Christians see Passion in Malaysian cinemas
05/10/2004 - 16:32:01More than 40,000 Malaysians have watched Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ after authorities in the predominately Muslim nation allowed the film to be shown to Christians in designated cinemas.
Crowds at the screenings, which are due to run for nearly two months until the end of October, might have been larger if some Christians had not already seen the movie on pirated DVDs or in neighbouring countries, said Wong Kim Kong, secretary general of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship.
The Home Ministry ruled that non-Christians should be barred from screenings, but the restriction hasn’t been strictly enforced, Wong said.
He noted that some people might have asked their Christian friends to help them get tickets, which are sold only through churches.
