CAIRO - Did the Egyptian screenwriters predict the end of the Muslim Brotherhood's rule before they wrote the script for Ramadan TV serials? Or was it just a wish of theirs? Many TV serials this year focus on ill-practices of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) rule, and speak of the wrong interpretations of Islam by the preachers who harm the society by propagating their aggressive attitude. Of these serials is 'Bedon Zekr Asmaa' (Without Mentioning Names), by distinguished writer Waheed Hamed, which throws light on the relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and politics. This series covers 10 years of Egyptian history from 1985 to 1995. Hamed describes this period as 10 years of humiliation and regression in the spheres of politics and society. The writer believes that those ten years had a great impact on what Egypt witnessed last year during the rule of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, who took power on June 30 last year. On 30 June 2013, mass protests erupted across Egypt calling for Morsi's resignation. Morsi was ousted on July 3. "Art is not separated from real life and is affected by the events in society. The events which occurred last year in Egypt show how the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood fuelled sectarian violence in the country," cinema critic Magda Khairallah told The Egyptian Gazette. She added that many people were misdirected by the MB and used as pawns to help the Islamist organisation solidify their authority. "‘Bedon Zekr Asmaa' shows how religious leaders whip up emotions for their own political gains," she said. The serial throws light on how MB members used religion to gain popular support and how they were funded by foreign countries in this mission. Khairalla said that this TV series talks about the issue in a covert manner which is better than tackling it in a more aggressive and direct way. She gave an example of a series that spoke about things directly. Its name is 'Al Da'ia' (The Preacher) and starring famous cinema actor Hany Salama and actress Basma. The series was about a preacher who had orthodox views on songs and arts. The series also advocated staging demonstrations to topple the Islamist regime. This was the same mood seen in Egypt before the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood rule. Another series called 'A temporary Name' starring Youssef elsherif also did the same thing. The actor plays the role of a rich man who upon his return from a foreign country finances an advertising campaign for a presidential candidate to gain his confidence and indulge in corruption thereafter. The 'Guava Theory' serial, starring actress Ilham Shahien, who is very vocal in her criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood. Khairalla believes that Shahien's TV series depends solely on ridiculing the past Islamic regime. Because last December, this popular actress claimed that Islamic preacher Abdallah Badr had insulted her and accused her of promoting immorality on his show which is aired on the religious Al-Hafez television channel. As a result, a court sentenced the preacher to one year in jail and a LE20,000 fine. Shahien filed another lawsuit against Badr for broadcasting fabricated images of her on his television programme. For this, a Cairo misdemeanour court sentenced him to five years in prison. Meanwhile, Sheikh Khaled el-Guindi recently told a local newspaper that he backs the idea of taking on the TV series which propagate such lies and aggressive views of Islam. He explained that such false preachers propagate their lies and use the daawa (preaching of Islam) for their personal gain and fooling people in the name of religion.
