Historical Ramadan drama fuels controversy

“Cooking and politics are similar... cooking consists of preparing food for people to consume, and politics consists of preparing your thoughts and actions so that other people don’t consume you.” Perhaps this statement by Syrian actor Lujain Ismail, who plays Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan in the third episode of the TV series “Muawiya”, encapsulates the essence of the show. It was produced by Saudi Arabia with a budget exceeding $100 million.

During Ramadan, the Muslim holy month during which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, the series can be viewed on the streaming platform Shahed and on the Saudi-owned MBC channel.

Primarily filmed in Tunisia and consisting of 30 episodes, the television show is one of the biggest of this year’s Ramadan productions. It brings together actors from Syria, Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt, under Egyptian direction. However, its release has sparked heated religious and political discussions, topping search engine queries in the Arab world and trending on social media well before it aired.

Iran and Iraq, both predominantly Shia countries, have banned the series. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission stated that “broadcasting works of a controversial historical nature could lead to sectarian disputes, threatening societal peace and impacting social cohesion.” 

Meanwhile, scholars from Al-Azhar University—the largest Sunni religious institution in the Muslim world, based in Egypt—declared the series haram, or forbidden by Islamic law, citing Al-Azhar's traditional stance against the depiction of Muslim religious figures in artistic works. However, this did not prevent the series from being broadcast in Egypt itself.

The series focuses on the life of Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan (608-680 CE) who was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, founder of the Umayyad dynasty (661-750 CE), and was a key figure in what is known as the Great Fitna, or the great civil war—one of the most contentious events in Islamic history.

Back to the roots of internal division among Muslims

During the Great Fitna, Muawiya waged a war against Ali bin Abi Talib, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, who holds a sacred position among Shia Muslims. This conflict arose due to an internal dispute over the leadership of the nascent Islamic state.

The discord began during the reign of Uthman bin Affan—the third caliph after the death of Prophet Muhammad—who was accused of nepotism, favouring his Umayyad relatives, including Muawiya, the governor of Syria. This caused anger among people in Egypt, Kufa, and Basra, who demanded that the caliph remove his relatives, according to Dr. Ayman Fouad, a history professor at Al-Azhar University.

Although Uthman responded to protests by dismissing some of his relatives, the situation escalated, and Uthman was killed at the hands of the rebels. Ali bin Abi Talib succeeded him as the fourth caliph, but Muawiya refused to pledge allegiance to him before Uthman’s killers were punished.

This led to the Battle of Siffin in 657 CE, a confrontation between Muawiya and Ali that marked the beginning of internal division among Muslims, foreshadowing the emergence of the Shia sect, explained Dr. Fouad.

A cultural Cold War between Saudi Arabia and Iran

Observers believe that the series targets Iran and its allies, triggering a sort of “cold war”. Iran is governed by a Shia Islamic regime, granting it influence in several regionally important Shia-majority countries such as Iraq, where power is shared among Sunnis and Shias; Lebanon by way of Hezbollah; Yemen by way of the Houthis; and Syria, where the Assad family, who are of the Alawi faith, itself an offshoot of the Shia’ religion, ruled before the fall of the regime and the rise of a transitional government seemingly closer to the Sunni camp led by Saudi Arabia.

Historian Hassan Hafiz, speaking to Qantara, attributes the new television show’s release to the current political climate. “The series was initially supposed to air two years ago during Ramadan 2023, but at that time, Saudi Arabia and Iran were engaged in political negotiations mediated by China that culminated in a reconciliation in March 2023,” he said. “The release date was postponed to avoid influencing the negotiations.”

Now, the timing seems suitable due to "the weakening of Iranian axis in the region, and in provokation of the Shia, whom Muawiya and his successors in the Umayyad state persecuted, or more precisely, against the family of the Prophet (Ahl al-Bayt), who are revered by the Shia, whose faith revolves around the unjust victimhood of the Ahl." 

Hafiz explains, "The series glorifies the Umayyads and sends the message that sometimes, especially during times of fitna (civil strife), the only effective form of governance is one-man rule (embodied in the ruling caliph), especially when that ruler possesses vision and insight not available to others." 

