'Da Vinci Code' movie retracted from circulation in Azerbaijan

"The ministry received a letter by head of the Muslims of the Caucasus sheikh-ul-Islam Allakhshukyur Pasha-zade asking to stop the screening of the movie in the Azerbaijan movie theater in Baku," head of the press service Intigam Gumbatov said.

According to Interfax, the letter cites the indignation of Azerbaijani religious figures over the movie, because it distorts the story of the gospel, he said.

Because the privately owned Azerbaijan movie theater is not under the authority of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the ministry cannot ban the movie theater from showing the movie: however, the cinema was recommended to do so, Gumbatov said.