Maharashtra Govt Seeks A Ban On The Screening Of Muhammad: The Messenger Of God

In the complaint addressed to Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Deshmukh mentions the complaint by Raza Academy demanding a ban on the distribution of the film.

In the letter, Raza Academy said, “Ever since the news of its release has been published there has been an uproar in the community and we have been receiving hundreds of calls to get the film banned as it is completely blasphemous.”

The Raza Academy in 2015, had issued a fatwa against acclaimed music composer AR Rahman and Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi for making a film on Prophet Muhammad.

"The movie can potentially disturb the religious sentiments of citizens in the country and may cause religious tensions creating law and order problems in the country", says the Maharashtra Home Ministry letter.

The Ministry thus demands that digital platforms which will air the movie be blocked under the section 69A of the IT act. It also seeks that platforms like YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp be instructed to place similar bans on their platform.