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Orlano Bloom in 'Kingdom ofHeaven'
Hollywood respect to Muslim leader
29/ 4/2005
ARAB actors hope this summer's big budget Hollywood blockbuster
about the Crusade will help improve the image of Muslims in the
west.
Syria's Ghassan Massoud, who plays the legendary Saladin in
'Kingdom of Heaven' says the film will enhance the western
understanding of the Muslim world rather then reinforcing
stereotypes.
He said it will also show Washington the benefits of diplomacy over
war in resolving the Middle Eastern crisis.
The film, by Gladiator director Ridley Scott and starring Orlando
Bloom and Liam Neeson, depicts the 12th century Muslim-Christian
battle over Jerusalem during the third Crusade.
Said Ghassan: "Today, America has overwhelming force but it is as
if they don't want to build a dialogue.
"Saladin fights battles but he also enters into dialogue. We want
to show that dialogue can be much better than war."
However some religious groups are concerned that a film about the
Crusade, a term once used by Bush to describe the war on terror,
could fuel hostility towards Islam in the West and heighten
suspicions of the West in the Muslim world.
Egyptian actor Khaled el-Nabawy, who plays the part of a Muslim
religious leader, said the film was positive in improving the image
of Islamic world.
He said: "We have Christians who think this movie is pro-Muslim and
Muslims who think it is pro-Christian. It will make them all go and
see the movie.
"It is time for the West to know more about us. We are a very
civilised society and history is witness to this."
Ghassan said Saladin, a Kurd who recaptured Jerusalem from the
Crusaders in 1187, would be presented as a warrior, but also an
advocate of peace and dialogue.
He added: "Ridley Scott respects the character of Saladin very
much. He wants to portray him as a noble and respectable
person."
Director Scott has also said it will be unfair to depict 'Kingdom
of Heaven' as a battle between Muslims and Christian or the East
and West.
He said: "It is more an attempt to depict a fictional heroic tale
at a time when, prior to the battle of Hattin in 1187 won by
Saladin before he took Jerusalem, (and shown in the movie), Muslims
and Christians co-existed in peace under the rule of two remarkable
leaders, both of whom held an abiding respect for each
other."
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