Ohh girls, you know exactly what I’m about to talk about, don’t you? Tisk tisk.
For those of you who know what Nour is, I’m sure you already know what I’m about to talk about just by my title.
For the rest of you, get ready to be amazed at a real life example of everything that’s wrong with TV– because it’s all represented in this one Turkish soap drama, recently dubbed in Arabic, which has caused the whole Arab world to become obsessed.
It’s making its way to America too. (See Facebook groups.)
Alright, let’s first talk a little bit about Nour:
Most women who watch the show watch it because of this strikingly handsome guy, “Mohannad.” Most will also tell you they never liked the blond hair look because they all wanted the tall dark and handsome guy. Well, to them the only exception to that rule is “Mr. Mohannad.”
Anyway, apparently he marries this girl named Nour, they live amongst their huge wealthy family, babies everywhere, kidnappings, love stories, etc. etc.
I have to say I didn’t even think these people were Muslim but apparently I was told they fast Ramadan but they drink alcohol at all times of the day. Then I remembered the guy’s name was supposedly “Mohannad,” which confirmed what people have said.
In any case, the obsession of this drama has gone way too far. I don’t know anyone in Egypt or any other part of the Arab world who DOESN’T watch this show. Even people in America who have a dish are obsessed with the show.
Mufti’s in Saudi Arabia recently declared the drama to be “haram,” and rightfully so. (But isn’t almost everything else on TV?) Well, that just shows how far people have taken it. It’s gotten to a point where sheiookh have had to name it specifically and told people it’s haram to watch.
Still not convinced? Ohh just wait guys it gets better (actually horrible):
Recently, there have been reports of the divorce rate climbing in the Arab world. Why? Because of Nour fever. Women want their husbands to “be like Muhanad.”
Instead of me reporting it, go ahead and read this well written, but shocking article written by AlArabiya.net:
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DUBAI (AlArabiya.net)
The hit Turkish soap “Nour” which is being aired on MBC has sparked a rash of divorces in countries across the Middle East as women compare their real-life husbands to the TV heart throb, according to press reports.
The trouble centers around the lead male character called Muhannad – played by Turkish actor Kivanç Tatlitug – whose good looks and charms have left many Arab women weak at the knees.
Fed up with his wife’s obsession with Muhannad and constant complaints that he should be as romantic as the TV hunk, a Saudi husband from Dammam divorced his wife and threw her out of the marital home, Saudi newspaper Al-Yawm reported.
A Jordanian daily said a husband divorced his wife after she uploaded Muhannad’s picture on her cell phone.
And a Syrian website reported that there were four divorces in Aleppo because of the steamy soap.
In one case, a husband divorced his wife after they had a heated argument about the actor while watching the series, which MBC has dubbed into Arabic to suit Middle Eastern audiences.
According to a neighbor, the wife reportedly told her husband: “I want to sleep with Muhannad for only one night and die afterwards.”
In another case, a husband divorced his wife after she hung a picture of Muhannad – the character Mehmet in the original Turkish version – on their bedroom wall.
Nour, which airs on MBC, the parent company of Al Arabiya, is about a woman who is married to Muhannad after he loses his true love in a tragic accident.
Muhannad is then forced to marry Nour by his family. The series traces the hardships Nour must go through to win her husband’s heart and to prove herself on a professional level.
Nour, called Gümüs in the original series, is played by Turkish actress Songül Öden.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid).
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!! I seriously can’t believe women would say and do these things. Wallahul musta’an. Seriously, this is everything that’s wrong with TV. May Allah protect us all.
Stumble it!
August 8th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
the must amasing that MBC will past the serie on RAMADHAN
lol “takabala alah”
August 8th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
haha. yeah i heard it will be their third time starting the series from the beginning.. which as of now has been 100+ episodes (which makes me wonder.. how much longer is it going to last!)
August 8th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
is it bad that i actually laughed throughout…?
