Timing of Bin Laden Movie Release: Is it an Election Ploy?

According to The Associated Press, a film dramatizing the killing of Osama bin Laden will debut on the National Geographic Channel just two days before the presidential election.

“Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden” will air on Nov. 4. But there have been questions raised about whether the timing of this is specifically to aid the president in his re-election bid since it was produced by a big fundraiser for the president’s campaign. The killing of Osama Bin Laden has been touted by President Barack Obama’s supporters as one of the major successes of his presidency.

National Geographic has denied any political allegiance and claims  one of the reasons for this particular date was a desire to get ahead of a competitive movie about the raid to be released at the end of the year, “The Heat Locker.”

There are others, however, who have their concerns about potential violence if either of these movies are released. During the , a YouTube movie reportedly insulting the Prophet Mohammad has been blamed for sparking the violence. However, rioters have been seen chanting “Obama this is for Osama” during some of the riots.

In the light of these recent events, do you think it is wise to release either of these movies at this time? Or do you believe, that like the YouTube video, supressing them would be a violation of freedom of speech?