Turkish soap operas in the Arab world: social liberation or cultural alienation?
By June 2008, a different type of news related to Turkish soaps dominated popular imagination in the Arab world. One of Noor’s main assets was the young and handsome Kivanç Tatlitug, an ex model and winner of the Best Model of the World award in 2002. His Western features and role as the romantic and sexy husband earned him the nickname “the Middle East’s Brad Pitt”22. Tatlitug became a real star, and made several ads and a music video with Lebanese singer Rula Saad. He triggered many marital crises, as Arab women made the painful comparison between Muhannad and their husbands, demanding more romance and respect in their relationships. Several divorce cases were filed, some of them repudiations out of jealousy and others of them ultimatums given by women23. Noor thus served as the detonator of existing matrimonial and sexual tensions all over the Middle East. Turkish series also featured several independent, non-veiled female characters, ranging from working women to single mothers, the opposite of a desperate housewife. Charlene Gubash from NBC news consequently spoke of “upend(ing) traditional Arab gender roles”24.
The complaints of Noor’s female viewers also fit several scholars’ application of feminist theories to soap operas. They claim soap operas give women a medium to escape the daily routine of their lives and the stress family life might bring. The escapist dimension of soap operas is even more noticeable in war-torn societies such as Gaza or Yemen and those facing daily violence, as in Iraq, where streets were deserted during the daily broadcasting of Noor.
“Satanic series”? – Facing Turkish secularism
Alcohol, abortions and premarital sex are all ingredients of Turkish soaps but are also the nightmares of the religious establishment in the region. The most notorious controversy regarding Turkish series was the virulent objections of several clerics. Despite the reorganization and the censorship of the series, several remaining aspects were seen as contrary to Islamic principles. In June 2008, Saudi sheikh Salman al A’awada, host of a religious program on MBC, advised the “owner of MBC to revise and censor Noor episodes.”25 The idea of a cultural bridge was denied, and Turkish secularism was questioned. A series of fatwas forbidding the faithful from watching Noor or Sanawat al Dayaa’ went along with this indignation. Syrian sheikh Hamdi Kanjo Al Makzoumi declared that praying in T-shirts featuring any of the Turkish actresses was haram, calling them “non-veiled and decadent, promoting vice and decadence in places of worship”26.
A few days later, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh, the official voice of the Saudi religious establishment, forbade the “wicked and evil” Turkish series that represented “an assault of Turkish secularism on Saudi society”. The most notorious controversy was, however, the Sheikh Saleh al-Lohaidan affair. Lohaidan, the head of Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Sharia courts and one of the most powerful clerics in the kingdom, declared that “the owners of these channels that broadcast programs containing indecency and vulgarity (…) can be put to death through the judicial process (qada’an)”. Such fierce accusations created a political storm and consequent media coverage, as most satellite channels are owned by Saudi media moguls linked to the royal family27.
Conclusions
The genesis and triumph of the “Turkish drama” genre raises several dilemmas inherent to the Arab world. Series like Noor are a successful model of hybridization, firstly because of their handling and editing by MBC. Turkish soaps have been successfully adapted to a conservative environment not only by linguistic transformation but also through a content metamorphosis that was reinterpreted by the Arab societies’ most conservative components. Viewers have also actively contributed to this success with the massive use of new media: blogs, fan fiction, websites and phone numbers for ringtones and wallpaper downloads, as well as a wealth of Facebook fan pages, groups and YouTube videos.
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1 Silver in Turkish
2 Light in Arabic
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26 (Dagge, 2008)
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28 Sambidge, Andy. MBC expands soap opera shows despite Mufti fury. 21 October 2008. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/535285-mbc-expands-Soap operas-despite-mufti-outrage.
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I think this is a very interesting article as it discusses a new and updated trend that been taking over the Arab media. The invasion of Turkish soap operas has definitely placed a threat on our local media and productions. I like how the article shows the gradual changes that have taken place in history regarding soap operas starting from their first emergence on radio. I think the emphasis placed on marketing decisions placed by MBC regarding airing times and prime time of Turkish soap operas, particularly Noor, reflects their success in the media.
The article also links the success of Turkish soap operas to being a mixture between modern American culture and our traditions as Arabs, particularly that of the family head and leader (i.e. Fekry Bay in Noor). However, I feel the main reason behind the success of Turkish soap operas comes back to being dubbed in a colloquial language in contrast to the semi-formal/ classical dubbing used previously in Mexican soap operas. I think the article did a great job in explaining and highlighting this point.
The article also highlights an essential point of how the Turkish people utilized their media well to market their country and tourism. Filming in landscapes that show the beauty of nature and possible sightseeing in Turkey (in contrast to indoor studio filming used mostly by other countries) has indeed helped boost Turkey’s economy. Although the article does not discuss it, it was previously published in Al Ahram newspaper that Saudi couples have paid fortunes in order to have their wedding done in the residence where Noor was filmed.
The article also does a good job in laying out the negative opinions that surrounded the Turkish soap opera. Several values were contradicting to the Arab values and traditions such as alcohol use, sex, and abortion that were openly discussed in these shows.
All in all I think this article does a good job in laying the pros and cons of the Turkish invasion of soap operas over Arab media. I think it has covered different aspects of the story and shed light to several interesting facts.
Madonna Magdy
I believe that too much attention to one particular type of serial, the romantic drama, which includes the first and most famous ones that caused such a stirr. But this is only one type of Turkish serial that appears on Arab TV, albeit a very popular one. There are others, though, that have a lot of followers, those about rural areas, problems like illicit polygamy, honor crimes, oppression of people by feudal lords or "aghas" as well as political issues such as the conflict in Eastern Turkey and the "deep state" political issue. The one dealing with honor crimes in particular, drew a spirited discussion on the Internet forum dedicated to it as well as renewed discussion in the press in Jordan for one. They demonstrate to Arab audiences that while a certain part of Istanbul may have a glittery, European aura an behavior, the rest of the country is much closer to the Arab world in their mores and behavior. Another type that was also popular was the historical genre, dealing with the Turkish war of independence. The remarks on the forums related to these series related to the struggle against foreign occupation and compared the heroes to those of Arab serials such as Bab al Hara. It was not lost on some viewers that the French occupiers were wearning the same uniforms in "Bab al Hara" as they were in the Turkish serial "Love and War." Then there is "Valley of the Wolves" a phenomenon all on its own. Arab audiences viewed the scenes that so incensed the Israelis and know that a spin-off movie will be out in the Fall, dealing with Palestine. They also viewed the Turkish serial about the occupation of Palestine entitled "Ayrilik."
We need to get beyond what the press, especially in the West, has focused on with regard to the impact of these Turkish productions.
jcg
It is because of Nour (Gumus)the Turkish soap opera dubbed in Arabic that was the inspiration for the independent feature film "Almost a Turkish Soap Opera". The film
captures the turmoils of two young modern Turkish men trying to make a home in the West but finding their lives have turned into a Turkish soap opera.
The film reflects on how Turkish soap operas have become very popular in the Middle East and now in Europe.
The trailer can be seen on youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/3arnb9?feature=mhum
The official movie website is http://www.almostaturkishsoapopera.com
Rinoa
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