A priest and an Imam… no, this is not the beginning of a joke, this is an introduction to Amazon Prime’s new advertisement which celebrates religion and unity.
“To date, our Amazon Prime advertisements have celebrated every day heroes – telling stories of people who realize they can do something clever to help a loved one and use Amazon Prime to save the day,” explained Julie Law, a spokesperson for Amazon. “Whether that be the Grandad who buys a leaf blower to help push his grandchild on a swing, or the woman whose ingenious use of a dog door helps the lonely tiny horse enjoy her home.”
The advertisement will be featured in advertisement breaks for major TV shows through the holidays, including Empire, Blue Bloods, The Today Show and NBC Nightly News. The ad will also be aired on TV in the UK, Germany and Austria.
Law explained the background behind the video:
“The advertisement tells a story of a Christian Pastor and a Muslim Imam who are lifelong friends but aren’t as sprightly as they were in their youth. One day the Pastor has a moment of inspiration and decides to do something to make the Imam’s life and work a little easier. What the Pastor doesn’t know, is the Imam also has the same idea for the Pastor.
We have worked with representatives of faiths across the globe, in the US that includes Interfaith Alliance, The National Council of Churches Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), in order to make sure we were both accurate and respectful. Our casting reflects this: the gentleman playing the Vicar is a practicing Vicar in London; the gentleman playing the Imam is a devout Muslim and the Principal of a Muslim School. We used an actual church and mosque for our scenes within the places of worship. The church is the St Dunstan and All Saints Stepney Church in London. The mosque being used is the East London Mosque in London. Both our main UK advisors are from these places of worship.”
Several other media outlets are asking if this was released due to election results or if the video had anything to do with President-elect Donald Trump.
Law confirmed that this advertisement was produced and booked to appear on TV before the election result was known. It was conceived, filmed and edited out of the UK this summer.
Either way, the video shows a beautiful friendship and a wonderful concept.
