The mystery over God's removal from Air New Zealand's in-flight movie The Queen appears to have been solved - the film was probably a version intended for Middle Eastern airlines.
Air New Zealand says it was sent the wrong version and has asked for an unedited one afterbaffled passengers complained that all mentions of God were bleeped out of the movie.
Air New Zealand spokeswoman Pam Wong suspected the word had been edited out at the request of other airlines.
A spokeswoman for Flight Productions, which supplied the film, told the Herald from Los Angeles yesterday that she, too, was not exactly sure why the word was removed.
The most likely explanation was that some Middle Eastern airlines had wanted it taken out, although she would need to make further checks.
But Auckland Muslims were puzzled at the move.
Hassan Hosseini, an Iranian community spokesman in Auckland, said he could not see why it would have been a problem with Muslims, as Allah was God.
"We believe in God, we would not be offended. We use the word God."
The Anglican Dean of Auckland, Richard Randerson, said he had seen The Queen at the cinema and could not recall much use of the word God.
"There were plenty of other words. I think the Queen said 'bugger' when her four-wheel-drive vehicle got stuck in a Highland creek."
The bishop said a film should be true to its context with factual and accurate representations.
"Conversation and literature can be so much more weakened by tying ourselves in knots trying to avoid words we think might give offence to someone."
Chief censor Bill Hastings said he could not understand who would want to remove the word God.
"I thought Islam was concerned with images of God, not verbal references."
