, who appears in the Bible’s Book of Genesis, is revered by the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Indonesia, home to the world’s largest number of Muslim adherents, has a sizable Christian minority, comprising around 10% of its total population.
Censorship-board member Zainut defended the ban by claiming, “Essentially, the film contains elements of SARA” — the Indonesian acronym that refers to the country’s four sensitive issues: ethnicity, religion, race and sectarian sentiment.
But Guntur countered: “It’s the Film Censorship Board that could trigger SARA if they indeed ban Noah because it’s influenced by the Bible.”
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