August 8th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
OMG ITS NOUR =)
August 8th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I dont watch the show … I just saw a glimpse of Mohaned … woot woot <3
August 8th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
lol girl, just wait till they dub it in urdu. lol I went out with a couple of sisters today and i have to tell you a big part of our conversation was about the show.. the impact and fitnah it’s caused…
In one article it actually said that a women went to a janazah and asked if they had MBC so she could watch the show and that she couldnt miss it..
seriously it’s sick.
there was a washington post article about it even.
melody, lol i’ve been away from the states for almost 2 months now.. im wasnt sure people would know exactly what i was talking about.. i thought perhaps the crazy was contained here.. but you removed all of my doubt
August 9th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Stop hating Shirien!
August 9th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Subhan Allah, I’m not Arab and I don’t have satelite but I keep hearing about this show whenever I am in a gathering. May Allah protect us from this fitna. Kinda crazy that shuyookh had to declare a fatwa for this specifically!
August 9th, 2008 at 3:41 am
That’s one clean cut ape
purrrrrr!!!!
OMG
idk ma bff Mohaned
ttly
August 9th, 2008 at 6:09 am
umm………………………..
ok, well thanks for sharing.
(Wondering if I should take down that photo…)
August 9th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Assalamouolaikum wa rahmatullah,
Shirien, I’m gong to give you a bit of advice, I think you should take down the photo! I was wondering why you put it up in the first place? Maybe replace it with a logo of the programme? Women need to lower their gaze as well as men, and it isn’t going to work with that photo there.
WAllahu alim.
August 9th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
there you guys go.. a handsome picture of the turkish flag..
August 9th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
shirien, i was just epitomizing 2days modern women.
no hard feelings gafrend
August 11th, 2008 at 3:58 am
as’salaamu alaykum Shirien,
Hmmm just throw out the tv girls! lol, really this kinda stuff is fitnah and it’s so sad because girls (and ahem…women) dream of this unreal guy, which leaves them with a sense of dissatisfaction with their current spouse or they are looking for this ‘hot’ unreal guy which never exists. subhan’Allah, oh how i dislike the television set… Well most of the content anyway. Yeah, it was a good idea to remove the pick, i saw it on stumbleupon and it’s really good you did so. Masha’Allah.
It’s so sad this guy has no deen and he should be the most, y’nw a guy that is really looked upon as something you do not want to look up to, regardless dreaming about him. What are looks when there is no deen…
Please, not urdu! Bi’idhnillah.
Wallahu ta’ala alem.
PS. Shirien i met Heba, she is sooo amazing!!! Masha’Allah. She was talking about you. I wish you was here. Qadr Allah, if i come again… You soo have to come! Insha’Allah.
August 11th, 2008 at 7:08 am
If there are two places i want to be right now they are:
1. Ilm summit
2. Where you are so i can meet all you guys.
I feel left out man.. qaddar Allah wa ma sha’a fa3l
Send my salam to Heba for me. And I hope that what you guys said about me is good
Inshaallah next year
August 11th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
ba2olik turkish moseeba. i dont have cable tv, never saw it, and i hear people talking about it in college like its sacred or somethin. ya sheikha roo7i zakri…romance eh wa zift eh?
im tellin u man, the arab world is trapped in a bubble of idealized romance. every music video, every timisiliyyah, every bootleg movie they dub or create is centered about romance in a way that is insanely unreal. sometimes i feel that stuff like this is an illusion for people, an illusion for them to have unrealistically short sighted dreams so they dont realize the balawi that is right under their nose. ya3ni you know, keep them busy so they dont internalize the horrible situations they are in so that they can object to their standards.
August 12th, 2008 at 4:18 am
Shirien, i said all good man!
Oh my it’s amazing, tabarak’Allah. Masha’Allah. I’m about to step out of my comfort zone, i really am. Subhan’Allah.
When i get back i’m going to email you as i need some help for a few things insha’Allah.
This is a bit off topic but i want to say, it’s amazing as there are world class people here, the most amazing people. It’s like they have been filtered out, and chosen by Allah Himself. I just love all these people for the sake of Allah sooo much! May Allah grant them the highest levels of Jannah. Ameen.
