Big budget Saudi TV series stirs controversy in Middle East

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A multimillion-dollar Saudi TV production portraying the life of an early Islamic ruler has caused controversy in the Middle East, with Iraq and Iran banning the show and some clerics denouncing it as sinful.

Reportedly the most expensive Arab soap ever made at up to $100mn, Muawiya focuses on the contentious seventh century schism that led Muslims to split into two main denominations, Sunni and Shia, a political and religious divide that has endured to the present day.

The high-profile series with lavish sets and epic battle scenes depicts the life of Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, a companion of the Prophet Mohammed, who fought a war against the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib, who is revered by Shia Muslims.

The show started screening on Saudi-owned broadcaster MBC as part of its Ramadan programming. The holy month, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, is peak television viewing season in the region with broadcasters releasing dozens of shows watched by millions of families at home after breaking their fast.

The Shia or Shi’at Ali, meaning the partisans of Ali, refers to those who believe leadership of the Muslim community should remain in the prophet’s bloodline. While Sunnis — who did not support Ali’s claim — now make up the majority of the world’s Muslims, Shia represent an estimated 10-15 per cent of Muslims globally. Iran, Iraq and Bahrain are Shia-majority countries.

Shot in Tunisia with a pan-Arab cast and an Egyptian director, the show’s original release date was pushed back from 2023. Some argued the delay was to avoid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia, which considers itself a leader of the Sunni Muslim world, and its Shia-majority neighbours.

“Some 14 centuries later, Sunni and Shia Muslims continue to disagree on certain historical narratives of the early Islamic period, including on Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan,” said H.A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London.

These different views have been often used to aggravate existing political rivalries, which at times have erupted into sectarian violence, he said.

The Saudis may have decided to release the series after the kingdom’s relations with Iraq and Iran improved, according to Hellyer. “Perhaps they feel their relations with Iraq and Iran are more resilient, and can take the stress of the tension that might happen as a result,” he said.

Both countries have banned the show with Baghdad’s broadcasting authorities saying it could “threaten social peace”, but there has been no escalation of official rhetoric against Saudi Arabia.

In Egypt, a scholar at Al-Azhar University said depicting the character of Muawiya was “religiously unacceptable” while another cleric said viewing the show was a sin. The religious establishment in Egypt has long been opposed to filmed depictions of the prophet and his early companions.

Within Saudi Arabia, opposition from the official religious establishment has been muted as the kingdom opens up under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s social liberalisation agenda.

State-owned MBC Group’s productions have previously sparked controversy, most notably with a series about seventh century Muslim ruler Umar ibn al-Khattab released a decade ago.

That programme was condemned at the time by Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Alsheikh, who blasted film portrayals of senior figures in Islamic history.

Former MBC executive Mazen Hayek said the group must take creative risks in order to retain audiences who can access rival options, including international streaming services.

“If you leave edgy material and edgy topics only for the foreign or global firms, you’re going to be left with topics that everybody produces the same way,” said Hayek, who is now a Dubai-based media consultant.

“Your challenge is to preserve your safe family viewing and societal norms, and push the envelope of creative storytelling so that you’re still able to compete with global players. This is a fine line.”

Viewers have also criticised Muawiya over historical inaccuracies and depictions seen as unbefitting of a major Islamic figure.

Users on social media have quipped that the scene of his birth showed his mother dressed in nightwear from Victoria’s Secret with the baby wrapped in a blanket from Zara Home. Another scene that drew ire showed Muawiya topless and wrapped in a towel as his wife gave him a massage after a bath.

Despite the bans and disapproval of religious leaders, viewers may still flock to the show. “It’s not clear that bans and controversy are going to damage the reception of the series,” said Hellyer. “They might even propel ratings.”