Every Ramadan in Morocco, there’s always a huge controversy about the popular TV shows that are shown during the first breakfast of the evening. Commonly, Moroccan families sit around the TV together during this first breakfast every sunset during Ramadan. Seeing PDA on these shows is very taboo for a majority of the strict religious families (which most families are) that consider TV shows and watching TV as Haram, prohibited by Islam. The less religious families still feel uncomfortable like the traditional families when any type of PDA is shown on the screen. With all that being said, I understand why creators have such a difficult time producing quality shows and being creative when the whole entertainment world is considered Haram. 

To top it all off, one of this year’s most popular Ramadan series was L'Maktoub (The Written), which is about a Sheikha, which means a female member of a ruling Arab family in classical Arabic. But in Moroccan Darija, it means popular traditional folklore singer and dancer who has been part of the Moroccan cultural heritage for centuries.

The Sheikha character, played by Moroccan actress, Dounia Boutazout, sparked a huge controversy not only in Moroccan media, but all across the Arab world, in which a video of the very popular preacher Yassine El Amri, accused the Moroccan channel 2M that broadcast the show of encouraging Moroccans to "normalize" with the profession of Sheikha.

By Simo Ben