Last month, the enormous streaming and production company Netflix canceled the TV thriller “Messiah,” (launched Jan 1, 2020) after allegations it contained “anti-Islamic propaganda.” Once again, it seems that intimidation campaigns, backed by Islamists, are spreading censorship and paranoia.
On December 4, 2019 – shortly after the “Messiah” trailer was released – California resident Zeynaba Dahir launched a petition on Change.org that lobbied for the movie to be canceled. The petition gathered nearly 6000 signatures.
The consternation is about Al-Masih (Arabic for Messiah), the eponymous lead character, who is seen to resemble an evil figure in Islamic eschatology called Al-Masih ad-Dajjal (or the Antichrist). Ms. Dahir writes: “Messiah by definition means a leader or savior…However, the Dajjal [Antichrist] is no savior but someone who will deceive you. Clearly this is a sign of propaganda eventually causing people to be misled.” She added that “this slow exposure of evil and anti-Islamic propaganda will slowly turn hearts.”
Dahir’s campaign was picked up by Islamist activists. The Mad Mamluks (TMM) is an Islamist YouTube channel, which regularly features Islamists from all over the world, promotes the boycott, divest, sanction movement aimed at the world’s only Jewish state, and has broadcast programs in support of convicted terror financier Sami Al-Arian.
On January 22, Imran Muneer, founder and host of TMM, held a panel discussion about Messiah, with speakers including Amir Saeed, Resident Scholar at the channel, as well as the co-host of the sister YouTube channel MuzzyBuzz, known only as Mort. Saeed believes that Messiah’s message is confusing to Muslims, while Mort said that the Messiah might be a Christian plot to encourage Christians to evangelize Muslims in the Middle East.
Other prominent Islamists who denounced the Messiah included Yasmin Mogahed of Al-Maghrib Institute (AMI). Other AMI instructors are predominantly Salafi clerics, who have propagated anti-Semitism, and Holocaust denial.
Mogahed wrote in an Instagram post that Messiah has “the typical political agenda” and that the show portrays “violent Israelis” as “redeemable” while showing Muslims as suicide bombers. She protests that one suicide bomber in the show was ostensibly radicalized by one Quranic verse, while nothing is said of the purported grievances and the injustice Muslims suffer.
Mogahed concludes, “this is the most poisonous narrative which need [sic] to recognize, reject, and speak out against.”
Messiah indirectly deals with religion and politics in the Middle East and America, and the refugee border crisis in the U.S.
In a previous response to the criticism, a Netflix spokesperson said, “Messiah is a work of fiction. It is not based on any one character, figure or religion. All Netflix shows feature ratings and information to help members make their own decisions about what’s right for them and their families.”
When I asked Netflix about its decision to cancel, a spokesperson said, “the show received a lot of bad reviews, and when this is the case, Netflix does not renew the contract with the producer…we are not biased.”
Ms. Dahir accused Netflix of being “anti-Islamic.” But she did this based on the movie trailer, and before the show was broadcast.
The real problem here is Islamism, not “Islamophobia.” And Islamist attacks on free expression have a long history.
In 1989, the late Iranian leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa (edict) calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie, amid the uproar over his fictional work The Satanic Verses. Since the fatwa was issued, Rushdie has been in hiding. Khomeini declared that all those who published or sold the book should be killed “so that no one will dare to insult the Islamic sanctity.”
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, British author Salman Rushdie described the position of those who reject all criticism of Islamist supremacy as “paranoid Islam.” He said that these fundamentalists believe that the “remedy is the closing of those societies to the rival project of modernity…”
In 2016, the Iranian regime raised the bounty on Rushdie’s head to four million dollars.
No doubt, Netflix fears violent repercussions against the “Messiah” cast, as well as a Muslim boycott worldwide. And they have good reason for such fears.
On November 2, 2004, Dutch playwright Theo van Gogh was shot dead by a young Muslim. The murder was triggered by a documentary he made earlier that year with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born feminist and politician. After receiving death threats, Ms. Hirsi Ali sought asylum in the U.S., where she now lives.
