Ramadan 2023: MBC drama Dof’at London sparks uproar over portrayal of Iraqi characters

The series follows a group of Arab university students residing in the UK capital

Lebanese actress Laila Abdullah is part of the pan-Arab cast of controversial MBC drama 'Dof'at London'. Photo: MBC

A drama series starring a pan-Arab cast being broadcast for Ramadan has sparked controversy over its portrayal of Iraqi characters.

Being shown nightly on MBC, Dof'at London (London Class) follows the lives of Arab university medical students residing in the UK capital in the 1980s.

The series follows their experiences as they attempt to reconcile Arab traditions and conservative values with the more liberal ideals of life in London.

Written by Kuwaiti author Heba Mashari Hamada and directed by Egypt's Mohamed Bakir, the opening episodes caused viewers offence with their portrayal of Iraqi women working as maids and, in a particular scene, accused of theft.

Another incident showed an Iraqi man refusing to help a group of Kuwaiti women after their money was stolen.

Such was the outcry on social media the series reportedly triggered a response from the Iraqi and Kuwaiti governments, which criticised the show.

According to the Iraqi News Agency, the head of the Iraqi Media and Communications Authority, Ali Al-Moayyed, and Kuwait’s Minister of Information, Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi had a phone discussion in which they rejected all forms of artwork undermining the relationship between both countries.

A further statement from the Kuwaiti ministry, as reported by Al Majlis, the official TV channel of the Kuwait National Assembly, also clarified the series was shot outside the country and is not screened on any Kuwaiti channels.

While a potential diplomatic rift has seemingly cooled, the series remains in the firing line.

Viewers, as well as Kuwaiti and Iraqi cultural personalities, took to Twitter to debate the merits of Dof'at London.

"They made them maids in the Ramadan drama because they know the truth is bitter," said Iraqi television presenter Neama Riadh.

Iraqi writer Sarah Quraishi questioned the idea that those from Iraq who were living in London at the time would have worked as domestic staff.

"The Iraqis who immigrated to London in the eighties and nineties, did any of you serve in Arab homes during that period?” she said.

“Why does Kuwaiti drama always insist on showing Iraqis in a bad light?"

In a series of now-deleted Instagram Stories, Hamada defended the show and lamented that the criticism had come from those who either hadn't seen it or had based their views on isolated scenes early in the series.

Iraqi cast member Thaulfekar Khadr also defended the series in an interview on Iraqi talk show Akhbar Al Aan.

"In my opinion the Iraqi characters who work in the home are portrayed with nothing but dignity.

“I didn't see women who were weak and vulnerable. Instead they were of strong character," he said.

"We have all still yet to see how these characters will evolve during the show.”

Dof'at London is the latest instalment of Hamada’s Ramadan dramas following the lives of students in a particular city.

2020's Dof'at Beirut is set in 1960s Lebanon on the verge of civil war, while 2019's Dof'at Cairo looks at the adventures of Kuwaiti university students travelling to Egypt for the first time and experiencing its rich cultural scene.

“Dof'at London is almost the largest in terms of its offering, from filming locations and the number of actors to the multiple nationalities involved," she said in a statement ahead of the series premiere.

"It is also perhaps the most mature as well because unlike the previous series, the students here are in their third and not first year of university. Meaning we do not see them in lecture halls.”

Hamada expected that the series would spark debate due to the issues it tackles, such as sectarianism and pan-Arabism, adding: "We are sometimes forced to be confrontational, and Dof'at London is undoubtedly a controversial work.”

Dof'at London can be streamed online at shahid.mbc.net