I may come again next year, bi’idhnillah… So yeah we’ll meet if Allah wills. I know there a few who wanted to come (you know who you are, they come on your blog) Whatever happens is from Allah, if you never came and you did istikhara then say Alhamdulillah, because Allah has just saved you from something that would have harmed you big time. Next year, come insha’Allah and it’ll be better and insha’Allah all the coaches that graduate will be life support for you.
August 12th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Mario Mustache sounds very egyptian lol.
I think the biggest museeba is the fact that these girls cant differentiate fake from real.
seriously, people SHOULD throw out their TVs.. i think the worst part of me being in egypt is the fact that i cant get away from TV. In america i have the ability to go in my room and close the door, or go drive to see my friends, or go to the masjid, etc.
here i’m stuck… it’s just part of the culture unfortunately.. especially since it’s hot and no one goes out during the day.
Seriously girls, have you EVER seen a guy like mohannad in real life..
lemme burst all their little bubbles… someone send me an article in arabic basically saying that the guy showed up in some soft porn magazine that advertises gay marriages.
i hope that was gross enough to pop your bubbles.
if you want real handsome… go find some guy with a big beard. some guy who beautifies himself with iman and obedience to Allah and His messenger Salallahu alayhi wa sallam.
in some articles women said they liked watching it to get away from reality… they loved seeing Noor this woman who was independent and making a living.. etc.
ya sitty, go look outside you’ll find a lot of women like that but also not crossing the bounds of Islam.
TV is just a way for people to escape reality…Think of music and the reason why it’s haram..
dont programs like these have the same effect?
————–
Alima, inshaAllah I hope to meet you and sister Heba very soon. and If not in this life in Jannah inshaAllah. I love you both so much for the sake of Allah ‘az wa jal.
p.s. Alima, you guys dont need this show in urdu.. you guys already have bollywood for that
August 12th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Mario,
yes I just reread what you wrote.. you’re completely right.. that’s basically what all the articles stated.. people escape their own lives by watching these shows.. but they dont realize the fact that when they come back to reality, their lives will seem be even more depressing because of the brief fantasy world they were just in.
August 12th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Mario Mustache is hilarious!
I don’t really watch Arab or English TV …. TV is stupid. But then again, internet is just like TV. Do you suggest we throw away our computers too?!
Anyways, I have a FB and some people are fans of the show. Dubbing is stupid. They don’t even look Arab.
My nickel and quarter
August 13th, 2008 at 2:55 am
I heard someone calling my name
It’s more than incredible to be able to put faces to the pictures, such is the mercy of Allah SWT!
Are you kidding Shirien, Im going around telling everyone you are my “mini me.” And Alima, , ya, she’s gettin’ there
I’m happy to say I’ve actually never heard of this show, but for all my aspiring queens of sheba - let me say this: It is never ever cool to be like the female companions of Yusuf, AS. I think even Muhannad would not find it to be an attractive quality.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I don’t want to feel left out. I’ll send you a picture so you can put a face to my name/voice too :).
Sr. Alima mashaAllah does have a talent for writing. In teaching my course, inshaallah she’s definitely getting the hang of media writing. Inshaallah sooner rather than later, she’ll definitely be proficient at it, inshaallah. She’ll be my pride and joy of teaching :).. May Allah reward you both and continue to put barakah in your work. ameen.
i’ll send you both a picture of me in marina :).. the only abayah wearing girl here
August 14th, 2008 at 2:49 am
Female companions of yusuf: Ouch! la haw la wala quwatta illah billah, may Allah protect us all. Ameen. Who would want to be them,
Shirien. Bollywood, now that is a topic you do not want to get me started on, ya! It’s one of those things girls and boys are into for several reasons though it’s haram. The content is crazy! On an intellectual level it can lead you astray.Wallahu musta’aan.
