In light of current objections from Christians to the movie version of Dan Brown’s bestseller The Da Vinci Code, recent protests from the Muslim community about the Mohammad caricatures and from Jewish groups about anti-Semitism inspired by The Passion of Christ, more than twenty-five leading clerics from different faiths signed a statement calling for joint efforts by religious leaders in working to prevent the use of religiously offensive materials in the arts and media. In its statement issued, the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders, headquartered in Jerusalem, outlined nine points for collaboration among religious leaders and bodies, including the creation of an advisory council. The statement noted, “Such a council would consist of…religious leaders from all traditions who would be willing to engage artistic creators in ways that are constructive. It would be a conversation partner, raising issues of factual accuracy and sensitivity that could alert artists to potential problems of reception among the public of believers, and exploring ways of addressing such concerns. Such dialogue might prevent future crises, including violent crises, from arising.” (Religion News Service)
