Journal Article

TheMaṣlaḥaof Film Production in Pre-Revolutionary Egypt, 1896–1952: A Sanctioning Apparatus or Covert Censorship?

Heba Arafa Abdelfattah

2017

Overview

At the turn of the twentieth century, the lawfulness of film, like other modern innovations, posed a challenge for many Muslim‘ulamā’. The fact that the film camera was a foreign invention coming from colonialist Europe complicated the challenge. Focusing on the formative years of Egyptian cinema, I analyze Islamic public discourses and legal opinions on the lawfulness of photography and acting, the two principal components of cinema production. I argue that the use of the Islamic legal concept of “public interest”(maṣlaḥa)enabled reformist‘ulamā’to positively sanction photography and acting, thereby permitting the production of motion pictures. However,maṣlaḥawas also used as a covert form of censorship. This seeming contradiction resulted from the fact thatmaṣlaḥawas sometimes reduced to a utilitarian tool that accepted this new medium of communication as a means of promoting Islamic cultural hegemony but disregarded the innovative aspects of film as a domain for creativity and freedom of expression.

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Subject: Acting / Actors / Censorship / Islam / Islamic law / Movies / Muslims / Prophets / Shadow puppet plays / Theater