*steps out before it get’s hot*
August 14th, 2008 at 3:59 am
don’t forget lollywood, fresh from the dhartis of lahore!!!
idk what will they think of next…
August 19th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
hi i love u kivanch and i will die for u trust me i will and i also love soylan wil u marrie me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU have trust in me is it true ur engadged again love u ur so sexy and hot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! love u and ur beautiful blue eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 19th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
what the batatis is going on in the comment section!
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:50 am
haha… i am glad that somebody is actually talkin about this… In egypt, people are divorcing their wives because of their obsession with that blond dude.. lol…
I was just talkin to one of my friends in Egypt today and he was telling me.. TATA man.. people are divorcing their wives as if they are changing cloth… what kinda of crap is this… and i told him.. guess why…. its that freakin stupid tv and all its shows man… sigh.. dont get me started … ama go blog about it now..
August 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 am
lol by the sheer direction the comments of this blog went.. i think it completely shows the danger of this fitnah. I wasnt expecting some of the responses..
pretty crazy show if you ask me.. that guy needs to go somewhere..
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Shirien
- Controversial topic breeds controversial comments. Though yeah, some comments were a tad bit crazy.
Hmm I wonder what this guy will look in 40 years? Just like everyone else, it’s just not worth giving up what is in your control today, to that which may never be in your control.
@ Divorcing their wives, now that is sad. May Allah SWT protect us. Ameen.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I wouldn’t necessarily call this “controversial…” trust me, I would know from all columns I wrote with the Reveille. I don’t think anyone would disagree with the post itself lol, even the obsessed girls, Wallahu alem.
August 24th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
wow! this article soo freakin true!
EVERYONE I KNO IS ABSESSED WITH MOHANAD AND I CANT SEE WHY…i dnt think he looks good….AHHHH watch me get a ton of hateful comments lol
anyways bottom line is ur right. women and MEN BOTH have became absessed with this show! my mam just came back frm ohio and she told me that every arabi store she went it had pictures, posters, post cards, cups and plates with their pictures printed on them, and even bed spreads!
August 24th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
haha Nazira!
Bedspreads?! wowwwwww….
I read in a Washington Post article that Tourism from Arab countries has risen by the hundreds of thousands after the show aired.. apparently when it first began to air in Turkey in 2005 no one in Turkey watched the show, they thought it was dumb.. lol
(Send my salam to your mom! call me between classes, we’ll meet up inshaAllah)
September 8th, 2008 at 4:34 am
this reminds me of when the show Nimr bin 3dwaan was on last Rama9′aan. I heard that many guys were so infatuated with the character Wa9′7a that they began divorcing their wives!! At least both Nimr and Wa9′7a had some respectable Islamic qualities to them!! But sub7aanaALLAH, divorcing because of TV characters?? Sadly, it goes to show the amount of influence the media has on some of us.
September 9th, 2008 at 4:33 am
“what the batatis is going on in the comment section!”
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAA^
i NEVER heard the batatis in my life. im so using that from now on, along with what the eshta and what the ziftos.
September 9th, 2008 at 4:38 am
to be honest, my sister sent me an email one time asking me “What the batatis..” on something that was on engrish.com
(funny website)
it stuck with me every since. Props to my sister.
September 10th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Mujaahid, subhanallah I never heard of that before (walhamdulillah!)
I think so much can be said about this in a serious manner.
It reveals a lot about our society as well as the nature of guys and girls.
Shaytaan is very cunning, he knows just how to drive people to these extremes.
It shows that men dont know the needs of a woman, especially arab men back in our ‘countries’ who tend to be very harsh and get angry easily, and completely on a power trip.
And it shows that women tend not to take care of themselves for their husbands.
and so that coupled with the alternate reality that they see on TV, people start to convince themselves, “Hey, my life really stinks, this person has done no good for me in his/her life” so they leave the other person..
later they realize, “wow, i was stupid this is even more miserable” but by then it’s too late.
pretty sad.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
this is a very nice movie.I
like to watch with my family.It doesn’t make fitna
November 7th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
why you dont make another part from noor,becuase it is very nice.i watch part 1 on
mbc at 10;00 o’clock.I love mohannad and noor.I am from
Lebanon.good bye.