IRAN: A Muslim actor as Jesus Christ

He is an Iranian Muslim who looks so much like a Hollywood or Renaissance image of Jesus Christ that the faithful sometimes make the sign of the cross when they see him.

Ahmad Soleimani-Nia has been playing Jesus for seven years, keeping his hair long and lightly dyed, his beard knotty and vibrant.

He is the star of "Jesus, the Spirit of God," a new film from Iran that depicts the man Christians believe to be the messiah and son of God as a tormented Judean prophet heralding the coming of Muhammad, the founder of the Muslim faith. Nia's Jesus is at once serene, devout, driven and passionate.

In real life, if there is a real life after a spiritual and artistic odyssey that is still not over, Nia lives in Tehran. He was once a soldier in the Iranian army and then a welder for — the irony is interesting in this Jesus story — his nation's Atomic Energy Agency, which the Bush administration accuses of pursuing nuclear weapons.

That may unsettle some American neo-cons, but perhaps not as much as the film itself, which suggests that Jesus wasn't crucified and never rose from the dead.

Check out the rest of the story in today's Los Angeles Times. 

— Jeffrey Fleishman in Tehran

Photo: Ahmad Soleimani-Nia as Jesus. Credit: minbar.tatar.ru/rus/Messiah.htm

Comments

[Sayed Aly Shaaban]

I saw the Film at Documentary film Festival in Doha Qatar, Actually the Christen people don’t now that the I slam as a religion not only Iranian sheit sect believe in the Christ Message , and the Jesus as per example cannot be converted to be Muslim unless he admit that the Christ is a Messenger supported by Holy spirit from God
In Islam Koran says that the Christian are more friendly to Muslim because some of the priests know the truth of Islam and when they hear the verse of Virgin Mary the tears flood from their Eyes
The Muslim people consider Verging mar as a mother of Jesus had been awarding from the god because she devoted her live to the God Paying and believing in the god
In Islam May is the most holly woman in the world the mother of Profit Mohamed and his wives not considered wholly as Mary
If we look to the Koran story about Christ we will find it more logic and respectful than what the Christians and the priests believe in
It is difficult to believe that the God don’t interfere to save the live of his Messenger and accept to be humiliated and crossed
Even in the Bible of Mata and Luka there are verses assure that the students of Christ confused when the saw Yoda who betrayed the Christ as his face be very close to the Christ
In the mean time Boutros one of his students denied him and said clearly that he does not know him
There are two reasons that why the students of the Christ claimed that the Christ is the son of god and divided the God to the Ap and son and wholly spirit as they say three in one and one in three it is look non sense claim.
The Students of the Christ announced themselves as Profits and profits never been sent by profit but only from the God or the son of God that they claimed
The theory of that the Christ came to the live and to clear the human being fro the sin of their Father Adam and Eve it is the most illogic theory
In Islam no body carry the sin of the others
All theories and LaHood Christian science based on False and uncertain theory
look to the christians dancing , singing that the son of god saved them from the sin
What sin ? And on what basis this idea has been built. Even the Christ himself never say that he comes to remove the sin from the human beings
In the Time Magazine in 1981 an article published stated the Islam is the real Christian Religion
A lot of Misunderstanding and politics prevent most of Christians to study the Koran and under stand what the Koran addressed to the Christian he asked the christians and Jude to come together and committed themselves not taking the religious people and the priests as gods and build a peaceful word believe only in one god believing that all the people from different races are equal as the teeth of the Comp
If I am Christian I will feel comfortable that Jesus are saved by god and his enemy who had been crossed
In Islam we believe that the Christ and all profits form Abraham and Jacopo are profits from the God and no one can be accepted as Muslim unless he believes all the profits
Sayed Shaaban
E mail shabbansayed@yahoo.com
Posted by: Sayed Aly Shaaban | April 29, 2008 at 01:20 PM

[Jeannie Roth]

