Mo’aweyah, a television series centering on the life of Muawiya, founder of the Umayyad dynasty and considered the first caliph, caused quite a stir in Iraq, Egypt and elsewhere.
The first two episodes of the series are 30 episode shows about the founders of the Umayyadh dynasty, which began airing from the beginning of the Holy Moon of Ramadan. Produced by MBC Saudi Arabia, the series was filmed in Tunisia with a production budget of $100 million.
The series’ author, Khaled Sarah, was an Egyptian journalist and Palestinian-American film director Tarek Al Ali.
Recently, the airing of “Moa Waia” in Iraq was banned due to the possibility of sectarian tensions, and Al-Azar’s Egyptian religious figures denounced it and banned it for their portrayal of religious figures.
The Middle Eastern Eye calls Muawiya a controversial figure among Shia Muslims to see the so-called heroes of the story. Muawiya was born five years ago, the Prophet Prophet, son of Abu Sufian and Hind bint Utba, the prophets of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Initially he opposed the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but after the Muslim conquest of Mecca, Muawiya and his family converted to Islam.
According to Sunni Muslims, Muawiya became one of the scribes of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and after the end of the Prophet, he was appointed by the first caliph, Abu Bakr, as the assistant commander of the conquest of the Levant. He was promoted to the caliph of Umar ibn al-Kattab and became governor of the Levant during the caliph of Usman, the third caliph.
After Usman’s death, Muawiya refused to pledge allegiance to Imam Ali (pbuh) and under the pretext of seeking vengeance from Usman, he rose to Imam Ali (pbuh). The people of the Levant pledged allegiance to him and revenged the wage war against Usman and Imam Ali (Pbuh).
This led to the first civil war of Islam, the Battle of Camels, and the Battle of Siffin, later known as the First Fitna.
After the martialism of Imam Ali of 40 AH, Muawiya ruled Egypt, declared the Caliph and established Damascus as the capital. After the martialism of Imam Ali, Muslims pledged their loyalty to Imam Hassan (Pbuh). In the subsequent war between the army of Imam Hassan (Pbuh) and Muawiyah forces, the betrayal of the army commander of Imam Hassan signed a peace treaty and Muawiyah became the caliph. Many early sources blame Muawiya for addiction to Imam Hassan (PBUH).
Under Muawiya’s rule, Islamic territory expanded to North Africa, Anatolia, Central Asia and what is now Iran. He appointed his son Yajid as his successor despite the peace treaty with Imam Hassan (Pbuh), and eventually established a genetic monarchy in which Imam Hussein (Pbuh) and his companions led to the tragedy of the marty Asura.
Shiite Muslims saw Muawiya as someone who transformed the caliph into a genetic monarchy and fought against Imam Ali (Pbuh) and fought against the poison Imam Hassan (Pbuh).
It’s prohibited in Iraq
As a result of Shia beliefs about Muawiya, the new series will soon be banned in Iraq, and the Iraqi Communications Committee announced on Saturday that airing such controversial historical content could lead to debates of sects that threaten social cohesion and destroy community peace, particularly during the month of Ramadan. The committee ordered MBC Iraq not to broadcast the program.
It has also been suggested that the series’ airing could lead to a diplomatic conflict between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Two years ago, when the series was originally scheduled to air, Iraqi influenced Shea clergy and political figure Muktada al-Saddle called for the series to be cancelled entirely.
He described Muawiya as the first pioneer to oppose sectarian and persecuting fellow prophets, Imam Ali (Pbuh), and first to undermine Islamic unity. He also accused Muawiya of first planning the murder of the fellow prophet (pbuh).
Just two years ago, in February 2023, he said airing such a series was inconsistent with Saudi Arabia’s new moderate policy, reminding him that there is no need to hurt the feelings of Muslim brothers around the world. At the time, Iraqi television network Al Shayer warned him to produce a series about Abul Lulu, an Iranian warrior who killed Umar Ibn al-Qatab, a figure of Shiite Muslims respected in response to the airing of “Moaweya.”
As Muawiya was not representing Sunni Islam and Abul Lulu was not representing Shiite Islam, Alsadr rejected both series, calling it false and division. He also called those who “broadcast false history series” “masters of sectarianism.” MBC didn’t respond, but this could be the reason the series was delayed two years.
Prohibition of depictions of early Islamic figures
Aside from the possibility of stimulating sectarian tensions, the series has been criticized for portraying a considerable number of early Islam figures, including portrayals of Imam Ali and Imam Hassan (Pbuh). This led to a legal dispute in Egypt where lawyers filed a lawsuit to prevent the series from airing due to portrayal of Imam Ali (PBUH).
The impact of the Saudi Arabian media
The series was written by Egyptian journalist Khaled Salah and directed by Palestinian-American film director Tarek Al-Arian. After Palestinian actor Ali Sliman retracted from playing the role, Syrian actor Rohan Ismail took on the role of Muawiya. Other actors include Ayed Nassar, who plays the roles of Asma Galal, Aicha Ben Ahmed, Jamila Chihi and Imam Ali (PBUH).
Series writer Khaled Sarah responded to criticism, saying that his goal was not to present a particular story, but to write history in black and white. He added that Muawiya is portrayed not only as a ruler, but as someone who made mistakes and encountered his destiny like everyone.
The series was filmed in Tunisia at Carthaginian Film Studios in 2023, with additional scenes filmed in Mahdia, Monastir and Enfida. The report found that the initial budget estimate was around $75 million, but production costs exceeded $100 million.
The series was produced by the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC), Saudi Arabia’s largest television network. Founded in London by Saudi businessman Waleed Al Ibrahim in 1991, MBC controls the Saudi media landscape, reaching approximately 140 million viewers every day. He was a prominent figure in the 2017 campaign to detain a Saudi prince at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, but was released after reaching a private agreement with Saudi authorities.
“Moaweya” began airing at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan despite the publication of Fatwa by the Grand Scholas of Al Azhar in Egypt, which prohibits watching the series.
The decision to air “More Wayya” sparked a wave of debate online, particularly due to the portrayal of several major historical figures. Al-Azhar is consistently opposed to portraying these characters in film and television.
Last Tuesday, the MBC Group released a promotional teaser entitled “The Epic of Muawiya: The Empire’s Tale of an Empire Writing an Unforgettable History from the East to the West.”
Taking advantage of the holy month of Ramadan
The Holy Moon of Ramadan is the time when most Arab TV series first aired, and is the most content-rich time for networks across the region.
This is not the first time MBC Saudi Arabia has faced protests by creating a television series about controversial events in Islamic history, particularly events that stimulate division between Shia and Sunni Muslims.
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