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| Africa North |
| Egyptian government bans Nasser series |
| 2008-09-04 |
| Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Egypt's illustrious former president, is the subject of a new television series, but Egyptians will not be able to see it this Ramadan following a ban that local press attribute to government fears of public incitement. Press reports accused the Egyptian Information Ministry of banning the television series 'Nasser' about the late president from official channels for political reasons and out of fear of inciting public anger at a time of hardship for average Egyptians. Last year a Ramadan series on King Farouk also stirred controversy but was not banned. Minister of Information Anas al-Fiqi denied allegations that the government is worried about inciting public anger and labeled them "naïve" given that the Radio and Television Union, an official body, had produced a movie about the late president. Fiqi told the semi-official Al-Gomhuria newspaper that the series is not fit for Ramadan since most of the series aired at that time are basically for entertainment. "This is a series that requires careful and analytical watching and it is not proper to put a leader as important as Nasser amongst a group of entertainment series," Fiqi was quoted as saying. The 'Nasser' series tells the story of his life from 1926 until his death in 1970. Writer Youssri al-Gindi refused to attribute the ban to government fears that it would mobilize people and incite rebellion against the current political and economic situation in Egypt: "It doesn't make any sense that a T.V. series would incite rebellion even if people sympathize with it," he said. Producer of the series Mohamed Fawzi expressed his surprise about that ban, noting that a large selection of television series air during Ramadan, including historical, social and dramatic programs. Syrian-Palestinian director of the series Bassel al-Khateeb, responding to rumors that the series was banned because he is not Egyptian, said that such allegations hinder a true understanding of the character's depth. "Nasser is not an Egyptian figure," said Khateeb. "He is an Arab leader who left his mark on the entire Arab world and not only on contemporary Egyptian history." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 The Prophet did not watch TV at all during Ramadan. Why do modern Muslims watch TV during Ramadan? |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-09-04 15:14 |