This post speaks, eloquently, for itself. I have (almost) nothing to add.
Many of those who were concerned about the impact of 'The Passion' warned early on that it was Europe that was the loose cannon. Who knew that the Arab world was going to make a radical exception to a long-standing religious prohibition against visual representations of "prophets" in order to allow their citizens access to what they perceive as a virulently anti-Jewish movie? (Well, some of us aren't exactly surprised.) Just listen.
In Egypt, where the film opened to large crowds Wednesday, "it's getting a very special treatment," said Mustafa Darwish, a film critic and former president of the Egypt Censorship Authority.
[ . . . ]
"They (the censorship authorities) think the film is anti-Semitic. That's why they are giving it such privilege," Darwish said.
Meryl explains.