On September 30, 2005, Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published cartoons that depicted Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. The cartoons sparked worldwide demonstrations and riots in many Muslim majority countries. Churches were burned and dozens killed. One of the cartoonists, Kurt Westergaard, was attacked in his home by an assailant wielding an axe and a knife.
On September 13, 2012, after the release of the anti-Islamic 14-minute film “Innocence of Muslims,” protests and riots spread in twenty countries, in which ten people died.
On January 7, 2015, two brothers of Algerian descent attacked the offices of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Twelve people were killed and eleven injured. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the massacre. Nasr al-Ansi, the top leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), said that it was in “vengeance for the prophet [Muhammad],” because the weekly had published cartoons of Muhammad, and that was considered “an insult to Islam.”
Islamism is a totalitarian ideology that intends to exclude all other voices. Yet such sensitivity toward fictional works of art in Islam is not historically the case. Today, much of it is the result of the Islamization of Muslim communities in the West, led by Islamists who have learned to exploit the sensitivities of Western societies, amid a growing willingness in the West to regard free expression as harmful.
No one has been killed because of the Netflix’s Messiah. No one has been hurt. But officials at Netflix know that such anger can all too easily turn to violence. Modern, lawful Islamists do not need fatwas and firebombs. They work instead through social media accounts and carefully crafted claims of victimhood, relying on timid publishers and producers to fear the implicitness of Islamist warnings.
Hesham Shehab is an Associate at Illinois’s Counter Islamist Grid
Michael Copeland says
Thank you for the article. One small observation:
“The cartoons sparked worldwide demonstrations and riots in many Muslim majority countries.”
The word “sparked” suggests an instantaneous response. This is not so.
The cartoons, and other images that were added, were used by imams travelling to many different muslim communities in order to drum up support for a contrived and orchestrated “Day of Rage”. This duly took place FOUR MONTHS LATER, not spontaneous in the slightest.
gravenimage says
Very true.
Pet Charles says
Those people are not caving in to anything. They are playing mind games with Islam and molding and shaping a New World order in which EVERYONE including ALL Muslims will be governed by the elite core of super billionaires who are controlling the narrative on the pandemic and using it to take away individual liberties.
Terry Gain says
How do you expect to convince us of that when you don’t use Bilderberg and Illuminati even once?
gravenimage says
Now *that* is funny, Terry.
spiro says
Yes it is
wpm says
Correct me if I am wrong but is Obama one of the board members on the main board running Netflix ?So in the future any series before it is run on Netflix will be reviewed by CAIR if it has any religious overtones touching on Islam or an Islam like religion even if it is billed as total fiction?Maybe a disclaimer should be run that before watching the series that any resemblance to a religious violent cult of bloodthirsty ,raping,stealing suicide bombing,child marriage ,honor killing, members in this series to Jihadist of the religion of “peace” is only coincidence and should be dismissed as bad rumor.
GreekEmpress says
I heard something like that too, wpm.
Strange, it was ok for Netflix to put out a “comedy” about Jesus being gay, but any perceived slight against Islam and bingo!
Cancellation. I don’t like slights to my religion either, so I protested economically and cancelled Netflix. That was my solution.
gravenimage says
Not exactly, wpm. The Obamas signed a deal with Netflix to produce original shows–but they have *no* control over what other shows Netflix produces.
Susan Rice, Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations, *is* on the board, though.
Tim Carlo says
Probably so, Susan Rice joined Netflix also, and Obama can’t breath without his Top Advisor. Time to Boycott..
Elisha says
Most muslims have NO idea what their own books say:
Sahih Bukhari 73.224 – Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “The most awful name in Allah’s sight on the Day of Resurrection, will be a man calling himself Malik Al-Amlak (King of kings).”
Here’s why allah is so scared. The King of kings is Jesus Christ:
These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen and faithful ones. – Revelation 17:13-14
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God, the Almighty. And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: King of kings and Lord of lords. – Revelation 19:13-17
allah of the quran HATES Jesus Christ!
mortimer says
If we dhimmis don’t obey our Muslim OVERLORDS, they will riot and break and burn things. Our corporation executives fear that.
Sharia law commands that no may ‘mention’ something ‘IMPERMISSIBLE’ … which could be interpreted as whatever any Muslim doesn’t like.
