Gharabib Soud: Ramadan series on Daesh terrorists

CAIRO - 19 May 2017: Dozens of stars from seven Arab countries will cooperate in a new series called “Gharabib Soud” to combat Islamic State (IS) terrorist group thoughts.

The series, which will be screened in Ramadan on MBC, will tackle how IS recruits its supporters, convinces them with their terrorism ideas through brainwashing carried out by IS leaders.

Actors and actresses participating in the series include Egypt's Sayed Ragab, Samar Allam, and Ramez Amir; Saudi Mohammed Al-Ahmad, Rashed Al-Shamrani, Yacoub Farhan, Marwa Mohammed, and Assil Omran; Tunisian Fatma El Nasser and Ayman Mabrouk; and Liza Deabes. The series is directed by three directors, Maram Al Baloushi, Sarah Mohammed and Mona Shadad.

“Garabib Soud” which means pitch-black in Arabic, is based on true details narrated by real characters who experienced firsthand the dire reality of IS.

The series highlights women’s role in the group; some of them joined IS for the sake of money, or in order to escape from their desperate lives as a result of their bad financial and social conditions. Some women are even psychologically and socially motivated by the desire to try new adventures while others were subjected to systematic brainwashing through a variety of means, including social networks.

It also brings to light how the terrorist group manipulates children and recruits them. It clarifies that some young children are brought up by their mothers through the so-called Jihad of Marriage, others joined the organization forcibly with their parents who have left their countries for their so-called jihad.

The soap opera tackles the male role in the terrorist organization, and the real leadership structure of the group and its hierarchical sequence. The Emir (the prince) is the central director of the cell. He incites and directs the assassination operations, targeting civilians and security forces, and renounces coexistence.

The series sheds light on the group’s financial bureau’s responsibilities, which maintain a financial budget that ensures the loyalty of the military side and support all the state's capabilities, electronic terrorism operations and others. There is also the children supervisor, who is responsible on how to recruit, train and prepare them militarily, and another responsible for the preparation of suicide attacks.