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| Arabia | |
| Anti-terror Ramadan TV drama stirs the Arab world | |
| 2005-11-02 | |
| More evidence we are winning. Reg required A blockbuster Ramadan television drama broadcast across the Arab world has broken new ground by daring to question the motives of terrorism committed in the name of Allah. The plotline of al-Hur al-Ayn (Beautiful Maidens), has proved enormously controversial with its makers denounced by an angry fundamentalist minority. But it has also been hugely popular with an Arabic-speaking public fed up with the cliched portrayal of all Muslims as gun-toting fanatics. By highlighting the way innocent Muslims can also become victims of religious extremism, the drama is challenging the stereotypes that bedevil the Arab world. Another recent drama entitled al Tareeq al-Waer, or Rugged Path, showed how those who try to attack non-Muslims in the name of Allah become corrupted and lose their moral authority. In the Ghazali family household in Wadi Kadum, East Jerusalem, the finale of Beautiful Maidens, to be broadcast on the last night of Ramadan, is eagerly awaited. Amani Ghazali, 20, has watched all 29 previous instalments, which focus on life inside a compound in Saudi Arabia filled with families from other Arab nations. The plot, based on a true story, describes how Saudi fundamentalists attack the compound for religious reasons, killing eight fellow Muslims. "The programme tries to say Islam is not a terrorist religion by focusing on the normal Muslims who suffer at the hands of a small terrorist minority," Amani said. For her mother, Sana, 37, the story line was particularly powerful as she spent her childhood living in a compound as an expat Arab in Saudi Arabia. "I believe the programme has shown two sides of Islam," she said. "One is a normal Muslim, who has a normal life. And one is an abnormal Muslim who wants to fight the Americans, to make jihad. But in practice, he is not fighting Americans, he is fighting his own people. "She said the programme brought home how different she feels from those Muslims who commit terrorist acts in the name of religion. "I am a Muslim," she said. "I pray five times a day, I fast during Ramadan. But I do not like the radicals who grow beards and wear flowing gowns. "They claim they represent Islam. Their image was ugly in the series and in life. They recruit disenchanted people, who have social problems, and they are stupid."
An advert for the drama, broadcast in the weeks before Ramadan, said the programme was dedicated to "all innocent victims of terror". "The series is aimed at those who have not made up their minds about terrorism yet," Mr Anzour said. "We want to tell them that Islam is a religion of tolerance, peace and dialogue. It's not a religion of violence." The title of the programme is taken from the widely held belief that Islamic terrorists willing to become martyrs do so because the Koran promises them 72 virgins in heaven. In fact, the Koran makes no mention of 72 virgins and does not encourage suicide bombing or self-martyrdom. The spread of satellite television across the Arab world has entrenched TV dramas as a key feature of Ramadan. With families gathering for the traditional feast to end the day of fasting, there is a captive audience. | |
| Posted by:phil_b |
| #9 "This is a pure propaganda play. It wasn't aimed at the Muslim world, but at us." If theyre showing their people stuff like this, to assuage us, thats fine by me. Isnt that the point of pressure? To get someone to do what you want? I agree that we ALSO need less of the vile stuff. As for both coming out of KSA, well,as weve all learned, thats a pretty schizoid place. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2005-11-02 13:56 |
| #8 You don't understand, Seafarious. Outside of the enlightened enclaves such as Manhattan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin, our nation is overrun by seething masses of white supremacists being organized by frothing televangelists. Just ask Sly Rocky Rambo. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-11-02 13:50 |
| #7 I caught the very end of last night's Law & Order Criminal Intent (the one with the execrable Vincent D'Onofrio). They had terrorists on trial. White supremacist terrorists. In New York City. With Hitler salutes, and denunciations of the 'infidels' on the witness stand. Sigh. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-11-02 11:56 |
| #6 I grew up with a passel of "normal" Muslims(Iranians) in Hayden Lake,Idaho of all places... they're fine people, this article, I believe, is hitting the mark right in the bullseye. |
| Posted by: bk 2005-11-02 10:52 |
| #5 "One is a normal Muslim, who has a normal life. And one is an abnormal Muslim who wants to fight the Americans, to make jihad. But in practice, he is not fighting Americans, he is fighting his own people. dedicated to "all innocent victims of terror". |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-11-02 10:28 |
| #4 Interesting that it takes Muslim on Muslim violence to get any reaction because you know killing Infidels is expected, and a duty from time to time. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz (no T!) 2005-11-02 09:54 |
| #3 "We want to tell them that Islam is a religion of tolerance, peace and dialogue. It's not a religion of violence." *cough*Bullshit*cough* So long as these TV series run alongside dramatizations of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, etc., I don't think it means a hill of beans. The Saudis bankrolled it -- at the same time they're still pumping jihadi literature into mosques around the world. This is a pure propaganda play. It wasn't aimed at the Muslim world, but at us. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-11-02 07:48 |
| #2 Very interesting. They love their dramas - to the extreme. As with all story-telling, if you can hook their attention, give them characters they can identify with, you have a blank canvas upon which to write your message. If this doesn't create the wiggle room for the Victims 101 bullshit, then good on Anzour. The "based on a true story" statement makes me curious - it's got to be one of the two Riyadh attacks, May 12, 2003 - or Nov 9, 2003. The point I'm after is that the majority of the dead in both attacks were ex-pats - not Saudis. Same for the al Khobar massacre in May, 04. How many were Muzzies in each attack is problematic - and if the second (??) Riyadh bombing rumors were true, that bombing was because someone thought them impious - there was supposed to be a brothel inside frequented by connected Saudi, IIRC. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-11-02 04:02 |
| #1 Anti-terror Ramadan TV drama stirs the Arab world question: what doesn't stir up the Arab world? |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-11-02 03:32 |