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.”
