Backlash against the movie "Exodus: Gods and Kings" has spread to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The country announced last week that the movie has been banned due to alleged religious inaccuracies.
National Media Council Media Content Tracking Director Juma Obeid Al Leem made the revelation in a recent interview. "We found that there are many mistakes not only about Islam but other religions too. So, we will not release it in the UAE," he told the Gulf News.
Allegedly, the film's producers were asked to edit the objectionable scenes for screenings in UAE, but refused. Cinema staff confirmed that the film and its promotional items were asked to be pulled.
"No reasons were given but we were asked to remove all materials related to the movie such as posters and ads, including on our website, so customers won't expect its screening," a Vox Cinema employee told The National. A Novo Cinemas employee in Abu Dhabi Mall received a similar request.
The ban follows similar responses in Egypt and Morocco, where screenings of the film were also cancelled.
Moroccan Cinema Centre Chief Sarim Fassi-Fihri declined to comment on the matter; however, the Egyptian culture minister stated on Friday that the censorship board banned the film for being historically inaccurate.
The minister, Gaber Asfour, took particular issue with the depiction of Jews building the pyramids.
"This totally contradicts proven historical facts," he said. "It is a Zionist film. It gives a Zionist view of history and contains historical inaccuracies and that's why we have decided to ban it."
Supreme Council of Culture head Mohammed Afifi, who also sits on the censorship board, disputed the accuracy of several scenes in "Exodus." The climactic parting of the Red Sea was described as a "tidal phenomenon" instead of a miracle, he said, and Moses was shown holding a sword instead of a "stick."
The biblical figure Moses was a Hebrew adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter, who went on to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. The film was criticised in the US for casting white actors in the roles of the royal leads, and minorities as thieves and slaves.
"Exodus: Gods and Kings" has received mixed reviews, and cost $140 million to produce. The film has grossed $107 million internationally.
