Hours after celebrating their revolution in 1952, young army officers led by Gamal Abdel-Nasser made a brilliant decision. Unknown to the nation because of their military background, the Free Officers decided to ride the shoulders of iconic singers and filmmakers, in order to establish themselves. Surprisingly, these young revolutionary majors and colonels relied little on Muslim clergymen, despite the dominance of Islam in the country. Their policy was so effective that Gamal Abdel-Nasser (Nasser for short) became extremely popular, as a result of which many middle-aged Egyptian men, born during Nasser's rule, were named Nasser by their parents. The Egyptian Revolution's imagebuilding manoeuvre, in which the role of faith seemed to come second to entertainment, especially singing, is being repeated in Iran, where the regime is using charismatic, good-looking actors and actresses to sway the minds and hearts of Sunni Arabs. The Iranians also seem to be enthusiastic about this new ploy, because nearby Turkey has successfully taken the initiative by exporting a never-ending soap opera starring a smart young guy called Mohanad. The television biopic Joseph (inspired by the story of the Prophet Joseph) is in the vanguard of the controversial Iranian invasion of the Arab world. Joseph will soon be followed by a series of Iranian serials adapted from the narration in the Holy Qur'an, including The Virgin Mary, Moses the Prophet and The Companions of the Cave. Sources close to the entertainment community in Teheran have disclosed that popular Iranian actors and actresses are currently shooting the film Bilal, about a black muezzin, who was blessed with a mellifluous voice in the early days of Islam; Al- Hassan, about the grandson of the Prophet Mohamed; and Ali, about the Prophet Mohamed's cousin, who is idolised by Iran's Shi'ites. The same sources told the local press in Egypt that Iranian drama was being sold at a very competitive price, as the Iranians seek to increase their presence on TV in the Arab world. Iranian drama has met with mixed reactions from Egypt's filmmakers. Producer Ismail Kitkit merely shrugged his shoulders when informed about the long list of Iranian-produced television serials due to occupy prime evening slots on different channels in the region. Kitkit said that so many Iranian serials were invading Egypt and other Arab countries, because they were so cheap. "Egyptian and Arab television production companies have found it profitable to buy Iranian serials, which are much cheaper than locally produced Egyptian or Syrian dramas," he explained. Kitkit is optimistic that the popularity of Iranian dramas here will prompt Egyptian film producers to cut their costs, in order to compete. Another producer, Hisham Shabaan, thinks that Egypt shouldn't get worried, because the craze for Iranian soap operas will soon fizzle out. Ashraf Zaki, the head of Egypt's Association of Acting Professions, expects that Iranian drama will attract big audiences in Egypt and different Arab countries, because of its direction techniques and taboo-breaking themes with a religious background.
