The MESSAGE finally arrives in Pakistan

Some 30 years later after it was first released, The Message finally arrived in Pakistan and was shown repeatedly on one of Pakistan’s independent TV channels. This time however there were no cries of blasphemy. The film’s original purpose remained intact: Not only to show 'Islam’s true basics and face,' to the West but also to a whole generation of Muslims who, for the preceding three decades, had been indoctrinated with a rather violent and intolerant strain of the faith; the sort various Islamic governments had originally propagated, but were now trying to distance themselves from, post-9/11.

Though no Salman Rushdie, Moustapha had been a much-hated figure among many sections of puritan Muslims ever since he went ahead and shot a big-budgeted, Hollywood film on the life of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) in 1976. Incidentally, though the film was poorly received at the American box-office, over the years it became a massive cult classic among a number of more liberal-minded Muslims, some of whom actually started to use it as part of their efforts to reform the commonly perceived face of modern Islam, more so the political Islam of the likes of Abul Ala Maududi, Syed Qutb and their followers.

Moustapha’s main goal was also to make a film on the Prophet of Islam for a western audience who only saw him either through the eyes of Christian evangelists or the secular media. For this, Moustapha also managed to sign up the services of veteran Hollywood actor, Anthony Quinn, who plays the role of Hamza.