Background
On July 2nd, 2012, YouTuber SamBacile uploaded two 13-minute video clips titled “The Real Life of Muhammad” and “Muhammad Movie Trailer,”[1] which showed excerpts from a full-length feature film titled Innocence of Muslims, produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Coptic Christian immigrant from Egypt living in Cerritos, California, and directed by Alan Roberts. The video featured lewd scenes that could be seen as denigrating to Prophet Muhammad, whose depiction in any shape or form is strictly forbidden by the Islamic law.
The film remained largely obscure until early September 2012, when duplicate videos dubbed in the Arabic language were uploaded onto YouTube and picked up by Egyptian bloggers and news publications, triggering a series of anti-American protests in the wake of the videos that have been characterized as “anti-Islamic.” As of September 18th, the original YouTube clip uploaded by SamBacile has gained more than 9.5 million views.
Notable Developments
On September 8th, the video was picked up and broadcast by the Egyptian TV station Al-Nas, which fueled its viral momentum. On September 11th, 2012, anti-American protests began erupting outside the U.S. diplomatic mission compounds in Cairo, Egypt and Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans including the ambassador J. Christopher Stevens were killed after rocket-propelled grenades and small arms were fired. Though some U.S. officials claimed that the attack in Benghazi was planned in advance unrelated to the film, it was widely linked to the controversial reception of the YouTube video trailer in the news media. In the following days, protests spread across the rest of the Muslim world in Morocco, Iran, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen.
News Media Coverage
The day after the attack in Benghazi, Libya, Associated Press[2] identified a 55-year-old California resident Nakoula Basseley Nakoula as the producer of the film. Nakoula initially denied any affiliation to the YouTube handle Sam Bacile in the interview, but follow-up inquiries launched by the Associated Press and other news sites like Gawker[4][5], Los Angeles Daily News and LA Weekly linked Nakoula to the account that was used to upload the video and confirm its origin via comment on the day of the Benghazi attack in a duplicate version uploaded by Egypt’s Al-Nahar TV. Written in Arabic, Sam Bacile’s comment read: “It is a 100 percent American movie, you cows.” In addition, New York Times[6] and The Guardian[8] provided real-time coverage of the anti-American protests in the Muslim countries.
Cast and Crew’s Response
That same on September 12th, CNN[12] published an official statement release from the film’s 80 cast and crew members who denounced the film by saying:
“The entire cast and crew are extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer. We are 100% not behind this film and were grossly misled about its intent and purpose. […] We are shocked by the drastic re-writes of the script and lies that were told to all involved. We are deeply saddened by the tragedies that have occurred.”
YouTube Restricts Access
In the wake of attacks on the U.S. embassies, YouTube announced that it had temporarily restricted access to the video in Egypt and Libya, while Afghanistan decided to block access to the video-sharing site altogether.
The Director’s Identity
On September 14th, Gawker[3] published an article titled “The Director of ‘Innocence of Muslims’ Is a Schlocky Softcore Porn Director Named Alan Roberts,” linking the little-known director of the film to a number of adult films released in the 1970s and 1980s. That same day, Vice Magazine released a copy of the film’s post-production invoice records that listed a payee named Robert Brownell, which according to his associates is Alan Robert’s real name.
Search Interest
External References
[1] YouTube – Muhammad Movie Trailer
[2] Associated Press – California man confirms role in anti-Islam film
[3] Gawker – Confirmed: The Director of ‘Innocence of Muslims’ Is a Schlocky Softcore Porn Director Named Alan Roberts
[4] Gawker – Meet The Director of Muslim Innocence: A Mystery Man Named Alan Roberts
[5] Gawker – Is The Mysterious Man Behind Muslim Innocence a Convicted Fraudster Named Nakoula Basseley Nakoula?
[6] New York Times – Protests Spread as Anger Over Anti-Islam Film Mounts
[7] Hollywood Reporter – California Man Claims Connection to Anti-Islam Film
[8] The Guardian – Protests spread against US over anti-Islamic film – as it happened
[9] New York Daily News – FIRST PHOTO: Nakoula Basseley Nakoula revealed! Photo surfaces despite his efforts to shield face from media after interview with police
[10] Reddit – Neil Gaiman’s Journal: A Letter from a Scared Actress
[11] Reddit – Something does not add up with Innocence of Muslims
[12]CNN – Pentagon to review video of Libya attack
[13]VICE – WHO IS ALAN ROBERTS, THE DIRECTOR OF ‘INNOCENCE OF MUSLIMS’? WE THINK HIS REAL NAME IS ROBERT BROWNELL
[14] Washington Post – Google says it won’t take down anti-Muslim clip, but restricts access in certain countries