Killing Jesus: Muslim-raised Actor Haaz Sleiman Defends Lead Role in Ridley Scott Miniseries

THE INDEPENDENT
By Jes Denham
Muslim-raised actor Haaz Sleiman will play Jesus in Killing Jesus
HOLLYWOOD---The filmmakers and cast of upcoming National Geographic miniseries "Killing Jesus" have been forced to defend their project from dubious critics. Muslim-raised actor Haaz Sleiman has sparked controversy among some conservative Christians by signing on to play Jesus in the show, based on Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s bestselling book. Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour, Sleiman reacted to disapproval, saying: “In Islam, we believe Jesus is a prophet and respect him and follow his teachings and put him beside the Prophet Muhammad – a lot of people don’t know that. “As a person who was raised Muslim, it’s an honour [to play Jesus]. [link]