DUBAI // A film about the birth of Islam is to be made by a producer who worked closely with the late Moustapha Akkad on his epic The Message.
Oscar Zoghbi, who hopes to shoot parts of his film, The Messenger of Peace, in the UAE, said it would address widespread misunderstandings about the Islamic faith.
"The world is in turmoil and there is a huge lack of knowledge about Islam," he said. "In all the years since Moustapha Akkad made his film, nobody has tried to explain the religion or its value. We have decided now is the time to do something about that."
Zoghbi and Ramsey Thomas, his screenplay writer, were in talks years ago with Akkad about a remake of his 1976 film. But after his death in the suicide bombing of a Jordanian hotel in 2005, they decided to embark on a new production.
"Our film is a continuation of Akkad's work in terms of subject matter," Thomas said. "But it's a film in its own right. We continue the process of telling the story of the Prophet Mohammed but we do not follow the same plot or script."
Akkad, a Syrian who had success in America with his series of Halloween horror movies, had founded his own production company, Trancas International Films.
This week the company said it had not endorsed Zoghbi's film and retained all intellectual property rights regarding The Message.
Malek Akkad, the president of Trancas and Akkad's son, said: "While the life of the Prophet is technically in the public domain, and anyone can produce a film based on his life, it is inaccurate for anyone to suggest they have any connection to the film made by my father."
Nevertheless, Zoghbi and Thomas hope The Messenger of Peace will be as successful as Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of Christ.
"There is no reason it shouldn't be as popular as Gibson's movie. We just need the support," he said.
Zoghbi and Thomas, who are based in London and California, are in the UAE to seek out investors. The Dubai-based Millennium Finance Corporation is already on board as financial adviser, and Dar Al Sharia Legal and Financial Consultancy, the Shariah consulting arm of Dubai Islamic Bank, will supervise spending on the project to make sure it complies with Shariah law.
"The investment we have put in ourselves is substantial, but we are here to gather further support, both financially and regarding our message," Zoghbi said.
The film will be set in the times of the Prophet Mohammed and will tell of the emergence of the Islamic religion.
Zoghbi said it was designed to appeal to both Muslims and non-Muslims, but ultimately was aimed at showing viewers the truth about Islam.
"We do not have one specific audience in mind, we just want to show the value of Islam and that it is a peaceful religion. The title, The Messenger of Peace, is all we need to explain this."
It will be the first major film about the birth of Islam since The Message was made.
As in Akkad's film, the Prophet will not be depicted either in person or by a voice because that is forbidden in Islam.
Thomas said that while the film was about religion, it was also about human nature. "In Hollywood, the Arab is the bad guy of the week. He is portrayed all too often as a terrorist. We are challenging that by bringing in the human element to our film. Religion lives through people. The Byzantium and Persian tribes were humans, as we are. They cry when they are sad and smile when they are happy. It is with that we hope to connect with our audience."
The Messenger of Peace begins preproduction in the new year. Currently the team is planning to make the film in English and have it dubbed into Arabic, although a final decision has not been made.
The production team will be back in the UAE before shooting begins. "We will return for location scouting, film festivals and opportunities to meet with those in the media industry out here," said Zoghbi.
"The UAE is definitely a central focus point for us. Things are changing in this part of the world in terms of film, television and other media and we want to be part of that. The relationship between Hollywood and the UAE is growing and we are happy to be fostering links between the two places."
aseaman@thenational.ae
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The%20Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Movie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aaron%20Horvath%20and%20Michael%20Jelenic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Anya%20Taylor-Joy%2C%20Charlie%20Day%2C%20Jack%20Black%2C%20Seth%20Rogen%20and%20Keegan-Michael%20Key%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E646hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E830Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETwo-speed%20auto%20(rear%20axle)%3B%20single-speed%20auto%20(front)%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh552%2C311%3B%20Dh660%2C408%20(as%20tested)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
