The Da Vinci Code Banned in Pakistan

Under the Motion Pictures Ordinance of 1979, the government of Pakistan has banned Ron Howard’s contentious movie The Da Vinci Code for including material that is offensive to both Christians and Muslims. However, In a recent statement, according to India News, any viewing of The Da Vinci Code or distribution of the film will be met with stern action, "In a statement issued by the country’s Central Board of Film Censors, the government warned of strict action against screening of the movie and those involved in its sale and purchase."

Although The Da Vinci Code continues to be a financial windfall for Sony Pictures, having grossed $475 million worldwide to date, Fox News elaborates on the reasons for the recent action taken by the government of Pakistan and the film being banned, "Although the film has not been screened in any theater in mostly-Muslim Pakistan, authorities decided to ban it out of respect for the feelings of the country's minority Christians."

Christians in Pakistan staged two protests earlier in the week, calling for a worldwide ban of The Da Vinci Code, which came amid other protests against the film in India. In Pakistan, Christians make up 3 percent of the country's population, while in India Christians hold only 2 percent of the total population. Also late last week, two more Indian States banned The Da Vinci Code, doubling the number of states to take strict action against the film, as Reuters reports, "Authorities in southern Andhra Pradesh state and Meghalaya in the Christian-dominated northeast blocked the film late on Thursday. Two other states, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, had earlier banned the film."

Despite the protests and the film being banned, it appears not all have agreed with the recent backlash, most notably members of the Indian film industry. According to The Hindu News, "... the Film and Television Producers Guild of India has asked the Governments there to reconsider their decision. The Guild has written to the Governments of all the states, specifying how the film was cleared by the censor board and asking that they help to clear its release..."

In addition to the uproar in Pakistan and India, and the film being banned, The Da Vinci Code appears to be making waves in Egypt as well, as the San Francisco Chronicle reports, "Police seized 2,000 pirated DVDs of 'The Da Vinci Code' on Saturday, and the Egyptian Coptic Christian church demanded the film be banned in Egypt." To date, no decision has been made by the Egyptian government on whether to ban the film in that region.

Since its publishing began in 2003, The Da Vinci Code has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, netting author Dan Brown £250 million ($442 million US). The Da Vinci Code has never left the British top ten sales charts, and The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail has found its way back onto the top 40 list. The Da Vinci Code has been released in paperback in the United Statesand has sold 500,000 copies. The Da Vinci Code movie stars Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan, Terminal), Ian McKellen (X-Men, Lord of the Rings), Alfred Molina, Audrey Tautou and Jean Reno. The movie is directed by Ron Howard (Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind).

[Additional Sources: India News, Fox News, Reuters, Hindu News, San Francisco Chronicle]