CAIRO: Controversy has enveloped the upcoming film Wahed Sifr (One-Zero) which tackles the thorny issue of marriage and divorce in Christianity.
Starring Elham Shahin, it tells the story of a divorced Coptic woman who was denied permission to remarry by the church and in turn has a baby out of wedlock.
Disgruntled Coptic lawyers and activists filed a complaint to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, seeking to ban the movie on the grounds that it insults Christianity.
“The movie touches upon an extremely sensitive issue in Christianity, which is the concept of marriage, said Naguib Gobrael, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organization (EUHRO).
“The movie seeks to spark controversy by discussing the struggles of Coptic Christians with the issue of divorce; however this will not change our beliefs since these are sacred principles we must abide by, he said.
The complaint specifically addresses the two lead actors, the Coptic scriptwriter, Egypt’s prime minister and the censorship authority.
Gobrael recalled the movie “Baheb El-Cima (I Love Cinema) which caused a similar uproar a few years ago. He said sensitive religious matters cannot be handled this way.
For Orthodox Coptic Christians marriage is one of the seven canonical sacraments that include baptism, Christmation (confirmation), Eucharist, confession (penance), orders and unction of the sick. Divorce is not allowed in Coptic Christianity except in the case of adultery, annulment due to bigamy, or other extreme circumstances, which must be reviewed by a special council of Bishops.
An authoritative work, “The Law of Monogamy in Christianity (1958) by the current Pope Shenouda III, emphasizes that monogamy is the essence of Christian marriage, a canon law derived from the Holy Bible and upheld within the church s law, whether received from the Apostles or from ecumenical and regional synods.
However, the Coptic scriptwriter of the movie, Mariam Naoum, told independent daily, Al-Masry Al-Youm, that the film doesn’t conflict with any of the church’s sacraments but rather presents a common problem in Egyptian society about women who are granted divorce but not a license to remarry.
“I consulted a priest and a Coptic lawyer while writing the script; plus I’m not obligated to take the church’s permission as the script was approved by the censorship authority, she said.
“The film hasn’t been released yet so we can’t say if it is good or bad, Gobrael said. “I’m completely against it but I’m also against the idea of filing lawsuits to ban works of art.
