CAIRO: Despite the overwhelming number of shows airing during Ramadan, “Al-Gama'a” (The Group) has stood out, attracting the highest number of viewers and sparking the most controversy. Written by prominent scriptwriter Wahid Hamed, the series recounts the Muslim Brotherhood's early history, from its humble origins as an anti-colonial movement founded in 1928 by Hassan El-Banna, to a growing grassroots organization.
As the series nears the end, experts' and viewers' opinions varied, with some arguing that the show was an attempt to tarnish the Brotherhood's reputation, and others viewing it as a fair attempt to understand the group's complex history. An objective portrayal? Wael Al-Sayyed, critic and screenwriter, said the show was the first of its kind to tackle the Brotherhood's controversial past objectively. Al-Sayyed told Daily News Egypt that Hamed's views on religious fundamentalism are well known, citing Adel Emam's movie “Toyour Al-Zalam.” However, he said, this time Hamed managed to investigate the truth. “Initially, people might assume the series would be biased against the Brotherhood, but I didn't see what could be considered inequitable against the group, as every incident is verified by credible books,” he said. “Unlike what the group is claiming, Hamed succeeded in reading the true nature of the group correctly,” said Amr Al-Choubaki, an analyst with Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. “It is a regressive and undemocratic group that is only preoccupied with its survival. “However, Hamed fell into the trap of portraying it as a violent group. The Muslim Brotherhood is not a violent group,” Al-Choubaki explained. On the other hand, journalist Hanan Kamal views the show as a type of propaganda by the government to discredit the group. “Wahid Hamed portrays a negative image of the Muslim Brotherhood indirectly, there is no difference between being produced by state security or state television, they are all compliant with the regime,” Kamal said. Some viewers also believe that the show offers a biased view of the group. Ali Qassem, 27-year-old lawyer, believes that Hamid's script portrayed security officials as angels, which contradicts with the recent torture cases that incriminate the security apparatus. “I think that the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology doesn't fit this era and they represent a threat to our stability, but that doesn't mean they are evil, life is not black and white,” he said. Any publicity is good publicity Some analysts believe that “Al-Gama'a” might backfire on the regime, as viewers may become sympathetic to the group. Hany Ali, professor of journalism, told Daily News Egypt that airing a show at primetime in Ramadan guarantees high viewership rates. “The appearance of the Muslim Brotherhood has been banned from state television, as well as state-owned newspapers, but now with a TV show reaching millions of viewers; it will be what everyone's talking about, which is a double-edged sword,” he said. Prominent critic Tarek El-Shinnawy considered the show free publicity for the group. He urged the Brotherhood to see the glass half full as it is a step to break the media siege the government is imposing on them. Magdy El-Gallad, editor-in-chief of Al-Masry Al-Youm, noted in his editorial last week that the show may have done the group a favor. He explained that as a result, the series helped promote the Brotherhood among segments of Egyptian society that the group has never reached before. This, he said, is reflected in the increased demand for El-Banna's memoirs. “Generations who knew nothing about El-Banna and who live in a society that reads very little are now interested in the founder's life. The show was the government's gift to the Brotherhood in Ramadan,” he wrote. Amr Alaa, a 22-year-old student, told Daily News Egypt that with its first episode, “Al-Gama'a” managed to attract a large number of viewers. “The show is well-crafted, compared to the rest of Egyptian soap operas produced this year; it enjoys a high standard of cinematography, starring many top actors, and a smart plot which narrates historical events in a very captivating way,” he said. Online buzz As soon as the first episode aired, debates were ignited online with a handful of groups and pages launched on Facebook to discuss the show. A group called “Hear from us, not about us,” which attracted over 4,000 members in two weeks, was created by a young Muslim Brotherhood member to respond on a daily basis to what the group referred to as “historical errors” on the show. Mohamed Abdel Rahman, an active member of the Facebook group, told Daily News Egypt, that the show portrayed El-Banna as a violent, narcissistic and power hungry person, while overlooking the history of the group's struggle over the past 90 years. “A large segment of Egyptian society, especially young people, don't know much about the Muslim Brotherhood, so they accept what is presented as fact, so our task is to show them the truth from El-Banna's diaries,” he said. However, scriptwriter Wahid Hamid maintains that the series is objective, refuting his critics' accusations. “They call me enemy of Islam, but this piece of work defends Islam,” Hamed said, “Besides, it has been reviewed closely by religious scholars known for their integrity, as well as historians.” Hamed denied claims that the script was reviewed by state security officials prior to production.
