When Sepet came out, some people called the film as un-Malaysian. When Gubra came out, the same some people called it "pencemar budaya". Pencemar budaya basically means culture polluter, whatever that is supposed to mean.

Well, about eight hours behind Malaysia, in Morocco, a film known as Marock (tag) is receiving similar hostile remarks.

In a report by Associated Press:

Acclaimed Moroccan director Mohamed Asli said "Marock" did not deserve inclusion in the festivals because it was "not a real Moroccan film," although he subsequently told a magazine that he welcomed the public release because it would open debate. Some critics claimed to detect sinister Zionist propaganda in the depicted Jewish-Muslim romance.

By Morocco Times:

Laila Marrakchi's new film Marock has received harsh criticism in Morocco during its screening at the National Film Festival held last week in Tangiers.

Several film directors and critics have attacked Marock and even went further to question Marrakchi's nationality as a Moroccan.

Mohammed Asli, director of "In Casablanca, Angels don't fly", started a ferocious campaign against the young director, saying that her film "should not have been screened in the festival."

Malaysian films Sepet and its sequel Gubra's storyline sound similar to Marock's in principle; it's about cross cultural relationship. But in both Malaysia and Morocco, conservatives' are having problem accepting the films' premise.

Sepet and Gubra of course aren't a love story involving a Muslim and a Jew but it's about a Malay and a Chinese teenagers. If I may be a little bit politically incorrect, Chinese are the Jews of Southeast Asia. Even if you couldn't accept that statement, don't worry. To Malaysian conservatives, those on the extreme rights of political spectrum, all non-Muslims are Jewish. And all Malays are Muslims, at least constitutionally. So, the two counterparts actually concern one issue - intimate relationship between a Muslim and a Jew.

Well, now I know that Morocco and Malaysia have at least one thing in common; narrow-minded conservatives in both countries hate films on cross cultural relationship.

I highly advise all cultural conservative people to not live in a cosmopolitan society. It might be bad for your health.

  

p/s - Whoa. Is Karl Rove (tag) being indicted? Rumors abound!

The source of this rumor seems to have originated from Jason Leopold at truthout.org. If true, cool!

  

pp/s - well, that indictment thing is false.