# Note to Self -- Don't make the Devil look like a current Political Leader **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273 "2013-03-18T17:16:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/1 "2013-03-18T17:16:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*‘The Bible’ Stirs Controversy With Satan’s Resemblance To President Obama > \*\* > > … > History‘s hit miniseries The Bible had its 3rd installment last night. It’s already been taken to task for its use of beautiful actors in all key roles. Now the project’s casting choice for the role of Satan has come under fire for the apparent resemblance of Moroccan actor Mehdi Ouazzani to President Barack Obama. The topic created a firestorm online, ignited by a slew of tweets about the likeness of The Bible‘s Devil to the 44th President of the United States (conservative firebrand Glenn Beck was among the first to post comment) and side-by-side image comparisons like the one here from the Daily Mail. History is expected to respond to the controversy soon. > **[UPDATE: ‘The Bible’ Producers Call Controversy Over Satan’s Resemblance To...](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/news/bible-stirs-controversy-satan-resemblance-president-barack-obama-141717141.html)** > > UPDATE, 10:15 AM: History and The Bible executive producers, husband and wife Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, just addressed the Obama-Satan controversy. “History channel has the highest respect for President Obama,” the network said in a statement.... [/quote] ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/2 "2013-03-18T17:40:28Z")
Could [Mehdi Ouazzani](https://www.google.ca/search?q=Mehdi+Ouazzani&rlz=1C1ASUT_enCA465CA465&aq=f&oq=Mehdi+Ouazzani&aqs=chrome.0.57.281925&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) ever be hired for a jig as an Obama lookalike? Nah. No way, even with a hoodie and makeup. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/3 "2013-03-18T17:49:27Z")
Why is Satan wearing a hoodie? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/4 "2013-03-18T17:50:49Z")
Also, as just pointed out by the producers, Mehdi Ouazzani had appeared in a number of Biblical epics and played Satanic roles long before the election of Barack Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/5 "2013-03-18T17:51:39Z")
So who is going to play the Antichrist then if they wasted Ouazzani on the Devil? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/6 "2013-03-18T17:56:08Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Could [Mehdi Ouazzani](https://www.google.ca/search?q=Mehdi+Ouazzani&rlz=1C1ASUT_enCA465CA465&aq=f&oq=Mehdi+Ouazzani&aqs=chrome.0.57.281925&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) ever be hired for a \*\*jig \*\*as an Obama lookalike? Nah. No way, even with a hoodie and makeup. Racist. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/7 "2013-03-18T17:58:07Z")
> [@typo negative](#): > > why is satan wearing a hoodie? rip trayvon!!! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/8 "2013-03-18T18:01:13Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Why is Satan wearing a hoodie? He has a lucrative side business as a suburban Skittles distributor. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/9 "2013-03-18T18:16:32Z")
They really ought to have gone with the safe route of only using voice actors for God & Satan. CGI God is shown as a Burning Bush, and CGI Satan is a Flaming Asshole. Ow, suddenly sitting down is not very comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/10 "2013-03-18T19:04:17Z")
I can see where people might think this guy looks like Obama if he were 10 or 20 years older. But I bet if you cast any one of thousands of African or Middle Eastern guys people would see the same resemblance. Obama is part Kenyan and part Northern European; I have no idea about Ouazzani’s family, but I know Morocco is nowhere near Kenya. On the other hand I bet someone could write a sociology paper about the fact that this Moroccan actor keeps getting cast as Satan in Biblical epics. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/11 "2013-03-18T19:10:11Z")
I haven’t seen the show. Is the whole cast Middle Eastern, or just the bad guys? ---
**Author:** ![EMCEE\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@EMCEE\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EMCEE_98)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/12 "2013-03-18T19:15:41Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Racist. > > 😃 Can’t. Stop. Laughing 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/13 "2013-03-18T19:16:46Z")
Executive producer Roma Downey plays Mary. ---
**Author:** ![EMCEE\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5ac83/32.png) [@EMCEE\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EMCEE_98)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/14 "2013-03-18T19:18:08Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I can see where people might think this guy looks like Obama if he were 10 or 20 years older. But I bet if you cast any one of thousands of African or Middle Eastern guys people would see the same resemblance. Obama is part Kenyan and part Northern European; I have no idea about Ouazzani’s family, but I know Morocco is nowhere near Kenya. On the other hand I bet someone could write a sociology paper about the fact that this Moroccan actor keeps getting cast as Satan in Biblical epics. The guy in makeup looks a helluva lot like Obama, at least in the stillshots I’ve seen. If I had to guess, I’d imagine it was done on purpose. Also, when in our pop culture is El Diablo ever represented by someone of African descent? :dubious: ETA: Just saw SpoilerVirgin’s post. Seriously? I must not be brushed up on my Biblical saga viewings. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/15 "2013-03-18T19:51:58Z")
This is so perfect I have to share: [History Channel’s The Bible devil looks like Barack Obama](http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-bible-obama-devil-20130318,0,2745652.story) But not JUST the Bible and Obama, nooooo, to me he looks more like Obama and Emperor Palpatine had a baby. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA There you go folks, your cultural literacy for 2013 in one little blip. The Bible, Barack Obama, and Star Wars. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/16 "2013-03-18T19:56:26Z")
> **[Note to Self -- Don't make the Devil look like a current Political Leader](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=685536)** > > http://tv.yahoo.com/news/bible-stirs-controversy-satan-resemblance-president-barack-obama-141717141.html \[/quote\] ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/17 "2013-03-18T20:00:28Z")
Aw crud. Will the mods merge? or just shut down. phooey. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/18 "2013-03-18T20:15:12Z")
Merged the two threads. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/19 "2013-03-18T21:30:56Z")
I’ve been watching it and, frankly, it didn’t occur to me at all. The only place he’s shown up so far was in the temptations of Jesus, and with the color pallete and the way the scene was done, it was pretty hard to even tell the guy’s race. It really seems more to me like people either looking at it as “Obama is the Anti-Christ” or the opposite extreme and make the connection. I also don’t get the criticism that all the key roles are beautiful people. Yes, many of the women are beautiful, but in a lot of cases, they’re specifically said or believed to have been beautiful, like Delilah or Bathsheba. I certainly don’t think the actor playing Abraham, Samuel, Saul, Nathan, or Jeremiah were beautiful people. I do think some of their casting decisions were interesting, many of the people were of Middle Eastern decent, but if anything I like that some of the ones were filled by black actors, since they’re probably as or more likely to be around than white ones. Mary and Jesus are both clearly white and attractive people, but I also think the actors fairly well resemble a lot of the art we’re familiar with, so its a reasonable casting decision to me. Frankly, I don’t see the controversy here at all as anything other than getting worked up over nothing. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273/20 "2013-03-18T22:09:05Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Racist. > > 😃 _searches [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com)_ :eek: Akk! It’s official…I **am** a racist! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-to-self-dont-make-the-devil-look-like-a-current-political-leader/653273.md?page=2)