Sex, violence, Islam: Syrian soap raises drama Show aims 'to portray a panoramic drama of an Arab society that is eroding from the inside' AP
Syrian actress Sulafa Mimar, center, starring as Layla, poses during the shooting of the televised series titled "Ma Malakat Aymanukum," Arabic for "what your right hand possesses". By ZEINA KARAM
updated 47 minutes ago
BEIRUT — In a new Syrian soap opera, a beautiful green-eyed young woman named Layla is torn over whether to take off the niqab, the billowing black Islamic garb that hides every part of her except her eyes. "I cannot take this pressure anymore," she says in one episode. "I want to take off the veil." But her rebelliousness has unintended consequences: She is shunned by society, her mother refuses to take her calls and her brother plots her death.
The 30-episode drama, aired on state TV during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, has sparked intense debate in this Arab nation of 22 million, which is ruled by a secular, authoritarian regime that has clamped down on Islamic extremism in the past. The series, titled "Ma Malakat Aymanukum," Arabic for "what your right hand possesses," has drawn furious calls from critics who say it distorts Islam's image and praise from others who say it is a realistic portrayal of a sometimes hypocritical Muslim society. The title is a phrase from the Quran referring to female slaves and concubines.
The controversy illuminates a fundamental discord within Syria, which supports Islamic militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah in their fight against Israel but maintains strict secularism at home. In July, the government banned students and teachers from wearing the niqab in order to protect Syria's secular identity. The show's director, Syria's most renowned film and TV soap opera director Najdat Anzour, defended the new series, which he said is based on a true story.
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