Magharebia.com – Co-producer of “Ramadan Primetime” discusses anti-terrorist television shows during Ramadan (Magharebia.com)

Co-producer of “Ramadan Primetime” discusses anti-terrorist television shows during Ramadan (Magharebia.com)
Co-producer of “Ramadan Primetime” discusses anti-terrorist television shows during Ramadan

13/10/2006

Souheila Al-Jadda, a journalist and producer, talks to Magharebia about Ramadan programming, specifically the emergence of anti-terrorism serials, explaining their role in promoting peace and tolerance.

By Farah Kinani for Magharebia in Washington – 13/10/06

[File] Al-Jadda says Ramadan television series can promote peace and tolerance.

Souheila Al-Jadda co-produced “Ramadan Primetime”, a 30-minute documentary about specially-crafted Ramadan primetime programming shown on dozens of Arabic television channels.

Magharebia: Why is Ramadan starting to be related to anti-terror serials?

Souheila Al-Jadda: I believe that many Arab governments are realising they need to take a more proactive role in warning the public about terrorism. Part of their interest is security-related and another part is about public awareness. These serials reflect reality. Screenwriters are also interested in touching upon the social, political and international issues of today that affect Arabs. There is a desire by governments to fund such programmes, as many are state-funded, and there is also a desire by the media itself to touch upon these issues, which are part of Arab society.

Magharebia: Do you think those serials can really help fight terrorism?

Al-Jadda: Yes. Anything that promotes peace, tolerance and understanding is good. Terrorists are already convinced of their so-called “divine mission”. But it’s the young recruits at whom serials are aimed. So yes, I think that they can help fight terrorism by raising awareness about what Islam prohibits and allows in conducting armed conflict or warfare – which is that killing civilians is strictly prohibited.

Magharebia: In “Al Marikoun”, one of the serials directed by Najdat Anzour, the actors sometimes speak in English. To what extent can this help change the image of Islam and Muslims in the minds of non-Muslim viewers?

Al-Jadda: I don’t think that non-Muslims who do not speak Arabic are really watching these shows. They are probably too busy watching television in their own languages.

But the introduction of another language is interesting. It depends how the language is used. I think that Arabs already have enough knowledge of American culture through watching American television shows on Arab satellite stations. These shows are subtitled in Arabic. Last year, MBC showed “The Simpsons”. There are also serials that are shown like “Alias” and lots and lots of American movies. Whether Arabs and Muslims like it or not is hard to say.

Arab respondents to a 2004 University of Maryland/Zogby International poll were asked whether their attitudes toward the United States were “based more on American values or on American policy in the Middle East”. A majority of respondents cited US policy: 86% in Saudi Arabia, 80% in Lebanon, 79% in Morocco, 76% in Jordan and 75% in the UAE. This tells me that Arabs and Muslims are more critical of Western policy than they are of western culture.

Magharebia: The documentary you produced was more about what Arabs watch during Ramadan. What are they watching?

Al-Jadda: They are watching everything from comedy, like one show about two Egyptian spinsters, to historical shows, like “Bab Al Hara”, about life in Damascus during the Ottoman period, to cooking and religious shows. The nice thing about Ramadan programming is that there is a lot of variety. You can watch Kuwaiti, Syrian, Egyptian, or Gulf dramas. There is something for everyone.