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Kuwait cancels Ramadan series |
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 MBC cancelled its Ramadan series Lil Khataya Thaman (Sins Have a Price) three days before it was due to air, at the urging of Kuwaiti officials. The Kuwaiti-produced musalsal was to tell the story of a young woman who seeks wealth and luxury through a mutaa marriage, a temporary marriage sanctioned by Shiite Islam.
The storyline drew condemnation across mostly-Sunni Kuwait, although audiences were yet to watch a single episode. Objections were based on the assumption that the series would negatively portray mutaa marriage and degrades Shiism.
Ahmad Al Assaf, head of MBC’s Kuwait Bureau, told MEB Journal that the reaction came as a surprise, given that 90 percent of the staff working on the production is Shiite. “What was strange about this situation,” said Al Assaf, “is that there was a verdict passed on the work before it even debuted.”
Leading Kuwaiti religious figures and members of parliament issued statements condemning the work. Shiite cleric Mohammad Baqer al-Mahri said the series “serves the enemies of Islam who are conspiring against the unity of Muslims.” An MBC statement said the series does not include deliberate insults to anyone.
Walid Bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, MBC Group’s chairman, decided to scrap the series after meeting with Kuwaiti officials, who insisted that it should not be aired.
Kuwaiti national Nayef Al Rashed, executive producer of Lil Khataya Thaman, told MEB Journal that the press uproar on his series was the work of “writers looking for fame, who greatly exaggerated the story and built it on inaccuracies.” Al Rashed – who also wrote the script and starred as the main actor – said the mutaa marriage “is not a sensitive subject. It is known, and legal, and present even in the Jaafari and Sunni sects.”
Objections to the production started when an anonymous text message was sent throughout Kuwait’s cellphone network warning people that the upcoming series would be an insult to religion. As a result, passersby threw stones at MBC and Al Arabiya offices in Kuwait.
“As artists, it is our duty to present and confront social issues,” said Al Rashed. “I have a right of expression and I will not go back on my beliefs.” MBC has continued to support his work, said Al Rashed, and he maintains that they are prepared to air more of his productions. |
