Matrix producer plans Muhammad biopic

Producer Barrie Osborne cast Keanu Reeves as the messiah in The Matrix and helped defeat the dark lord Sauron in his record-breaking Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now the Oscar-winning American film-maker is set to embark on his most perilous quest to date: making a big-screen biopic of the prophet Muhammad.

Budgeted at around $150m (£91.5m), the film will chart Muhammad's life and examine his teachings. Osborne told Reuters that he envisages it as "an international epic production aimed at bridging cultures. The film will educate people about the true meaning of Islam".

Osborne's production will reportedly feature English-speaking Muslim actors. It is backed by the Qatar-based production company Alnoor Holdings, who have installed the Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to oversee all aspects of the shoot. In accordance with Islamic law, the prophet will not actually be depicted on screen.

"The film will shed light on the Prophet's life since before his birth to his death," Ahmed Abdullah Al-Mustafa, Alnoor's chairman, told al-Jazeera. "It will highlight the humanity of Prophet Muhammad."

This project sounds like a financial disaster.

1) Its going to be a biopic, but the lead character cannot be physically displayed?

2) Will they discuss his marriage to a 9 year old?

Mohammed was married 13 times, 11 at once. His marriages included a 9 year old girl named Aisha, who he actually wanted when she was 6, but had to wait 3 years because the father begged him to let her mature more first.

3) Will they discuss his attacks and genocide on other tribes in the region, including killing many of them himself?

Muhammad came to power by first conquering the city of Medinah. This included killing the cities merchants to gain their wealth, poets who criticized his actions, the massacre of the Banu Qaynuqa, also refered to as Bana Qurayza, jewish tribe.

In the Sirat Rasulallah, Muhammad massacred 800 males and took their women and children as slaves. He kept at least one Jewish female named Rayhana as his concubine, and gave the rest away to the Muslims. The Sirat says (p466) “Then the apostle divided the property, wives, and children of Banu Qurayza among the Muslims....

“Then the apostle sent Sa’d Zayd brother of Ashhal with some of the captive women of Banu Qurayza to Najd and he sold them for horse and weapons.”

Mohammed, Prophet of Islam is known as the “Apostle of Peace” by Muslims.

4) Will they talk about the sex slaves he kept and traded?

Mohammed beheaded men so he could have sex with their wives in the same night.

5) Will they talk about the rules to keeping sex slaves in his writings?

33:50 - “Prophet, We have made lawful to you the wives to whom you have granted dowries and the slave girls whom God has given you as booty.”

Whole chapters of Hadith are dedicated to dealing with the taxation, treatment, sale, and jurisprudence of slaves.

6) Have the producers even spent a second examing Qaradawi, (the “spiritual leader of the muslim brotherhood) background and teachings?

Qaradawi ended a Nov. 1, 2002 sermon broadcast by state television in Qatar. “Oh God, destroy the aggressor, treacherous Jews. O God, destroy the aggressor Americans. O God, destroy the fanatic pagans. O God, destroy the tyrannical Crusaders.”

He issued a fatwa calling for the abduction and killing of American civilians in Iraq. He also was one of 93 sheikhs to sign a petition calling on Muslims around the world to join with the Al-Mahdi Army of Muqtada Al-Sadr to fight against American forces in Iraq.

This guy is going to be overseeing all production? Leave it to Hollywood........

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