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| Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islamic L |
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| widadld |
| 11/24/03 at 20:29:41 |
| As Salaam'Alaykum I recently received this in an email and though the article to be very thought provoking on culture and cnesorship and the arts in Islam. I remember months ago reading about a fire in Saudi where many were injured-died because of laws that did not permit the man-fireman to respond to save lives. What do you think about this article? Widad Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islamic Law November 24, 2003 By NEIL MacFARQUHAR RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 19 - The three women wake to the sound of a burglar rummaging downstairs. They summon the police, don their veils and flee into the street to wait, but when the officer arrives he refuses to investigate because there is no male present. "I swear by God I would love to serve you," the officer avows, retreating to his patrol car. "But we cannot enter if your male guardian is not here." It was just one episode of what might be the most popular television series in Saudi Arabia, but it touched off both sustained outrage and peals of laughter across the kingdom. The episode raised the hackles of religious conservatives for mocking the Islamic tenets and cultural traditions they believe Saudi Arabia must maintain at all costs. More liberal Saudis relished the subtle ridicule of the way such tenets jar with modern life. "This show is a window that people can see us through, and we can show the world how we live," said Fowziyah Abukhalid, a sociologist at King Saud University. "Some of these issues used to be taboo, so to have someone talk about them and criticize them is very important." That might be considered the view of the educated intelligentsia. The religious take an entirely different stance: "In the name of God, I prohibit acting in or watching such a series," reads one of the fatwas issued by theologians against the show. Its creators, Nasser al-Qasabi and Abdullah al-Sadham, who got to know each other when studying to become agricultural engineers, have grown accustomed to setting off controversy in the 11 years they have been producing the show, "Tash Ma Tash." The name comes from a children's game and translates roughly as "You either get it or you don't." The two create just 20 episodes a year, all broadcast in prime time during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. But even the creators were taken aback by the uproar over the episode titled "Without a Mahram," or male guardian, which was the second to be shown this year. The 30-minute episode was the subject of group discussions in schools and mosques. About 40 theologians organized a protest march against the Ministry of Information, demanding that the most prominent fatwa banning the show, issued by the government's own council of religious scholars, be carried out. A few years ago it would have been unthinkable for anyone to challenge such an edict. The show would have died. This year, discussions in Internet chat rooms, which serve as a vivid barometer of public opinion in Saudi Arabia in the absence of free speech, raged back and forth between those damning the show and its loyal fans. "If you read some of this stuff, you might get the impression that we made a sex film inside the Kaaba," said Mr. Qasabi, referring to the sacred shrine at Mecca. "It is only light social criticism, but the reaction makes it seem as if it was against God himself." Aside from the entanglement with the police, the women in the episode run into all kinds of problems when the husband of one of them is sent to work in France for six months. They cannot enter a video store to rent "Cinderella" for a young daughter. When the bank card of one is eaten by an A.T.M., she cannot seek help in the bank because it is a branch for men. Ultimately, the women resort to borrowing the elementary school son of a neighbor or hauling along a deaf old grandfather just so they can eat in a restaurant. "We suffer from this male guardian requirement just as much as the women," said Muhammad al-Wan, a Saudi short story writer, when asked if he liked the episode. "We are enslaved by the demands at home because a woman can't do anything without a man." The show's writers find much to mock in Saudi Arabia. Episodes this season have poked fun at the servile ways people act around princes and then turn around and play the prince themselves at home, the harsh way Saudis treat imported laborers and the way guests on Arab satellite television shows scream at one other. Mr. Qasabi said that in recent shows they had made a determined effort to focus on critical issues, the kind of political and social reforms that so many Saudis eagerly await and which he believes religious conservatives want to block. He is miffed that in the face of the current tirade, no liberal columnists have defended the show. He is unsure if they fear being attacked or consider the show too lowbrow to defend. "Support for the development of all art in Saudi Arabia is sadly lacking," he said. There are issues that the writers avoid. They started but stopped producing a segment that poked fun at the religious police, a highly influential group that serves as a kind of Islamic vice squad. Censors for the government network sometimes reject episodes. This year, they stopped one that mocked Saudi Arabia's glacial bureaucracy and another about how terrorists are spawned. The humor ranges from broadly slapstick to rather subtle. Some viewers say that after 11 years there is not enough new material. To try to get around that, the developers have appealed to the public to send in story ideas via fax or e-mail. The "Without a Male Guardian" episode resulted from a viewer suggestion. "Tash Ma Tash" is exported to other Arab markets but outside the Persian Gulf has not drawn a large following - Egyptians, Lebanese and others have trouble understanding the Saudi accent. It is a credit to the creators that it draws such a huge audience at home. Before the advent of satellite dishes, Saudi Arabia used to have just two channels, which were sometimes jokingly referred to as Forced 1 and Forced 2. Now only the truly devout sit through the hours of religious discussions that are the main fare. When Saudi Arabia's rulers wanted to broadcast an interview this week with a sheik who recanted his previous approval for attacks on government forces and Westerners in the kingdom, they chose the time slot of "Tash Ma Tash," knowing they would pull the largest audience. "The power of the show," said Suleiman Hattlan, an author and columnist, "is that it reaches everyone in society, unlike us intellectuals who just speak among ourselves." http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/24/international/middleeast/24SAUD.html?ex=1070695759&ei=1&en=2934a578f46de3f8 |
