Hamas anti-Semitic Ramadan show enters second season
Fida'i Ramadan mini-series starting second season in two weeks following rave reviews of first season last year; Included are crude anti-Semitic tropes, poor acting, and pompous music score
The mini-series is the second season of last year's Hamas Ramadan production, which was a resounding success and received high reviews. Each of the 30 episodes – one for each night of Ramadan - lasts about 50 minutes.
One of the actors, Mohammad Khalifa, said that "the mini-series shows the hardships of the Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails, and attempts to Judaize Palestinian holy places. It sends a message to the Arab and Muslim world about the Palestinian reality, and the strengthening of the ideas of the resistance."
Amongst the issues expected to be dealt with in the mini-series are the "new intifadah," price tag events, and even houses being set on fire by Jewish extremists, emulating the fire which killed members of the Dawabsheh family in Kfar Duma.
The Jews in the story are portrayed in a very classic anti-Semitic light, with the Jewish antagonists being money hungry and conniving. They cast the Israelis as crooked and overly religious, and even have an actor who loosely resembles the new head of the Shin Bet who appears dressed in a military uniform.
The mini-series portrays the Shin Bet head as not being able to successfully deal with the threat of terror cells, thus forcing his resignation.
"Fida'i" is also the first Palestinian mini-series to have its rights successfully sold to abroad. It will also be broadcasted on Turkish television and dubbed over in Turkish.
Zuhair a-Franji, the producer in chief of al-Aqsa TV, explained that selling the rights of the mini-series succeeded due to extensive marketing efforts.
"Our goal is to enlarge the audience watching the mini-series, especially after its success in the Arab and Palestinian market," a-Faranji said.
Ramadan is a Muslim holy month whereby Muslims fast during the day and eat and celebrate at night. It is also a time for family gatherings, and is when TV stations across the Muslim world air their biggest and most important productions. The holy month begins in two weeks
