Qatar's Alnoor plans $1bn Prophet movie series

Wednesday, 19 December 2012 5:07 PM

An aerial view shows the Kaaba at the Grand mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (AFP/Getty Images - for illustrative purposes only)

Qatar-based Alnoor Holding has announed plans to raise the budget for a planned movie series on the life of Prophet Mohammed to $1bn.

The biopics will be produced as a series of seven films instead of three films as per an earlier announcement in 2009, Alnoor chairman Ahmed Al Hashemi was quoted as saying by AFP.

Alnoor announced in 2009 that it was seeking financing for the film series, to be produced by Barrie Osborne, a Hollywood veteran whose credits include Lord of the Rings and The Matrix.

Qatar-based Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, head of the Association of Muslim Scholars, will lead research on the film and serve as technical consultant on the project, AFP reported.

The company said the film will be in English and will be translated into several different languages "to correct the wrong image Western societies have of Islam".

In October 2009, Alnoor launched a $200m international movie fund which plan to invest in at least 10 projects over the next five years.

Alnoor Holdings, owned by the Al-Hashemi group, said it was committed to "becoming the most dominant international media and entertainment player".

A lack of quality content in Arabic cinema, drama and theatre that prompted the company to establish an entity like Alnoor Holdings, official said at the time.

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Posted by: Younis Wednesday, 20 February 2013 2:31 PM[UAE] - Europe

Well, why dont we do both? Invest in education, build industries, infrastructure in poor Muslim countries and ALSO make documentaries and a Movie like this which would bring some understanding to the whole of humanity. If I remember, da'waa is also mandatory in Islam, like Salat and Zakath.

Why dont we not waste time on the internet and use this money (that we spend for the internet connection) to help the poor? People come here online and spend time online reading junk stuff and also going on Facebook and buying gadgets. Then they come here and comment that its all wrong to do a movie when we have much to do for the poor. So like I said, why not stop wasting your time and money online, gadgets, cars, mobile phones and start spending money to charity?

I think it is a worthless argument to say we have poor so we should not do things to improve the image of Islam. Pay your Zakaths and Sadaqahs and spend the rest in ways that are halaal and good. This is one of them.

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Posted by: John Wednesday, 30 January 2013 9:12 AM[UAE] - Canada

Muslims are lagging behind the key players who are perpetually indulged in anti-Islamic sentiments. This movie is long overdue. Start soon, finish soon, release soon.

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Posted by: HEART OF ARABIA Saturday, 22 December 2012 12:55 PM[UAE] - ksa

NO ONE SHOULD IMPERSONATE HIM NO ONE CAN...THIS VALUE IS WOTHLESS .USING HIS LEGACY FOR COMMERCIAL GAINS IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA OR WHATSOEVER IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE...FILMMAKERS MUST FORESEE DIFFERENT GLOBAL REACTIONS OR INTERPRETATIONS.... BESIDES IT WILL NEVER BE AUTHENTIC NOT EVEN BILLIONS OF VOLTS OR WATTS CAN EMIT SAME RADIANCE THAT PROPHET (saw) HAS.
THIS FILM IS NOT NEEDED- THE PROPHET (sAW) IS EXISTING AND WILL EXIST IN HEARTS OF ALL MUSLIM FOREVER......

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Posted by: Baiju Saturday, 22 December 2012 10:44 AM[UAE] - UAE

1 Billion....!!!! that is lot of money for a movie.IFRC says that with a donation of Dhs. 12 they can provide food for a child or Dhs. 5 can be 2 pcs of bricks (for shelters, reconstruction for the displaced)
"to correct the wrong image Western societies have of Islam" I repeated the quote to say that.. the so called wrong image of Islam is not created by Islam, it is created by the arms and ammunition dealers and barrons...they need to keep the unrest in the world live and live until the dooms day....No Unrest...No Business for them... so with just a movie the so called wrong image isnt going to change..!!
And some maths.....World' tallest building...the tender awarded to European/Western Contractors....
World Largest Shopping mall...the tender awarded to European/Western Contractors...in that way everything and anything projected and planned here in Middle East..the monies goes to Western...and now they get money on movie also..all the money they pay to buy oil comes back to them

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Posted by: Prince of Arabia Friday, 21 December 2012 6:30 PM[UAE] - UAE

This is really sad, Why don't they honor the Prophet (PBUH) by doing charity work or economic development work in Poor countries.

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