The cast and crew of “Tash Ma Tash” (AAA Photo)
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat- A clip from the upcoming season of the popular Saudi satire program “Tash Ma Tash” was leaked on the Internet and has caught the wrath of a number of fundamentalist websites.
The clip from the comedy duo’s upcoming Ramadan season is critical of some members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’s treatment of Saudi youths.
Fundamentalist websites were highly critical of the short clip and many carried angry petitions against the series’ two main stars, Nasir al-Qasabi and Abdullah al-Sadhan. Some even drew maps to Al-Qasabi’s private residence for the purpose of “disciplining” him, according to one of the online posts.
Al-Qasabi told Asharq al-Awsat “Criticism in Tash is usually about behavior and practices and not a jurisprudent or ideological criticism. Our criticism of individual behavior of anyone is legitimate and regardless of the establishment to which he belongs, as long as it is a government one.”
According to Islamic preacher Dr. Muhammad al-Nujaymi, “There is no objection to discussing in a beneficial way any organ, whether it is religious or some other one, in these serials on condition that it does not contain mockery. Balance is required in criticism but I do not see anything wrong with it as long as it is criticism that aims to enlighten, develop, and build even it is directed against religious establishments.”
Al-Qasabi added that the crew members have started to take the threats they are receiving seriously “as we are dealing with different mentalities, some of them brainwashed and ready to do anything.”
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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