Al-Azhar prohibits the broadcast of the “Muawiiya” series, the first caliph of the Omeyyade dynasty.

The highest global Sunni authority, the Al-Azhar University, has just issued a fatwa prohibiting the viewing of the historic series “Muʿāwiya”, scheduled for Ramadan 2025. This major decision is added to the already pronounced ban in Iraq.

The projector, estimated at $ 100 million and funded by the Saudi media group MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center), is produced by the filmmaker Palestino-American Tarek Al-Arian on a scenario by Egyptian journalist Khaled Salah. It arouses a lively controversy because of its representation of characters from Islam, in particular the Companions of the Prophet. The Sheikh Abdel Fattah Abdel Ghani Al-Awari, an eminent member of Al-Azhar, firmly opposes any incarnation on the screen of the Muʿāwiya caliph, deeming it “religiously unacceptable”.

The international cast brings together leading actors: the Syrian Loujain Ismail in the title role, alongside Asma Jalal, Aisha Bin Ahmed, Jamila Chihi, and Iyad Nassar who interprets Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib. The shooting took place at the Carthago Film studios in Tunisia.

The trailer presents the series as “a political epic that has shaped an unforgettable story”, retracing the journey of Muʿāwiya, one of the scribes of the Prophet Mohammed, who later became the first caliph of the Omeyyad dynasty. This controversy illustrates the persistent tensions around the representation of the historical figures of Islam, particularly during Ramadan, a flagship period of television broadcasts in the Arab world.

Trailer of the Muawiyah Bin Abi Sufyan series