Some considered that the series “offended Sharia” and traditions and customs, and accusations were leveled against both the writer and director of the series of distorting some facts.
The director of the series, Mohamed Abdel Aziz, responded to the criticism, in an exclusive interview with “Sky News Arabia”, where he believes that “he presented scenes with a religious impact in a tolerant Sufi mold, the essence of which is that no one imposes his ideas on society, such as the scene of the sheikh of the mosque that appeared in one of the episodes.” He calls on the doctor who runs a gambling center for guidance, mercy and forgiveness.”
Moderate personality
And Abdel Aziz continued: “This religious figure represents the moderate Lebanese who is able to embrace all groups, and this aspect is not new in the drama, and the idea of the imam of the mosque calling for the owner of the gambling house for guidance is not new, and the Islamic heritage abounds with such attitudes, and the gates of heaven are open to the wrongdoers if they decide.” repentance.”
He added, “One of the good things about the work is that it dives into thorny places that are unprecedented in joint drama, and therefore this diving may result in re-asking questions about what is forbidden.”
Maryam’s veil
The Syrian director said: “As for the hijab of the heroine Maryam, the scene does not incite in its essence to wear the hijab or to take it off. We put the character in difficult situations and she had to act according to her vision and sense of danger, and we should not forget that Maryam comes from an environment with an open Sufi background.”
And he continued: “It was necessary, because the character has security concerns about her Syrian uniform, and this could lead to the detection of forgery of her identity papers, or at least this is what she thinks when she travels outside her Damascene environment for the first time and enters Lebanon illegally, in addition to all that.” Her husband was being held by extremist and armed groups.
In his interview with “Sky News Arabia”, the director explained the following points:
• The text was modified in several stages, under the supervision of the well-established production company.
• The professional artists who participated in the series, such as Abed Fahd, Karis Bashar, George Khabbaz, Tony Issa and Tariq Tamim, enriched the work with their observations and experiences, and contributed to shaping the project in a good form.
• The work was carried out in true partnership in an atmosphere dominated by team spirit, and based on the directorial vision that I followed from day one.
• These partnerships produced a common vision for drafting and amending the text, which won the admiration of a large segment of the public.
• The amendments and suggestions were made with the approval of the writer, who was showing great flexibility, but unfortunately we reached a dead end at some point.
• The work was completed with the cast and the production company with its professional team, and with what we considered in favor of presenting the work to the audience in the form that was shown.
Gunpowder and death boats
In the same context, Abdel Aziz spoke to the role of the boy “Baroud” in the series played by Tim Aziz, and said: “He was chosen after several tests. Tim was one of the best actors and played the role with sincerity and warmth.”
The director added, “I think the audience agrees with me that he is a young man who is well versed in personality characteristics, especially since in this age group we rarely find boys with this presence and understanding of personality dimensions.”
He continued, “What matters to us is his ability to play the character, as he has the attractiveness and mentality required to play the role.”
Abdel Aziz also considered that the scene of illegal immigration and escaping across the sea by boat “was one of the closest scenes to my heart. I executed it with great sensitivity, and I believe that I was able to portray the pain of a large segment of the Syrian and Lebanese societies that went through this bitter experience.”
He added, “In the series, we touched on the failure of the trip, drowning in the sea, and the tragedy. I intended this scene to remind you of the scourge of the war in Syria and its consequences.”
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