These comments are interesting. There are historic facts that Jesus existed, check your facts before making such statements. How sad that a movie is made about the New Testiment without without adhearing to the Truth. Any story the Kuraan has about Jesus came from the New Testiment. Christian believers do not acknowledge the Gospel of Barnabas. The new Testiment was written 700 years before the Kuraan. The Kuraan was inspired by the angel Gabriel speaking to Mohamed. Did Gabriel also tell Mohemed that the last time he brought a message from God he lied? Certainly Mohamed must have asked if Jesus was really the son of God. After all, he must have had some curiosity about Christianity, his 13th and last wife was a Christian. Since the Kuraan believes in Jesus and Mary but not about his death and resurection then how did Jesus die? The last paragraph of the Bible warns about adding, taking away or changing the message, which is the TRUTH. The Bible isn't the only soarce of information verifying that Jesus was real, there are countless records. He appeared in front of hundreds of witnesses after he rose. Proficies in the old testiment fortold of his coming and his crusifiction. Most of the new testiment authors died defending their faith. A faith that professes peace, truth, kindness and morals. Yes, Jesus said he was the the way, the truth and the light and no one can go to the Father except through me. Of coarse Christians aren't rioting over this movie. It's just a sign of the times.

[George]

The trailer shows the film to be historically innacurate. EVERYONE knows the ancient Romans spoke English with an upper-crust British accent.

[abrady]

This film now clears up Deuteronomy 21: 22- 23 (for he that that is hanged is ACCURSED of GOD; ) Surely , GOD, ( a father )will never curse his own creation , (son) , by allowing him to be hanged .let alone having him to be killed . allowing him to become a curse to die for the cursed and evil transgressors of this world and yet the wars and rape goes on and on. How can anyone depend on a cursed salvation.? Nay, this is only a smoke screen for wars of oppression for the greedy transgressors that invades, and occupies the lands of those who do not have sophisticated armoury to defend themselves and their families.

[abrady]

Jesus is the way , the truth and the light , the light to Islam, the light to the straight path of the Quraan the light of eternal bliss for all humanity. Peace and Salvation is gauranteed for him who makes the right choice.

[Sarah]

To OMG and R Tamayo,
It's easy to throw dirt when your own cloak is full of ****. Let me being by asking this simple questiion? who is killing Muslims in the name of religion in Iraq? Who was Adolf, a devout Christian...Who was behind World war 1 and 2 again Christians, not to mention about the priests in the churches who continue to rape young boys. Talk about Hypocracy and double Standard. Muslims love and respect Jesus more than Christians. The west is too busy worshiping sex than they can recognize even Jesus.

[John]

Why doesn't the producer work on modifying his own religion?
Ours is fine

[Armand]

Christians -- Americans especially -- shouldn't be so upset with this film. It's free speeach, right? Whatever people want to believe, let them believe it. If Ahmedinejad wants to believe there are no gays in Iran, fine -- let him keep believing it and deluding himself (and his country, as its economy goes deeper down the toilet). What is important is that Christians don't start rioting, protesting, and burning things (again, free speech) like some Muslims do when we exercise our free speech.

[DuckPhup]

Juan wrote: Jesus Christ is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIGHT, whether you choose to believe this or not does not take away from him and the fact that one day you WILL have to stand before him in judgement. I beseech you this day to repent and seek his face or face eternal damnation.
************
So... Juan... you believe that a cosmic Jewish zombie, who is his own father, can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh (in the form of a cracker) and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was tricked by a malevolent entity (disguised a talking snake... with legs) into eating a piece of fruit from a magical tree... (etc.)... and that there is something horribly, terribly wrong with people who ARE NOT so gullible and droolingly stupid as to believe such outrageously ridiculous codswallop.

That's pretty funny.

[Sayed Aly Shaaban]

