Parliament was debating the book and film at the request of several Coptic Christian members who demanded a ban.
Georgette Sobhi, a Coptic member, held up a copy of the book and the Arabic translation and said it contained material which was seriously offensive.
"It's based on Zionist myths, and it contains insults towards Christ, and it insults the Christian religion and Islam," she said.
A central part of the fictional plot is that Christ married Mary Magdalene and that their descendants are alive today.
India's largest film festival kicked off Wednesday in Dubai, as a number of Bollywood stars descended on this booming Gulf city state where Indians make up the largest ethnic community.
The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) chose Dubai as the venue for its
seventh annual Weekend and Awards, which has become India's equivalent of the Oscars.
Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who is also IIFA's "brand ambassador," launched this year's event at a press conference, flanked by representatives of Dubai government-backed organisations co-hosting IIFA's extravaganza.
"Our cinema requires to be seen by more people," said Bachchan, commending IIFA's work to promote Bollywood globally, a move which initially "people in the West were cynical about."
Bachchan also heaped praise on the host city, calling Dubai a "unique miracle," referring to the dramatic pace of development in this flourishing desert emirate.
"Today, it's not just another city. It is a meeting point for the cultures of the West and of the East," he said.
RSS