DOHA - Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" made its debut Sunday in Qatar, the first Gulf Arab state to publicly screen the controversial movie that has been accused of encouraging anti-Semitism.
"We submitted 'The Passion of the Christ' to the censorship committee, which had no objection to its screening," in Qatar, said Abdul Rahman Mohsen, the director general of a private Qatari cinema company.
The committee usually censors scenes or images depicting prophets from the holy books.
The film is being shown three times a day in a cinema in Doha and will be screened for at least one month, Mohsen said.
Three other Gulf states are currently still reviewing the film, he said.
The movie will be shown to the public in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) beginning March 31 after being given the green light by the ministry of culture and information, the UAE's Gulf News reported Sunday.
The movie, which depicts the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life in often graphic and brutal detail, has drawn a storm of criticism as it reaches cinemas worldwide after its release in the United States.
Gibson's film, shot in Latin and Aramaic using little-known actors, has been a huge box-office hit in North America.
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