| NS |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| A_Stranger |
| 11/29/03 at 18:11:16 |
| Wa 'alaykum assalaam, The're mocking the Deen of Allaah - its disgusting. May Allaah give them what the deserve. Aameen. |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| humble_muslim |
| 12/01/03 at 15:35:34 |
| AA Actually I think the question is are they mocking Islam (which is definetly wrong) or the version of "Islam" as defined by Saudi society? I mean is each and every one of the mahrem laws in Saudia consistent with the sunnah? |
| NS |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| widadld |
| 12/02/03 at 10:15:56 |
| As Salaam'alaykum I think the show serves an important social function...to get the people to thinking about what is islam and what is culture. For instance...Saudi Arabian government doesn't allow women to drive. Now this is definitely culture and not Islam.. not in Qur'an or sunna of the Prophet(pbuh). going to a doctor, dentist, marketing or to see a close neighbor is acceptable for a Muslimah to do by Islam....but in Saudi a Muslimah can do none of these things without a mahran......the Saudi "law" is sevular and Islamic......yet it is touted as Islamic...these "extremes" are contrary to Islam which teaches us moderation. If a particular show would be mocking Islam...then it would be justified to not permit this particular show..but when it is about customs that are wrongly said to be Islam..then there is a duty to show the truth....a duty upon ech Muslim I would add. Soon there will be local elections of lower level government officials in Saudi for the "first" time..... this is progress towards having Islam practiced as it was meant to be practiced...with the people choosing their leadership based on Qur'anic pricniples qnd not if a person is a member of the ruling family. My opinionis... if this show does not lie in its humor-script...then this humor is permitted and if it shows a practice in Saudi to be contrary to the qur'an and Prophet's(pbuh) teachings, then it is serving an islamic purpose. Widad |
| NS |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| Taalibatul_ilm |
| 12/02/03 at 11:27:26 |
| [slm] I live in Saudi Arabia. Women can go to doctors and dentists without mahaaram here. I'm not sure where these ideas come from. The whole thing, no matter where you are, is that you shouldn't be alone in a room with a non-mahram, and it is up to you to find a way to avoid it, even here. For those who don't care, they are allowed in the doctor/dentist without a companion. Neighbors? I go all the time without my husband, and so does everyone else I know. It isn't perfect here, but I don't like all these misconceptions, as if we are in some dreary dungeon. There was a lot of Tash ma Tash (the program in question) that was exaggeration, and many things that were ridiculing the religion. There were some episodes that were good and funny. The show though, is not formed by those strong on religion. |
| 12/02/03 at 11:28:40 |
| Taalibatul_ilm |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| Fozia |
| 12/02/03 at 16:28:44 |
| [slm] I've got to say I'd rather take a mahram with me when visiting the both the dentists and the doctors, there've been far too many stories in the papers about said people commiting abuse whilst patients are under, or feeling too vulnerable to stop the doctors. Wassalaam |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| widadld |
| 12/02/03 at 21:30:31 |
| As Salaam'alaykum Sister Please forgive my ignorance!! I am so please to know that life is so much easier for many of my my sisters in Saudi than what had been protrayed to me by sister friends living in Saudi, as well. I think it must be the husband then that is the deciding factor on the ability of a Muslimah to go to necessary places such as market, doctor, etc. without mahram. The driving the car issue is cultural though as muslimahs all over the workd drive vehicles as necessary for employment, school and to meet basic needs. I agree that the issue is not being alone with another male who is not family.... and there should be at least two brothers or more if you must be in a publisc location without mahram. I hope my undersatnding is correct. Also.. just for safety.. I prefer to have someone go with me to the doctor and dentist..although I am fortunate.. It took a ;ittle research, but I found a good female doctors and a female dentist. I know it is not always possible..so if I had to use the services of a male doctor or dentist.. I would want my husband to accompany me. *smiles* I have not seen this show.. only basing my comments on the article itself and what I know of Saudi.... from Muslim friends and what the two Saudi officers, who lived in my home for a year, told me anbout life in Saudi. Wa'salaam Widad |
| NS |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| swsis570 |
| 12/22/03 at 04:03:50 |
| I'm in America, I wish my husband could go with me everywhere. Most places I go by myself. So if someone attacks me..... |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| swsis570 |
| 12/22/03 at 04:07:53 |
| Right now the standard for everything is based on how "modern western society views things. But the highest standard is Islam. We have to turn the mentality of the world (including Islamic world) around so that they see the best way to judge if something is correct is if it adheres to the Holy Quran and Sunnah. |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| Matheerah |
