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Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 11:14 PM
Subject: [CCNN] Passion's Accusations Backfire in Middle East
Fiery Darts Are Backfiring: Showing The Passion
in the Middle East
BreakPoint
Charles Colson
Commentary #040408
04/08/2004
Surprisingly, theaters in Doha, Qatar, and Amman, Jordan, are showing The
Passion of the Christ. A Qatari English-language newspaper, The Peninsula,
headlines, "Passion runs full house." On March 21 three theaters in Doha
were sold-out and pre-booked for days ahead. An official of the Qatar
Cinema and Film Distribution Board boasts that Qatar is so open that no
film was refused permission for showing there last year and that the
distributor was amazed when Qatar requested The Passion. Censors okayed it
without any cuts, and the official expects the film to run for at least
two months.
And some mullahs are encouraging their Muslim followers to see the film.
Why such an unexpected endorsement? The false rumors that the film is
anti-Semitic have reached the mullahs, and as one missionary explains,
"since they hate the Jews, they want to see it." Muslims recognize Jesus
as a prophet, and although they believe Muhammad superseded Him, they
still revere and respect Christ. So when they hear of a film which is
alleged to show Jews crucifying Christ, some Muslims welcome the
opportunity to revel in a depiction of the wickedness of their long-time
enemies.
But many Muslims are responding to the film in ways their mullahs hadn't
intended. One viewer recognized, "When they show a story of the Romans ...
in ancient times, it doesn't mean the present-day Italians are
responsible." By analogy, he reasoned that, even if he construed the film
as depicting first-century Jews as instigators of Christ's crucifixion,
that would not be an indictment of modern Israelis.
An even more important consequence shows up in an e-mail from a
missionary, who marvels, "In two short hours more Qataris heard the Gospel
than I have been able to reach in nearly five years living here. At the
7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. showings, the film was running in all three
theaters." He estimated that more than 50 percent of the people in the
theater were local Muslims-including completely veiled women.
After viewing the film with a former student, he told him in Arabic, "You
think that this film is here because of 'freedom of speech' or the new
openness of your government, but actually God Himself has sent this film
to correct your total misunderstanding about who Jesus is and why He came
to earth." For two hours, the missionary and the student discussed the
differences between Islam and Christianity, and the cross-the heart of our
message.
The missionary adds, "How interesting that God is using this film to
communicate the Gospel [in] the very opposite spirit that might be
motivating [Muslims] to see it. The message to love your enemies, and
Jesus' praying for them to be forgiven while on the cross, would hit the
Muslim moviegoer in a powerful way."
With theaters in Jordan and Qatar scheduled to show the film for at least
two months, and with videos and DVDs selling briskly, the potential is
staggering.
Isn't God amazing? He is using charges of anti-Semitism to stimulate
Muslim mullahs to encourage their followers to see a Christian film during
Holy Week-in essence, to make fiery darts backfire.
For printer-friendly version, simply visit www.breakpoint.org
<http://www.breakpoint.organd click on Today's Commentary. The
printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.
Copyright (c) 2004 Prison Fellowship
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE
UPDATED.
"BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a daily commentary on news and trends
from a Christian perspective. Heard on more than 1000 radio outlets
nationwide, BreakPoint transcripts are also available on the Internet.
BreakPoint is a production of The Wilberforce Forum, a division of Prison
Fellowship: 1856 Old Reston Avenue, Reston, VA 20190.
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