Egypt's banned-yet-influential opposition power the Muslim Brotherhood is set to make a TV series to counter a controversial TV show, being broadcast in Egypt, on its founder, The Gazette has learnt. A prime-time TV show charting the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood is gripping audiences and angering leaders of the group, who see an attempt to tarnish its name before elections this year. The sweeping historical drama shows how the Brotherhood's call for a return to Islam's roots took hold in colonial 1920s Egypt and gained traction after independence as its criticism of Western influence on Muslim society resonated among the poor. The 35 million Egyptian pound ($6.15 million) series is being aired every night on Egypt's main Stateowned channel during the holy month of Ramadan, when TV ratings soar as families and friends gather in the evening. "The Government would never allow a series on the Brotherhood to be shown on its TV channels unless it is happy with it... The Government is very cautious towards anything that involves the group," said film critic Tareq el- Shenawy. The TV series follows the work of a young prosecutor who decides to investigate the Brotherhood's past after questioning some students who have joined the group. Brotherhood members portrayed in the first 12 episodes are aggressive, exploit religion to achieve their personal goals and seem to care little for the Egyptian people. Hassan al-Banna, the schoolteacher who founded the movement in 1928, is viewed by many Egyptians as an inspiring and pious figure. The series shows him as cunning and hungry for power. "The author wants to destroy the group," said Mohsan Rady, a Brotherhood MP. "If he was objective, he would have placed the whole subject before public opinion instead of picking out the negative points." Radi, who owns an art production company, has said that his company is revising another TV serial tackling the life story of el-Banna. “An agreement has been reached with a non-Egyptian company, which has no links with the Muslim Brotherhood, to produce and distribute the new serial,” he added. According to him, the new show will be filmed in Jordan and Syria where the group has a strong foothold. Scriptwriter Wahid Hamid insists that his controversial show “Al-Gamaa is fair. "I made the series to show people who the Brotherhood are in a very objective way," he said in an interview with Reuters.