I saw the Film at Documentarr film Festival in Doha Qatar,Actually the Cristan people dont now that the I slam as a religion not onl Iranian sheit sect believe in the Christ Message , and the jeu as per example cannot be converted to be muslim unless he admit that the christ is a Messenger supported by Holy spirit from God
In Islam Kuraan says that the Christian are more friendly to Muslim because som of the priests know the truth of Islam and when they hear the verse of Virigin Mary the tears flood from their Eys
The Muslim people consider Vergin mar as a mother of Jesus had been awarding from the god because she devoted her live to the God Paying and believing in the god
In Islam Mavy is the most holly woman in the world the mother of Profit Muhamed and his wives not considered wholy as Mary
If we look to thje Kuraan story about Christ we will find it mor logic and respectful than what the Cristians and the priests believe in
It is difficult to believe cthat the God dont interfer to save tyhe live of his Massanger and accept to be humilated and crossed
Even in the Bible of Matta and Luka there are verses assur that the stuntd of Christ confused when the saw Yahoda who betrayed the crist as his face be very closed to the Christ
In the mmean tim Butus on of his students denied him and said clearly that he does not know him
There are two reason that why the studentd of the Christ claimed that the Christ is the soon of god and devided the God to the AAp and son and wholy spipirit as the say three in one and one in three it is look non sens
The Loyal to the christ announced themselves as Profits and profits never be sent by profit but only fro God or the son of God that the claimed
The theory of that the Christ came to the live and to clear the hman beng fro the sin of their Father AADm and Eve it is the most unlogic theory
in Islam no body carry the sin of the others
All theories and Lahot science based on False and silly theory
look to tje christians dancing , singing that the son of god saved them from the sin
What sin ? and on what basis buile evrn the Christ him selve neve say that he come to remove the sin from the human beings
In time Magazing in 1981 an article bublished stated the the Islamn is the real christian Releigin
A lot of Mis understanding and politics prevent most of christian to study the Kuraan and under standingwhat the quraan adressed to the Christian he aske the christians and Jue to come together and commited themselves not taking the religios people and the priests as gods and build peacful word beleve only in one god believing that alll the peoplr from differnr races are equal as the teeth oiof Comp
If I am christian I will feel comfartable that the Jesus are saved by god and his enemu who had been crossed
In Islam we beleve the the Christ and all oprofits frm Ebraham and GJacop are the profits from gd and no one can be accepted as Muslim unless he belevs all the profits
Sayed Shaaban
E mail shabbansayed@yahoo.com

[saleema]

Really sad (and bizarre) that one of the first truly Eastern actors to play Jesus (besides the actor who stars in the Indian-made film "Man of Mercy") looks whiter than the worst Hollywood vision--and has goldilox to end all goldilox. Last I checked, Jewish people didn't start turning into ethnic Europeans until after the diaspora. Which means that the entirety of European religious art is based on surrealism.

(Also bizarre that some people still claim that there's no historical proof that Jesus ever lived. Eh?! Some "allegory.")

[Juan]

Jesus Christ is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIGHT, whether you choose to believe this or not does not take away from him and the fact that one day you WILL have to stand before him in judgement. I beseech you this day to repent and seek his face or face eternal damnation.

[OMG]

I did not know that Jesus was blond. Maybe this is their way of "westernizing" this film to show their real motive of somehow correlating the United States with Christianity and the hateful attitude toward us. It makes me want to puke, that someone with so much hatred would even make a film about something/someone who is all about LOVE and loving your neighbors. I am not a muslum and do not care to read the Koran, but if that is not what Mohammed teaches(teached-since he is dead), maybe the Koran isn't worth the paper it's written on.

[Juan]

Jesus Christ is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIGHT, whether you choose to believe this or not does not take away from him and the fact that one day you WILL have to stand before him in judgement. I beseech you this day to repent and seek his face or face eternal damnation.

[R. Tamayo]

This is not anything new! Jesus is who he says he is or he was a madman. I chose for myself what to believe! However, I bet that the Christians will not riot nor kill anyone over this film. The only people being deluded are those who believe that by force and fear one MUST obey by committing suicide for the profit of a few. As a Christian I have never been asked to kill anyone including myself. I dare this director to distrubute a film questioning the beliefs of Mohammed.

[David Dunn]

Both Muslims and Christians should admit that the stories of Jesus are just that--stories. The stories are allegories.

There's no evidence of an historical Jesus.

[Dawud]

Generally speaking, Muslim scholars are opposed to the depiction of any prophets, including Jesus Christ.

This film will not only be seen as controversial with Christians because of its historical narrative, but I don't think that it'll be well received in the Muslim World.

Ironically, there has been movies made in Iran about members of the Prophet Muhammad's family, such as "Imam Ali", where they didn't show representations of their faces, yet this film is showing a depiction of Jesus, which doesn't appear to even be a historical likeness to him. The Prophet Muhammad's family members were not prophets nor equal to prophets according to orthodox Islamic teachings.