Da Vinci film protests stepped up

Christian groups in many Asian nations have stepped up their protests against The Da Vinci Code film ahead of its planned global release this week.

Its release in India is likely to be delayed after a furore that has seen Islamic clerics in Mumbai (Bombay) back a call by Catholics for a boycott.

South Korea's Christian Council has unsuccessfully tried to ban the film.

And Thai censors want to cut the last 10 minutes, having been persuaded by critics that they are "blasphemous".

The film is adapted from Dan Brown's best-seller, which revolves around the theory that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and their descendants survive today.

The blockbuster has caused outrage among many Christian organisations, including senior officials at the Vatican.

In India, which is home to 18 million Catholics, the head of the Catholic Secular Forum has begun a "hunger strike until death".

Christian activist Joseph Dias
Activist Joseph Dias says his hunger strike will continue "until death"
Joseph Dias said he wanted others to join him and pledged to continue until the film was banned.

His organisation has described The Da Vinci Code as "offensive" because it breaches "certain basic foundations of the religion".

The Indian government has temporarily halted the film's release, saying it must address concerns before the movie is screened.

The country's information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said he had received more than 200 complaints.

He has requested a special screening, which may delay the original release date "by a day or two", he said. The film is due to come out around the world on Friday.

"We are a secular country," he said. "On any sensitive issue, we should take action after we examine every aspect. We have to be careful."