The series portrays Muawiya as an ambitious and visionary leader, the first to embrace Islam from his family, with leadership qualities such as ambition and sound judgment. He is credited with suggesting to Uthman Bin-Affan the creation of the first Muslim navy. His political acumen is noted, and he is portrayed as a skilled "chef" in a political kitchen new to Muslims. Yet, he is also shown as a compassionate family man who suffers the loss of loved ones multiple times. 

Hafiz believes the series "aims to draw a parallel to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," a view echoed by film critic Khaled Ashour, who told Qantara that "the series intentionally presents a version of Muawiya that closely resembles the Saudi prince, even in appearance and mannerism." 

Ashour notes that it is this attempted parallel which compels the series to depict the character of Muawiya anachronistically, in "clothes and accessories that don’t fit the historical period."  

Now, the timing is seen as suitable due to “the weakening of Iranian axis in the region, and in provocation of the Shia, whom Muawiya and his successors in the Umayyad state persecuted, or more precisely, against the family of the Prophet (Ahl al-Bayt), who are revered by the Shia, whose faith revolves around the unjust victimhood of the Ahl.”

“The series glorifies the Umayyads and sends the message that sometimes, especially during times of fitna (civil strife),” Hafiz explains. “The only effective form of governance is one-man rule (embodied in the ruling caliph), especially when that ruler possesses vision and insight not available to others.”

The series portrays Muawiya as an ambitious and visionary leader, the first from his family to embrace Islam. With qualities such as ambition and sound judgment, he is credited with suggesting to Uthman Bin-Affan the creation of the first Muslim navy. His political acumen is noted, and he is portrayed as a skilled “chef” in a political kitchen new to Muslims. Yet, he is also shown as a compassionate family man who suffers the repeated loss of loved ones.

Hafiz believes the series “aims to draw a parallel to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman”. That view is echoed in a view echoed by film critic Khaled Ashour, who told Qantara that “the series intentionally presents a version of Muawiya that closely resembles the Saudi prince, even in appearance and mannerism.”

Ashour notes that it is this attempted parallel that made the series opt to depict the character of Muawiya anachronistically, wearing “clothes and accessories that don’t fit the historical period.”

He argues that many artistic elements in the production were “provocative” and said that reflected “a lack of accuracy and deep historical research into that era’s specificities.” For example, he notes how women in the series wear contemporary outfits and makeup, and that there are actual books in Muawiya's library even though paper only came into widespread usage three centuries after his death, in Europe. 

A political projection board

Ashour adds that the series “focused more on delivering political messages and making presentist projections at the expense of historical accuracy and portrayal of the era in which the events took place.”

Political Islam scholar Ahmed Sultan offers an interpretation that goes beyond the Saudi-Iran rivalry, noting that political relations between the two countries are relatively good now. He sees the series as a commentary on certain Islamist political movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and ISIS in Syria and Iraq, comparing them to the Kharijite sect. 

The Kharijites are a sect that emerged after the Battle of Siffin which took place between Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan in 657 CE.

During the battle, Muawiya employed a tactic of raising the masahef (copies of the Quran) on the battle swords to halt the fighting, as he was on the verge of defeat. This is depicted in Episode 14 of the series.

As a result of Muawiya's maneuver, Ali ceased fighting and agreed to return to the judgment of the Quran through two arbitrators, one chosen by each faction. However, the Kharijites rejected his decision, declared Ali an unbeliever, and eventually assassinated him, as portrayed in the series as well.

Sultan bases his interpretation on the fact that the scriptwriter is Egyptian journalist Khaled Salah, who is associated with the Egyptian regime which overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013.

"The series is one of several historical works invoked in recent years to counter political Islam," Sultan told Qantara. He added that the controversy over the 2024 Ramadan series The Hashshashin—which portrayed the life of Hassan al-Sabbah, a Shia leader known for orchestrating assassinations—was part of this trend.

Sultan suggests that Muawiya champions the idea of a civil state over a religious one. “Muawiya ran his state with political pragmatism and wisdom, not religious doctrine," he said, though also admits that “a lack of historical precision weakens the work.”

Despite the controversy, the Islamic history professor at Al-Azhar University emphasises the importance of such series, stating that “people no longer read history, so presenting it through television drama is a good thing.” However, Ashour worries that “distorted” portrayals may leave a lasting impression on viewers.

This is an edited translation of the Arabic original. Translated by Basyma Saad.