Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04KUWAIT3876
2004-11-10 13:19:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

ISLAMISTS WIN ANOTHER BATTLE: RAMADAN TV SPECIAL

Tags:  KISL PHUM PREL PGOV SOCI KU 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 003876 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2014
TAGS: KISL PHUM PREL PGOV SOCI KU
SUBJECT: ISLAMISTS WIN ANOTHER BATTLE: RAMADAN TV SPECIAL
BANNED BY MINISTER OF INFORMATION

REF: A. KUWAIT 1701

B. 03 KUWAIT 4503

Classified By: DCM Matthew H. Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 003876

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2014
TAGS: KISL PHUM PREL PGOV SOCI KU
SUBJECT: ISLAMISTS WIN ANOTHER BATTLE: RAMADAN TV SPECIAL
BANNED BY MINISTER OF INFORMATION

REF: A. KUWAIT 1701

B. 03 KUWAIT 4503

Classified By: DCM Matthew H. Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary and Comment: The recently banned Ramadan
television special 'Donia Al-Quwy' has become a nationwide
hit for the very reasons it is not being aired by local
stations: its focus on taboo societal issues. While the ban
reflects the growing influence of Kuwaiti Islamists in this
conservative Gulf society, the popularity of the show
highlights the country's struggle between its Islamic
identity and modern ambitions. End Summary and Comment.


2. (U) Kuwait, a country in which women can drive, stroll
unveiled and write columns critical of the government, prides
itself on its openness in comparison to its Gulf neighbors.
Yet, Kuwaitis hoping to catch a glimpse of the top-rated
Ramadan TV special this year better have satellite
television. 'Donia Al-Quwy' (which translates roughly as
"The World of the Strong"),a program which was written,
filmed and produced in Kuwait, was picked up by other Gulf
television stations but is not being broadcast in Kuwait.

Ramadan Special Airs Kuwait's Dirty Laundry
--------------


3. (SBU) Information Minister Mohammed Abulhasan, under fire
from Kuwaiti Islamists for most of his term, deemed the show
inappropriate for Kuwaiti audiences and prohibited local
Kuwaiti stations from buying its broadcast rights. The
reasons? The show portrays mixed-gender parties; forced,
arranged marriages; adultery and other so-called taboo acts
that the GOK and many Kuwaitis insist do not occur in this
traditional muslim society.


4. (C) This hasn't stopped Kuwaiti audiences from tuning in
to satellite channels on a nightly basis to catch the latest
episode. In fact, an informal survey of Pol contacts and
FSN's reveals that the show is by far the most popular of the
annual Ramadan TV specials, in large part because it
addresses issues currently being grappled with in Kuwaiti
society. (Note: Poloff has attended numerous mixed-gender
parties in Kuwait; additionally, forced arranged marriages
are prevalent and the practice of adultery by both sexes is
widely believed to occur and is sometimes reported by the
press. End Note.)

Tradition Vs. Modernization at Home and on TV
--------------


5. (C) The cultural conflict over 'Donia al-Quwy' reveals the
sometimes contradictory nature of Kuwaiti society. Poloff
recently attended an Iftar (or futoor, in local dialect) meal
to break the fast at the home of a middle class Kuwaiti
family, where the show was discussed. A woman in full hijab,
who frequently argues for increased women's rights, noted she
agreed with the Information Minister's decision to ban the
show, but admitted she had seen it. Her brother, a
westernized Kuwaiti educated in Indiana, said he disagreed
with the decision, but added that, "of course, these things
don't actually happen in Kuwait."


6. (SBU) The banning of the show is the latest in a long
string of successes that Islamist societal elements have had
in curbing cultural influences they deem harmful or out of
line with the teachings of Islam. In October, threats and
protests from Islamist MP's forced the cancellation of
Kuwaiti auditions for the Lebanese-produced hit Arab
television show, 'Star Academy.' These threats followed
October 2003 and May demonstrations against a concert by
'Star Academy' participants (reftels) and frequent Islamist
denunciations of the show as, in the words of Islamist MP
Waleed Tabatabaie, "aiming to destroy young people." In
addition, Kuwait National Cinema Company (KNCC) was obliged
to close its theatres for the last ten days of Ramadan this
year, supposedly to allow Kuwaitis to reflect on their faith.
Local dailies have since reported that the sale of pirated
DVDs has doubled since the closures. Finally, responding to
pressure from the government and reportedly some Islamists,
the producer of a social comedy play in November changed its
title from "Kuwaiti in Fallujah" to "Love in Fallujah."
Several Kuwaiti Islamist activists have in recent months
traveled to Fallujah and taken part in fighting against U.S.
and coalition forces.

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