By IINA
Jakarta : As anti-Islam critics continue to deplore the heavenly religion, an Indonesian movie comes to light to counter Islamophobia and show the true face of Islam. A reported three million people, including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and senior government officials, watched the movie that features the life of an Indonesian graduate student at Egypt’s Al Azhar University and discusses the problems that he faces and how uses Islamic teachings to overcome them.
“Ayat Ayat Cinta” or “Verses of Love” was released in mid-January by 33-year-old film maker Hanung Bramantyo, who seeks to present the peaceful nature of Islam. “I wanted to tell a story about Islam from a universal point of view,” Bramantyo told Reuters. “I want to tell my audience that there are people who are hip, fashionable and capable of socializing but at the same time do things in an Islamic way”.
“I believe Islam is compassionate. Some people say to struggle for Islam means doing something great, but for me a love story can also carry Islamic messages,” he added.
Barmantyo is no stranger when it comes to entertainment since he previously won two Citra awards; an Indonesian Oscars. This new romantic Islamic movie is considered by many Muslims as a positive reaction to the offensive film that was released by Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch lawmaker who has mocked the holy Qur’an through airing his less than 20-minute documentary over the internet last week. It’s worth mentioning that Ayat Ayat Cinta is an adaptation of a well-known novel by novelist Habiburrahman El Shirazy, which brings back the romance to the country and the world in a vision of how Islam really is. It also shows that Islam is growing in Indonesia in a modest way.
“I think we should be grateful because the success of Ayat Ayat Cinta shows that to be profitable, a film doesn’t have to contain sex and ghosts,” Ade Armando, a communications expert said on an Internet discussion forum. The movie discusses the story of a young Muslim, who has to choose between four women in love with him.
After choosing Aisha, the Turkish German student, he is falsely accused of rape and left with no choice but to reach for one of the other three women to help him save his life. In an Islamic manner, the movie seeks to dispel negative stereotypes and show the world that there is more to Islam that what is being disseminated by some Western media outlets.
“Muslims don’t just talk about heaven and hell, or about life in the hereafter, but they can also talk about love, about falling in love at the first sight,” he said. Bramantyo, who has eight silver-screen films under his belts, plans to make an extended version of Ayat Ayat Cinta for the international market. The Muslim world sure needs more film like Ayat Ayat Cinta to show the true face of Islam, and the greatness of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him and the Holy Quran.