Russian media report on criticism of the series “Muawiyah”; what is the story?
The Russia Today website published a report on the recent criticism and comments regarding the series “Muawiyah” and wrote: The series “Muawiyah”, which is produced and broadcast by the Saudi MBC channel, caused controversy before it began broadcasting in Ramadan this year, and with the broadcast of a number of its episodes, these controversies continued due to its content, script, and direction.
“Iraq” was the first country to announce a ban on the broadcast of the series, with the decision of the country’s Communications and Media Commission, emphasizing that the broadcast of works of a controversial historical nature may lead to inciting sectarian disputes, especially during Ramadan, and endanger the health and social fabric of society.
Iraq’s concern about creating sectarian sedition
The Communications and Media Commission announced The decision to ban the broadcast of this series is based on the legal authority granted to it, and we are committed to our responsibility to regulate the media sector and ensure that media content complies with national and professional standards approved in Iraq.
The commission called on all media institutions to adhere to professional standards and refrain from broadcasting content that may cause sedition or sectarian incitement.
The committee, noting that it had sent an official message to the management of the MBC network in Iraq in this regard and demanded that it comply with this decision and not broadcast the series, emphasized: “We will take the necessary legal measures against any party that violates the current media regulations in the country.”
Ban in Iran
Iran was the second country to announce that the broadcast of the Muawiyah series on any audio and video platform was prohibited due to the series’ new narrative of Muawiyah’s life and its attempt to purify the Umayyad dynasty.
Harsh criticism in Egypt
In Egypt, after the broadcast of several episodes of the series, strong criticism began regarding the writing, direction, and historical errors in the work, which prompted the writer, Khaled Saleh, to defend himself.
Subsequently, the name of the series’ director, Tariq al-Arian, suddenly disappeared, sparking a new controversy. Local media revealed that this was requested by the director because he felt uncomfortable after some scenes were removed during his review.
The criticism reached a point where Egyptian writer and historical expert Youssef Zidan declared that the series was not worth watching and did not correspond to the reality of Arab life from any angle.