An Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yelma’e, has said Islam forbids
him from praying for the departed soul of popular actor, Murphy Afolabi,
because he mostly used his roles in movies to promote actions that are against
the Islamic religion.
The cleric, in a video clip posted on YouTube and reposted
by @mufasatundeednut on Instagram on Thursday, said he would never pray for
Afolabi because he usually acted as herbalist, among other roles forbidden in
Islam.
Noting that there was a need for religious teachers and
students to start reflecting on the portrayal of actions against Islamic
teachings, the cleric said praying for Afolabi’s departed soul especially when
most of his roles in films contravened Islamic practice would amount to
hypocrisy.
He said, “What we posted yesterday was that we cannot pray
for (late) Murphy Afolabi because in the movies he usually acts, and
particularly Yoruba movies, it has a lot of forbidden things including
traditional sacrifices and it is rare for the actors not to be involved in such
traditional sacrifices.
“They might be acting that way with the thinking that they
are joking but anything that has to do with Almighty Allah should not be joked
with. Acting like herbalist, witch, or wizard, is against Islamic teachings and
Islam is against such actions.
“What will make a Muslim start using what nonbelievers do to
make people laugh? It is common in Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo films, but mostly in
Yoruba films. I feel it is time for religious teachers and students to start
looking into these issues.
“When any of these actors with a Muslim name acts like
herbalist in Yoruba movies and later dies, it becomes hypocritical for people
to expect us to pray for them. As for Murphy Afolabi, I won’t pray for him, and
neither will I curse him because he might not know.”
Reacting to the development, a lecturer in Film and Media
Arts, Department of Theatre Arts and Music, Lagos State University, Dr Femi
Olugboji, said scholars have argued that Islam forbids the portrayal of images
of human beings whether through television, photography or the creation of
statues, but they also argued about the importance of information whether
through entertainment or news stories or other means.
He said, “They (scholars) said Islam does not forbid
education through the portrayal of human images but what Islam forbids is the
way human beings, especially women, are portrayed through their mode of
dressing, and as well as the content that misleads the public.
“What is the intent of Murphy Afolabi’s acting roles in line
with what the cleric mentioned? Is it to correct society? Were his actions in
those films to correct the ills in society or was it to mislead the society? We
need to be very objective by taking a deep look at his works to see what he was
trying to achieve or achieved through the actions he displayed in his films.
“The cleric to some extent may be wrong; if for example I
assume a role of an herbalist and through that role I used it to correct something
wrong in society, does it mean I have committed a sin? What exactly does the
cleric know about the media and media content? He is looking at the issue from
his personal belief and not Islamic religion.”
Explaining further, Olugboji said there was a need for movie
practitioners to understand the audience and what they want from the media,
adding that entertainers and performers would want to satisfy the needs of the
audience.
He said, “If the audience felt that Murphy Afolabi’s works
during his lifetime were misleading, he wouldn’t have been as popular as he was
when he was alive. This means that to a large extent, he achieved a goal in
society through his works.
“We should understand that every individual in the society
evolves from a socio-cultural and religious background and based on the
background that we evolve from; we have enough that can build media literacy
that can help us to judge or decide between what is good or bad in the media.”
Nollywood stars and entertainment lovers were thrown into
mourning when news of the death of the Osun-born actor became public knowledge.
He died at the age of 49 and has been buried.
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