- Title: Ramadan period drama with Jewish characters stirs debate in Middle East
- Date: 29th April 2020
- Summary: ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT (FILE - JANUARY 10, 2020) (REUTERS) INTERIOR OF ELIYAHU HANAVI SYNAGOGUE DURING REOPENING EVENT AFTER COMPLETION OF 2-YEAR RENOVATION PROJECT STAR OF DAVID INSIDE SYNAGOGUE HEBREW SCRIPTURE INSIDE SYNAGOGUE INTERIOR OF SYNAGOGUE
- Embargoed: 13th May 2020 14:00
- Keywords: Arab Jews Israel Jews Middle East Peace Plan Palestinians Ramadan Ramadan period drama Saudi UAE
- Location: AJMAN, UAE / ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT / DEIR AS-SUDAN AND RAMALLAH, WEST BANK / RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
- City: AJMAN, UAE / ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT / DEIR AS-SUDAN AND RAMALLAH, WEST BANK / RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
- Country: UAE
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Television
- Reuters ID: LVA002CBJOPXX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A period drama about the trials of a Jewish midwife airing on Saudi-controlled MBC for Ramadan has drawn both criticism as an attempt to promote Arab "normalisation" with Israel and praise for a rare exploration of the Gulf's social history.
"Umm Haroun", a fictional series about a multi-religious community in an unspecified Gulf Arab state in the 1930s to 1950s, began airing on Friday (April 24) as part of MBC's lineup for the Muslim holy month, when viewership typically spikes.
It comes at a time when several Gulf states have broken with the recent past and made overtures to Israel, with which they have found common ground in confronting Iran.
A group of regional organisations against normalising ties with Israel circulated a poster on social media urging viewers to boycott "the wicked drama", which was produced by Kuwait- and United Arab Emirates-based companies.
The show's writers, Bahraini brothers Muhammad and Ali Abdel Halim Shams, told Reuters that it had no political message.
Some, including Saudi Arabia, have also backed a U.S. Middle East peace plan to move on from a conflict they say holds back the Arab world. Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab states that have peace deals with Israel.
MBC, the Arab world's largest private broadcaster, said that according to its data the show is the top-rated Gulf drama in Saudi Arabia for Ramadan and among the top five dramas across genres.
(Production: Mohamad Ben Mansour, Nael Shyoukhi, Ismail Khader, Mustafa Abu Ghaneyeh, Tarek Fahmy) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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