Um Harun: When Drama Promotes Normalization and Falsifies History
The Israeli occupation plays all its cards to promote for itself as a “state” that calls for peace and security, believes in justice, supports dialogue between different religions and cultures, and rejects extremism and violence. It continues to distort historical facts on Palestine and promotes the Israeli version of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, thus creating suitable conditions for cultural normalization which would lead to acknowledging the “occupation state”.
Traitors come in different forms; Emirati businessmen are pumping money to revive the economy of Israeli settlements while the Palestinian economy collapses to record levels.
Singers are singing for “peace of the neighbours”; peace that cannot be sustained while Israeli forces kill infant in their cradle.
Kings, princes and presidents eager to normalize relations with those who filled earth with the blood of the innocent, uprooted olives, committed massacres, and displaced millions of landowners.
“Content makers” are promoting a false image of the Palestinian Nakba. And so many others betrayed the cause, only to remain power, impose sovereignty, or to be mentioned among the people even by cursing.
The controversial drama series viewed on TV last Ramadan on the Saudi MBC screen under the title “Um Harun” is an evidence of cultural antagonism and mass media normalization. The series, directed by Egyptian director Mohamed Gamal Al-Adl and written by the brothers Ali and Mohamed Shams, aims to focus on the “injustices” suffered by the Jews, and that they were victims of Arab oppression by focusing on the suffering of a Jewish family who lived in Kuwait in the 1940s, and emphasizing that they are being persecuted for embracing the Jewish religion.
The series sparked great resentment and criticism on social media for viewing unforgivable historical fallacy, as the Shams brothers were keen on using the same terms adopted by the Zionist movement in describing the history of Palestine, especially when referring to the “establishment of the state of Israel” after the end of the British mandate over “the land of Israel” instead of “Palestine”, in an attempt to obliterate the Palestinian identity.
Out of all the tragedies in our history and injustices suffered by the Arab and Islamic nation faces and violations committed by tyrants against the oppressed peoples, MBC chose the “tragedy of Kuwaiti Jews” embodied by “Um Harun” the Jewish midwife, played by Hayat Al-Fahd. The director and the two scriptwriters attempted to brainwash the viewer’s mind and belittle the Palestinian cause.
The Arab world has many female victims with shocking stories, those include: “Um Ismail”, the Palestinian farmer whose sons were killed by the occupation forces who also raped her daughters, uprooted her thyme and olives, and destroyed her land to give it to whoever came on board a British ship.
“Um Aden” the Yemeni teacher whose house, the school where she taught boys, and the hospital in which her mother is treated, were all bombed by Mohamed bin Salman, making her a refugee in Egypt, living in the symmetry and living off what the UNHCR and charities give her.
“Um Sham”, the dedicated Syrian doctor who lost her life during the Syrian war and her family members got displaced all over the world; Her mother in the Arsal camp – which is usually hit by snow and floods in winter. Her brothers are in different countries in Germany, Turkey and Canada, and her husband is in a mental hospital after the traumas he lived.
“Um Baghdad” the scientist in Atomy is a graduate of an ancient university. She aspired to lift her country to the ranks of great powers. She got forcibly disappeared and her corpse was found chopped up by American soldiers.
Let’s stop obscuring our issues and normalising with our enemy. Enough of destroying each other and betraying our causes. It is time to have dignity.