A senior figure from Egypt's highest religious authority has reportedly urged viewers to avoid watching the new Ramadan series Muawiya by Saudi broadcaster MBC, citing its sensitive subject matter and portrayal of key religious figures.
Speaking to Egyptian outlet Masry Al Youm, Abdel Fattah Abdel Ghani Al Awari, a member of Al Azhar's Senior Scholars Authority, stated that the portrayal of the title character – Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, a scribe of the Quran during the time of the Prophet Mohammed and later the first caliph of the Umayyad dynasty – is religiously unacceptable. He cited numerous rulings prohibiting the depiction of revered figures in Islamic tradition.
Al Azhar has yet to publish an official fatwa declaring its formal position regarding the series.
Muawiya’s sensitive subject matter – detailing the schism within the early Muslim community after Caliph Uthman ibn Affan’s assassination, which led to Muawiya establishing the Umayyad state – has also sparked controversy in Iraq.
Authorities banned the show, citing fears of “sectarian disputes” and threats to “social peace”. The Communications and Media Commission ordered affiliate channel MBC Iraq, which airs the series nightly, to comply or face legal action. MBC has yet to issue an official statement on the ruling or respond to a request for comment from The National. Muawiya remains available on its streaming platform, Shahid.
Egyptian screenwriter Khaled Salah took to Facebook on March 2 to defend the series. While not mentioning the Iraqi ban or comments from Al Awari, his lengthy post described the show as more than just a depiction of the political struggles of that period.
“Our story in this series is not about a man who sought power for power’s sake, nor about a figure predestined to win or lose,” he said. “It is the journey of a man who learnt how to manoeuvre with the wind, who knew that confronting the storm with stubborn defiance leads only to ruin, and who mastered the art of sailing, aware that the sea bows only to those who understand its tides.
“This is why Muawiya is, in essence, a profoundly dramatic figure – not a leader who resolved matters solely by the sword, but a strategist who calculated every step and understood that, in the end, time itself is the shrewdest player.”
Mazen Hayek, a media consultant in Dubai and former official representative for MBC, predicts the controversy will only boost the show's ratings. He cites a similar response to MBC’s 2012 Ramadan hit Omar, a biographical series about the Prophet Mohammed's companion Omar ibn Al-Khattab, portrayed by Syrian actor Samer Ismail.
“Religious fatwas and bans tend to drive TV show ratings, not the other way around,” he says. “There are plenty of precedents for this in the region and across various genres – from the Turkish soap opera Noor in 2008, which was described by religious clerics as ‘subversive’ and ‘un-Islamic,’ to the brilliant Saudi comedy series Tash Ma Tash, which frequently faced calls for bans and boycotts. Yet, these shows remain popular years later, proving that such an approach doesn’t work.”
Hayek, who was often the public face of MBC during the airing of Omar and Black Crows – the 2017 pan-Arab series about life under ISIS, which was taken off air during its Ramadan run – said that during his tenure, the broadcaster was careful in the crafting its content. “The goal is never to inflame sectarian tensions but to create engaging, thought-provoking content while preserving societal norms,” he states.
He also sees Muawiya as part of a growing global trend in historical dramas, where past events are reinterpreted in bold and thought-provoking ways.
“The backlash against Muawiya will not slow this trend. Telling our own stories, both to the Middle East region and the world, is always better than being mere recipients of narratives shaped by others.”
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Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
FIGHT CARD
From 5.30pm in the following order:
Featherweight
Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Welterweight
Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
Catchweight 100kg
Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)
Featherweight
James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)
Welterweight
Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Bantamweight:
Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