We are seeing the expression of the Islamic idea of ‘SLANDER’ … namely, saying anything that a Muslim doesn’t want other people to know. If a Muslim actually SNORES LOUDLY every night, and doesn’t want people to know, it would be SLANDER to share the information.
ISLAM is MORALLY and INTELLECTUALLY SELF-REFERENTIALLY INCOHERENT, but Muslims don’t want anyone to know that … therefore Sharia calls that ‘slander’ … even though that’s factual and truthful.
Punishment of Blasphemers from Sharia manual Reliance of the Traveller’:
“The (DHIMMI) agreement is also violated (A: with respect to the offender alone) if the state has stipulated that any of the following things break it, and one of the subjects does so anyway, though if the state has not stipulated that these break the agreement, then they do not; namely, if one of the subject people:
-5- mentions something impermissible about Allah, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), or Islam.” – Reliance of the Traveller’ Chapter ‘O’ 11.10.05.
Westman says
Would suggest that everyone watch “CALIPHATE” on Netflix. It won’t be long before attempts are made to remove it.
gravenimage says
Yes–I’m surprised that Muslims are not rioting in the streets over a show about Jihad terror and its infiltration into Western security services.
FYI says
So I guess my screenplay for “504 Houri Brides for 7 Jihadi Brothers”{ a musical based on the life of ayatollah khomeini and a BBC-sponsored typically Leftard drama about an idiot who converts to islam{“the Life of Brian Muhammed”}will have to be scarpped.
What a pity as I had planned to give all the key roles to muhammed..
The “prophet” muhammed……starring himself,the “prophet” muhammed
allah the sock puppet……the “prophet” muhammed
isa the muslim “Jesus”…..the “prophet” muhammed
jibreel/satan…..the “prophet” muhammed
Aisha….the “prophet” muhammed{wearing Aisha’s dress see Sahih Bukhari 54:7:2442}
musa the muslim Moses…the “prophet” muhammed
The three islamic stooges:mo,mo and mo…..the “prophet” muhammed
And introducing Buraq the Winged Flying Donkey with a woman’s face {played by the “prophet” muhammed}
And featuring a cast of Millions..of victims… of islamic supremacist tyranny{Hindus,Buddhists,Sikhs,Christians,Jews,Ex-muslims….}
gravenimage says
So I guess my screenplay for “504 Houri Brides for 7 Jihadi Brothers”…
…………………..
FYI, that’s *hilarious*!
UVG says
Rofl
gravenimage says
Netflix caves to Islamic supremacists, cancels program
…………………
Sniveling dhimmitude. This is especially bizarre now, as the demand for new content is sky-high during quarantine for the Coronavirus.
But Netflix would rather lose money and viewers than be considered “Islamophobic”.
More:
When I asked Netflix about its decision to cancel, a spokesperson said, “the show received a lot of bad reviews, and when this is the case, Netflix does not renew the contract with the producer…we are not biased.”
…………………
This is of course a lie–“Messiah” has not aired yet. This is all based on nothing but the trailer.
And yeah–they aren’t “biased”. They will just cave to anyone who threatens them. One guess who that will be…
pete olcott says
Find a group of very well respected Islamic Scholars to direct the technical accuracy of Season 2 in a way that is very uplifting to all.
Merri-joy says
Let’s launch a Petition to Netflix & demand it be screened!
Abbisd says
So, Netflix is withdrawing series, Messiah, because of a Islamic complaint. What subjugation, almost every movie/series Netflix makes offends Christians, they mock, belittle, show Christians as violent evil characters and continually use JC as a swear word, not one concern about offending anyone, sick. As they say in Game of Thrones, bending the knee to Islam.
OLD GUY says
Muslims/Islamics can’t stand the truth. What the hell happened to freedom of speech? The more power we give the islamics the more freedoms we will give up. This is no different than what happened in Germany under Muslims buddy Hitler, take away freedom of speech, then burn the books, then take possession of opposition, and finally kill anyone who disagrees. Islam is a criminal organization controlled by thugs, who want nothing more than power and greed. It’s time to fight back.