By Khaled Al-Sulaiman
Okaz
THE campaign that has been going on for many days against the establishment of cinema houses in our country is exactly similar or not different from a campaign that was launched in the past against the mobile phones with cameras.
With the passage of time, the same people who stood strongly against mobile phones with cameras are using them to take selfies and other purposes.
Preachers and religious propagators made good use of camera phones by filming their speeches and circulating the video clips to spread their call.
The cinema is not different from the camera phones. It is just a method and a means that can be harnessed for various purposes.
It is much easier to control the content of a cinema than any other means of communications. You can decide what and what not to show in a cinema house at any time.
The fears expressed by some people against cinema houses are understandable and they may have stemmed from good intentions. However, the cinema in its reality is not more than a large screen, which is only different in size from the TV screen that we use at our homes to watch films and other programs.
Instead of opposing the cinema and theater, people should establish cinema houses and screen films that promote our cultural identity, and boost ethical values and social norms, of course in addition to entertainment.
The cinema is an area Muslims have ignored for a log time, leaving the arena for other people to mold a movie culture the way they wanted.
