Morocco bans broadcast of controversial film “Our Lady of Heaven”

Morocco banned the screening of the British film “Our Lady of Heaven” (The Lady of Haven), which is considered “offensive”. The Moroccan Film Center said in a statement that it had decided “not to grant a visa to this film and to prevent its commercial or cultural showing in the national territory.”

The story of the feature film revolves around the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, Fatima al-Zahra, may God be pleased with her. It also deals with what the film describes as the “struggle” over the succession of the Prophet after his death.

The Moroccan Film Center is charged with granting licenses to screen cinemas for films shot in Morocco and abroad “within full respect for the legislative and regulatory texts framing the film sector” and “as long as they do not conflict with the principles and sanctities of the Kingdom of Morocco”.

The center’s decision comes after the Supreme Scientific Council, the official body responsible for issuing fatwas, “strongly” denounced the content of the film.

In a statement, the council, headed by Moroccan King Mohammed VI, condemned the “blatant falsification of established facts in Islamic history.”

The religious authority denounced “the forgery that offends Islam and Muslims, and all peoples reject it, because it does not serve their higher interests among nations in this particular age.”

The film premiered on June 3 in the United Kingdom, and the British network “Cineworld” cinemas canceled its programming after demonstrations organized by Muslims outside cinemas where it was broadcast.