According to Deadline, The Royal Film Commission of Jordan has requested that Netflix not show the provocative drama Messiah in the predominantly Muslim country.  A press conference was held by the Jordanian government organization’s Managing Director, Mohannad al-Bakr, with local media on Monday in Amman to make the announcement, which could also be found on the RFC’s Web site.

The commission’s statement read, “Having been made aware of its content, the RFC has asked officially the management of Netflix to refrain from streaming it in Jordan.”

Messiah was created by Michael Petroni and produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, and explores the lines among religion, faith and politics. When a CIA officer investigates a man attracting international attention and followers through acts of public disruption, she embarks on a global, high-stakes mission to uncover whether he is a divine entity or a deceptive con artist.

A Netflix spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline, “Messiah is a work of fiction.  It is not based on any one character, figure or religion. All Netflix shows feature ratings and information to help members make their own decisions about what’s right for them and their families.”

The RFC’s announcement represents an about-face for the organization. Its statement acknowledges that Messiah was partially shot in the Kingdom in 2018. According to sources, the RFC had reviewed synopses for the series’ episodes before approving the shoot and granting the show tax credit.

“For the last few months, the Board of the RFC has worked to reassess its policies and has reached the conclusion that it will change its policy with regard to productions shooting in Jordan, by making sure the content doesn’t breach the laws of the country,” the RFC said.

The Messiah trailer, released earlier this month, sparked controversy over the name al-Masih, prompting a change.org petition urging a boycott of the series. It has not received a wide support, garnering just over 4,000 signatures so far. Also raising eyebrows in the Middle East is a scene in the series involving shooting on Jerusalem’s sacred Temple Mount.

Petroni told AFP earlier this month in response to the controversy, “yes it’s provocative — the show is provocative, but provocative isn’t offensive.”

The first of the reviews for Messiah appear to support Petroni’s statement.

According to the CNN review, “Despite concerns that it would be anti-Muslim based on the trailer, the series leaves the audience guessing throughout about whether the mysterious figure referred to by some as Al-Masih (Belgian actor Mehdi Dehbi), or Arabic for “the messiah,” is really who people believe him to be, or some sort of false prophet and con artist.”

Netflix plans to release Messiah, co-starring Michelle Monaghan, John Ortiz and Tomer Sisley, on Wednesday as scheduled.