Satan-Obama likeness claims ‘nonsense’

Irish actress and producer Roma Downey has described as “utter nonsense” chatter sweeping the internet claiming the satan character in her mini-series, The Bible, bears a remarkable resemblance to US President Barack Obama.

Derry native Downey and husband, Mark Burnett, produced the 10 hour mini-series for the History Channel — and it’s been a huge hit in the United States. She also stars in the production.

But the appearance of Satan, played by Moroccan actor Mehdi Ouazanni, on Sunday night left many viewers stunned by the resemblance with the President.

The online chatter was fuelled also by comments made by hugely popular right wing radio talk show host Glenn Beck, who tweeted: “Does satan look EXACTLY like Obama? Yes!”

He later backtracked, claiming he was only making a joke.

But Downey and Burnett were still forced into making a statement, claiming all the internet chatter was “utter nonsense”, adding that the actor has previously starred in other biblical projects, portraying “satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our president”.

Downey, a committed Christian who advocates mandatory bible studies in all schools, added: “Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love for our president, who is a fellow Christian. False statements such as these are just designed as a foolish distraction to try and discredit the beauty of the story of The Bible.”

The History Channel also issued a statement, saying it had the “highest respect” for Obama and that “it’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection”.