| 12/22/03 at 15:38:37 |
| [quote/)RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 19 - The three women wake to the sound of a burglar rummaging downstairs. They summon the police, don their veils and flee into the street to wait, but when the officer arrives he refuses to investigate because there is no male present. "I swear by God I would love to serve you," the officer avows, retreating to his patrol car. "But we cannot enter if your male guardian is not here." It was just one episode of what might be the most popular television series in Saudi Arabia, but it touched off both sustained outrage and peals of laughter across the kingdom. "If you read some of this stuff, you might get the impression that we made a sex film inside the Kaaba," said Mr. Qasabi, referring to the sacred shrine at Mecca. "It is only light social criticism, but the reaction makes it seem as if it was against God himself." Aside from the entanglement with the police, the women in the episode run into all kinds of problems when the husband of one of them is sent to work in France for six months. They cannot enter a video store to rent "Cinderella" for a young daughter. When the bank card of one is eaten by an A.T.M., she cannot seek help in the bank because it is a branch for men. Ultimately, the women resort to borrowing the elementary school son of a neighbor or hauling along a deaf old grandfather just so they can eat in a restaurant. [/quote] "9. Fain would they deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves, and realise (it) not! 11. When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "Why, we only Want to make peace!" 12. Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realise (it) not. 13. When it is said to them: "Believe as the others believe:" They say: "Shall we believe as the fools believe?" Nay, of a surety they are the fools, but they do not know. [slm] Qurrah! |
| NS |
| 12/22/03 at 15:40:27 |
| Matheerah |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| BlessedToBeMuslim |
| 12/25/03 at 15:56:45 |
| Assalamu Alaikum, A television show is hardly expected to show the aggregated experiences of everyone living in Saudi Arabia. Usually some sort of exaggeration is turned to, so that a point is made. In this case, it looks to me like a reference to the death of those female students due to a fire that broke out in a school and the subsequent blockade of help by the "religious police". To my knowledge, this is not Islam. Furthermore, if a television show that we watch helps to change this attitude then isn't that a good thing. I don't agree with making of fun of religious people, and I certainly don't agree with making fun of our religion, but as widadl said, there is a difference between the customs that are enacted and the actual religious rulings on issues. Wassalamu Alaikum, Uzer |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| al-ajnabia |
| 12/26/03 at 20:52:46 |
| [slm] That's the point I was going to make. As soon as I read the article I thought of those school girls. It's a consant source of depression to me to think about what people try to do and what they end up with. wouldnt it be nice if Islam were practiced as tightly as people attempt to inforce it? I mean, so long as all the built in valves and pressure releases are working properly. i'm not into poking holes in pressure cookers, but if poking a little fun will get the gunk out of a clogged system how is it wrong? Women are alowed to preserve thier own lives and honor, but we all have to take turns being victoms of each other's ignorance sometimes, I guess. I don't think isalm needs any tweaking, too bad it gets so much of it and those who tweak think they are improving it. Or maybe they see it as pinching a little here and there or just cutting a small corner? Nobody but Allah is perfect, but it sure would be nice if the Kingdom would live up to its positive rep more often, and I'm not saying that it doesnt in many ways, but... oh well, I lost my train. [wlm] al-ajnabia |
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| humble_muslim |
| 12/30/03 at 07:20:43 |
| AA The last I heard about those school girls, the story had been retracted ... which means it either didn't happen, or there's been a cover up. Any of the Saudia residents out there know what really happened? |
| NS |
| Re: Riyadh Journal: Seeing the Funny Side of Islam |
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| widadld |
| 12/30/03 at 13:34:55 |
| As Salaam'alaykum I have several very good sister-friends living in Saudi... 20+ years each and the tragedy reported did happen according to them and I would not doubt them for one instance. it was a tragedy and the government did take steps to ensure such a tragedy would not occur again.... Isn't that the way it happens almost anywhere in this world? It is also my understanding that the govt. is doing more to promote Islamic rights.. i.e..... voting for leaders on the local levels at least... also reighning in some abuses or potential for abuse by the religious police. While I, personally find it objectional and not an Islamic requirement that women cannot drive in Saudi.... many of my sister friends living in Saudi do not have a problem with this... in fact... in discussions they say they would be the very first to to oppose any changes to this "cultural" law.....so the way we view some things over there in Saudi may be looked at differently by the people experiencing -living under the law. My concerns are that I as a Muslim, identify what is Islam-from Allah and what is culture-tradition-manmade...... and this applies to all countries and nations with practicing Muslims. I live in the USA and in my State-Arizona- there are 8 masjids.... a couple of them have purposefully built their masjids with little or no space for sisters who want to pray at the masjid... discouraging sisters from going to the masjid. This is not Islamic and definitely contrary to the teachings of the Prophet(pbuh)! So I think that each of us must do a better job of putting into practive that which is from Allah and clearly identifying what is cultural-traditional-political. Just my 2 cents. Wa'Salaam Widad |
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