Muslims protest film shoot inside mosque

Nov. 29: Shooting of an upcoming Tamil film inside a mosque here has evoked a strong protest from devout Muslims for defiling the mosque.
The crew of the film Chatram Bus Stand shot a scene of the Janaaza Namaaz (special and final prayer before burying a dead body) at the Al Mohamadiya mosque on Thanjavur road near Gandhi market in Tiruchy on Nov 24. Some of the crew who are non-Muslims are reported to have stepped on to a prohibited area of the mosque. Following a protest from the mosque administrators, the crew cleaned and washed the area thoroughly before leaving.
During Friday namaaz, a section of devout Muslims demanded an explanation from the administrators for granting permission to shoot inside the mosque while Islam considers cinema as taboo. Only then the administrators realised the shooting was for a film and not a documentary.
“How can the administrators permit shooting for a film inside the mosque while Islam considers cinema as taboo? Moreover, the crew, who are non-Muslims, have defiled the mosque by treading upon the prohibited areas,” Mr A. Sadiq Basha, a resident of the area, said.
Producer and hero of the film Roshan had reportedly sought permission from the administrators through TMMK district president Abdul Hakkeem stating that he was producing a documentary on Muslims to create awareness and wanted to shoot the Janaaza Namaaz, sources said.
“Believing his words, I helped him get permission for the shooting. I was, however, shocked when I learnt that it was a shooting for a film. When we questioned him about it, Roshan tendered an apology in writing. He also assured to hand over the film roll to the mosque after the entire shooting was over,” Mr Hakkeem said.
Mr Roshan, however, denied the allegation. “I never said it was a documentary on Muslims. It is true that some of our crew treaded the prohibited area inadvertently. We, however, did a thorough cleaning and washing before we left the mosque. Other than that, we did nothing wrong. As they misunderstood the situation, I exposed the film that we shot in the mosque,” he said.