...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

The Young and the Restless: The title of a popular American soap opera, yes, but it could also describe the large pool of potential recruits for the global jihad. And speaking of soaps and extremists, the Ceeb’s Nalah Ayed discusses the controversy surrounding Noor, the wildly popular The Young and the Restless of the Arab world:

The heroine, Noor, is a voluptuous, independent and vivacious brunette who marries into a wealthy family. Opposite her plays her handsome, blond and blue-eyed dream of a man, Mohannad, who's chicly dressed, supportive and, most importantly, impossibly romantic.

The heroes of Noor, a Turkish created soap opera, are Muslims — but not strictly observant ones. They fast during the holy month of Ramadan, but also casually enjoy wine. They party, kiss onscreen and, most titillating of all, have sex outside marriage.

Pretty mundane, you say. But after its Arab-world debut in the spring, Noor and its broadcasters have been condemned as soldiers of Satan, blamed for everything from peddling depravity to breaking up marriages.

Little wonder, given its relatively racy content, that early on, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, the country's top cleric, said that any network that broadcasts Noor and shows like it is "an enemy of God and his Prophet."

The networks paid no attention to the criticism. And as the show climaxed to its finale on Aug. 30, Noor proved to be the Arab world's most popular — and controversial — drama ever. Two weeks later, as the region contemplates a supposed death sentence against the owners of the networks that broadcast it, Noor is still the talk of the town.

Some 85 million people watched the final episode. By some estimates, that means more than half of adult women in the region sat down to see what becomes of the dramatic life of Noor and Mohannad.

What's strange and most fascinating is that these shows are broadcast at all in places like Saudi Arabia, where women cannot drive or even go out uncovered, on networks owned by Saudis. Yet, each day, an average of three million to four million Saudis — out of a population of 28 million — watched Noor…

I say, go Noor—and let’s hope there will be lots more like it. They could end up being to the Arab world what shows like Dallas were like to the Communist one, i.e. a demonstration of all the decadent, Capitalistic fun they’d been missing, and thus a spur to push for change.

Did the Berlin Wall fall because of Dallas? Well, no, not exactly. But beaming it into Communist countries thirsting for a sight of freedom certainly didn’t hurt.

Posted by: scaramouche at 12:21 | link | comments

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