Of all the movies on this list, Steven Spielberg's harrowing and moving portrait of the Holocaust Schindler's List is without a doubt the most unexpected entry. What possible objection could anyone have - on religious grounds or otherwise - to a film about one of the most tragic eras in human history? How could you object to a film which sensitively deals with the genocidal crime against humanity carried out by one of the most brutal dictators of the 20th century, Adolf Hitler? The move to bar Schindler's List came from a number of Arab and Islamic nations, declaring that it functioned as "propaganda with the purpose of asking for sympathy" for the "Jewish cause" - this was effectively conflating the suffering of the Jewish people during the second world war with justifying the actions of the state of Israel in the occupied territories, and the Hebron massacre of Muslims by a Jewish fanatic was also cited, with Jordanian Information Minister Jawad Al Anani stating that "this was not an opportune time" to screen Spielberg's film. The director reacted strongly to the banning, stating, "It shocks me because I thought the Islamic countries would feel this film could be an instrument of their own issues in what was happening in Bosnia." In light of the political situation in Israel and the Occupied Territories (which international law acknowledges are held illegally by the state of Israel) the sensitivity on the part of Islamic countries is perhaps understandable, if not necessarily condonable. Spielberg himself believed the film should be read more broadly, saying, "This movie speaks not only on the Jewish Holocaust but of every Holocaust, by anyone's definition." The reaction in the Middle East clearly points to the subjectivity of this viewpoint. Like this article? Agree or disagree with the condemnation? Let us know in the comments section below.
