The Royal Film Commission of Jordan has called on Netflix to ban a controversial US drama series due to stream in the country this week.
Messiah revolves around a CIA agent (Michelle Monaghan) investigating a man named Al-Masih (Mehdi Dehbi), who has sparked a legion of devoted followers after claiming to have been sent to earth by a higher being.
“Having been made aware of its content, the RFC has asked officially the management of Netflix to refrain from streaming it in Jordan,” the commission’s statement reads.
“The story is purely fictional and so are the characters, yet the RFC deems that the content of the series could be largely perceived or interpreted as infringing on the sanctity of religion, thus possibly contravening the laws in the country.”
The statement continues, “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.”
Messiah was partially shot in Jordan, with the commission previously permitting filming in the country based on story synopses of the episodes.
In a statement, Netflix 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.”
Messiah has already courted controversy, with more than 4,000 people signing a petition to ban the show. The petition claims that the series is “evil and anti-Islamic propaganda”.
The show was also criticised in December after Arabic-speaking Twitter users claimed that they had already worked out the show’s central plot twist after translating the name of the “messiah” character of the title.
In Islamic eschatology, Al-Masih ad-Dajjal is an evil figure comparable to the Antichrist – whose name translates to “the false messiah, liar, the deceiver” in Arabic.
Messiah arrives on Netflix on 1 January.
