http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=112178&d=28&m=7&y=2008
Monday 28 July 2008 (24 Rajab 1429)
Kingdom's grand mufti condemns 'malicious' Turkish soap operas
Hassna'a Mokhtar | Arab News
JEDDAH: The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz
Al-Asheikh, has condemned Turkish soap operas, which have charmed millions of
people across the Arab world, and prohibited people from watching them,
Al-Watan daily reported yesterday.
"It is not permitted to look at these serials or watch them.
They contain so much evil; they destroy people's ethics and are against our
values," said the mufti during the closing ceremony of a forum, which took
place in Riyadh on Friday. He added that these "malicious" Turkish soap operas
corrupt individuals and spread vice in society.
"Any TV station that airs them is against God and His
Messenger (peace be upon him). These are serials of immorality. They are
prepared by people who are specialists in crime and error, people who invite
men and women to the devil."
Al-Asheikh was referring to two Turkish soap operas, "Noor"
and "Lost Years," which have become extremely popular in the Arab world over
the last couple of months. The soaps are dubbed in colloquial Syrian Arabic and
are currently being shown on channels run by the MBC Group.
The soaps are proving such a big draw in the Kingdom that
many people plan their day around the programs, which have also become popular
dinner table conversation.
According to mbc.net, "Noor" has become "a turning point in
the lives of its Arab audience and the way Arabs view Turkish dramas."
"The TV series is awaited daily by millions of eager Arab
viewers from the Atlantic to the Gulf who follow the latest developments in
Muhannad and Noor's love story. It has opened the door for Arab viewers,
especially since it contains an area of romance, which Arabic dramas have
recently lacked," says MBC's webpage.
Sana, a 25-year-old mother of two, is crazy about the Turkish
family, their culture and their love story. "What infatuated me with 'Noor' is
that, unlike other love stories, we get to see what happened after the happy
ending when the couple got married," said Sana, adding that she feels the
dramas have much in common with Saudi lifestyle.
"I love the portrayal of human feelings, and their everyday
struggles in life," she said.
As a result of the soaps, Turkey expects the number of Saudi
tourists this year to top 100,000. "From 41,000 (tourists) last year to 100,000
this year - the same year this soap became phenomenally successful," said
Turkish diplomat Yasin Temizkayn. "It's more than just a coincidence."
But do people know what it is that attracts them to watch
soap operas everyday?
Nisreen Bukhari, a family therapist and marriage counselor,
said that the producers of such programs succeeded in invading the minds of
their audience and getting them addicted to them.
"Watching soap operas brings the viewer some mental
contentment... Women who have an emotional void find fulfillment in watching
this romance on a daily basis. It makes them run away from unhappy realities,"
said Bukhari.
"Another factor that draws people to their favorite soap
opera is that in the real world, they acquire a sense of self-existence and
self-awareness, while they are able to experience the characters' every
different emotion: joy, fury, sorrow, or happiness," she added.
Bukhari said that in recent counseling sessions, women
complained to her that husbands compare Noor's attitude and problems to theirs.
On the other hand, women accuse husbands of not being like Muhannad who is
sensitive and loving.
Maha Al-Hujailan, a Saudi columnist and a medical researcher
at King Khaled University Hospital in Riyadh, wrote that the women's attachment
to male characters in "Noor" and "Lost Years" cannot just be attributed to
their good looks.
"What really attracts women and gets them attached to these
characters is the romance and the way they show their genuine love to their
loved ones... Saudi women miss something important in their men: the feeling of
love and security," wrote Al-Hujailan.
A Saudi grandmother in her mid-70s told Arab News that,
although she usually watches Arabic dramas, "Noor" has turned her life upside
down.
"I couldn't sleep the night when Noor was kidnapped. Her
image haunted me. I just want to see what is at the end," she said.
