Egypt Bans Hollywood Exodus Movie for Distortion of Historical Facts

MOSCOW, December 27 (Sputnik), Ekaterina Blinova – Egypt has banned the screening of the latest Hollywood epic movie "Exodus: Gods and Kings," referring to numerous "historical inaccuracies."

"Ridley Scott's blockbuster was rife with mistakes, including an apparent claim that Moses and the Jews built the pyramids," Agence France-Presse reported, quoting Egypt's Culture Minister Gaber Asfour.

Inspired by a Biblical plot, the epic movie depicts the exodus of Hebrews, suppressed by Pharaoh Ramses, from Egypt.

According to Gaber Asfour both historical facts and the original Biblical story were badly distorted by the film makers. For instance, in the scene of parting of the Red Sea Moses, the Jewish prophet, is holding a "sword," while originally he used a "stick." Moreover, the parting of the Red Sea was depicted as a "tidal phenomenon," with no accent on God's famous miracle.

"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," said Egypt's culture minister.

Earlier, in March, Egypt's Islamic authorities prohibited the screening of Hollywood Biblical movie "Noah" with Russell Crowe, pointing to the fact that the "portraying" of a prophet contradicted Islamic rulings.

Another North African Muslim state, Morocco, has also banned on the movie. Although "Exodus: Gods and Kings" was initially approved by the state-run Moroccan Cinema Centre, later theatre managers were forced to ban the film under the threat of the closure of their businesses.

"They phoned and threatened they would shut down the theatre if I did not take the film off the schedule," said Hassan Belkady from Cinema Rif in Casablanca as quoted by Agence France Presse.

Meanwhile, some Christian groups have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that Ridley Scott blatantly changed the original Biblical plot.

Furthermore, the $140 million American blockbuster has already met fierce criticism for casting white actors as main Egyptian characters, including the Pharaoh Ramses, CBS News points out.

Social media users have also expressed their opinions regarding the latest epic Hollywood blockbuster: