Netflix's upcoming series 'Messiah' comes under fire, subscribers threaten to boycott the streaming service
Mel Gibson's 'Passion of the Christ' (2004) gruesomely portrayed the death of Jesus causing protests from the Christian community, similarly 'Messiah' has set fire to the topic of the "second coming of Christ" from a geopolitical frame — causing a similar outrage.
In the case of 'Messiah', the Anti-Christ correlation to the main character 'Dajjal' has people threatening to quit Netflix.
With 'Al Massih al-Dajjal' translating to Anti Christ — social media users pointed out the streaming service's lack of religious sentiment and respect. Twitter users took to the political and religious debate with tweets that set a precedent on how the show might perform on its release on January 1, 2020.
One tweet said: "Guys. I'm literally shaking. Someone posted that Netflix is coming out with a show called Messiah and it's about what will happen in the world when Dajjal appears. I'm shaken to my core - what?"
Another said, "For people of the Abrahamic faiths, in our beliefs, this will be a reality one day & it's frightening." The outward lash had a core consequence with one tweet saying, "Who is with me in vowing to cancel our subscriptions and never watch Netflix again if they allow this Messiah show to drop?"
The show takes a Hollywood perspective of a scripture revelation bringing to TV a storyline that people find ominous. While a CIA officer, played by Michelle Monaghan, is on a mission to debunk the man that claims to be the Son of God, this is a theory that Muslims see as an upcoming reality.
The trending of #Dajjal on Twitter took people by shock with some tweets talking about its eerie nature.
One tweet said, "Boycott the new series called 'Messiah'. And no do not use 'I'm watching it for educational purposes' as an excuse because there are hadiths for that & Islamic lectures with facts. #Dajjal".
Another talked about the spin of the CIA being involved in this theory saying, "#DajjalI love how Netflix thinks the US will capture aldajjal and just 'interrogate' him #Dajjal"
The truth behind divine entities mixing in with the idea of a deceptive con artist steeped in Islamic eschatology might not be the right way to appeal to Netflix's diverse audience.
A petition on change.org to boycott Netflix and 'Messiah' has garnered over 3000 signatures. The petition reads, "Muslims are not just the only ones that believe in the Antichrist. This topic is rather sensitive and making a production like this will only have viewers forgetting the fact that this matter is not a joke."
