Egypt And Morocco Bans Ridley Scott’s ‘Exodus: Gods And Kings’

Exodus: Gods and Kings is the blockbuster rendition of the age old story of Moses and Ramses. Moses, who is played by Christian Bale, is the adopted brother of Ramses, Joel Edgerton, and the two grow up together until Ramses is appointed Pharaoh. Moses becomes Ramses’s adviser until he, Moses, learns of his Hebrew heritage and seeks to free his brethren from slavery. Essentially, the movie is the classic story of Exodus.

There is just one little problem–well, actually there are a lot of large problems and fans are calling them out. Exodus is ripe with historical inaccuracies that has caused an outrage among the audiences.

And what about countries such as Egypt and Morocco? Government officials simply ban the movie from being shown in the country.

According to The Cairo Report, Youm7, an Egyptian newspaper, released a statement telling why the ban has occurred.

“The Egyptian censorship board of the Ministry of Culture decided Thursday to ban the Ridley Scott-directed and Christian-Bale starring film ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings,’ citing what the board said were historical and religious ‘fallacies’ in the production.”

One of the major issues with Exodus, is that Jews are depicted building the Pyramids. This has been a controversial topic since 1977 when Menahem Begin, the Prime Minster at the time, falsely claimed that Israelites built the great structures. This theory has since been debunked by a number researchers.

The second most upsetting element of the film is the splitting of the Red Sea. In the film the split is attributed to tides and an earthquake, not the work of God. By denouncing the divine action, filmmakers have caused an uproar within the inhabitants of Egypt, Morocco, and other countries.

The Cubic Lane gives a brief explanation of the bans.

“Exodus Gods and Kings is controversial in the Arab world because it calls into question a miracle recognized by the three monotheistic religions, the crossing of the Red Sea by Moses who divided the waters with his staff for the passage of the Jews.”

The ban in Egypt and Morocco is unsurprising as earlier this year both countries also banned Noah, starring Russel Crowe.

The depiction of prophets in art and media is banned by conservative Islamic traditions. Moses is seen as a prophet in Islam, which contributed to the banning of Exodus.

Exodus: Kings and Gods has been criticized from the beginning. People questioned the use of white actors, such as Christian Bale, for the roles of Middle Eastern men.

Despite the ban in Egypt and Morocco, many countries still allow the showing of Exodus:Kings and Gods. Will you be watching it in theaters?

[Image via Elder of Zion]