Red Sea covering Egyptian army's chariots and horsemen (illustration)
Red Sea covering Egyptian army's chariots and horsemen (illustration)Thinkstock

Egypt announced it has banned a Hollywood film based on the Biblical book of Exodus because of what censors described as "historical inaccuracies", reports the BBC.

The head of the Egyptian censorship board said these “inaccuracies” included the film's depiction of Jews as having built the Pyramids, and that an earthquake, not a miracle by Moses, caused the Red Sea to part.

The film, “Exodus: Gods and Kings” stars Christian Bale as Moses.

According to the book of Exodus, Jewish slaves were led to freedom by Moses after G-d inflicted a series of plagues on Egypt.

The Biblical story tells how the Red Sea was parted by a miracle performed by G-d, allowing the Jewish people to escape from the pursuing Egyptian army.

Egyptian Culture Minister Jabir Asfour slammed the film as "Zionist", saying, according to CNN, "It shows history from a Zionist viewpoint and forges historical events, therefore it is was banned in Egypt.”

The banning of the Exodus film follows a similar move in March, when several Muslim countries banned Paramount Pictures' "Noah", which told the story of Noah, who survived the Flood by building an ark according to G-d's word, as related in the Torah.

Countries including Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates announced they banned the film, while Egypt's leading Sunni Muslim religious institute said it rejected "screening of any production that characterizes Allah’s prophets and messengers and the companions of the Prophet (Mohammed)."

According to the BBC, there have also been reports that the Exodus film is banned in Morocco.

Although the state-run Moroccan Cinema Centre (CCM) had given the film the green light, Moroccan business website Medias24.com said that officials had decided to ban the movie from being screened the day before its premiere.