The Turkish Soap Operas Media Essay

Why do people at the last past years prefer TV shows? Why do people have different thoughts about tv shows? . May be because they are express their daily lives and affecting their behavior. also as they introduce different cultures of different societies., the soap operas and TV series are the most discussed nowadays TV shows People argue about Turkish soap operas that spread nowadays on Arab TV, the aim of that research is the airing of these soap operas and its effects in Arab countries people on the social, religious, tourism and cultural levels, while others disagree with that operas that it causes problems such as women rights and romance in Arab world

What is a soap opera? And what is the difference between a soap opera and a traditional TV series? according to Dorothy Anger in her book Other Worlds: Society Seen Through Soap Operas is a long TV series more than hundred of episodes, these TV shows are present culture style , life style , traditions and educational life of the societies, but the traditional TV series are short ones. They do not exceed thirty episodes and they have many details than soap operas.

The history of TV series in the Arab world is in relation with the Ramadan series. There are some Arab TV series which like soap operas as “layaly elhlmiya” that attract the Arab viewers for years at different seasons waiting to know what the next action.. Fadi Ismail says in the article “Turkish Soaps Bubbling in the UAE” that “we’re trying to see if there are new story lines.” This means that people need a new stories that affect their daily life related to their life style and their cultural experience.

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According to the viewers’ demands, people responsible for TV shows starts to express new shows that is connected with peoples real life ,Layal Abu Rahal expressed in her article “Noor, A Soap Opera to Test The Moral Compass” that Arab men were fascinated by the Turkish actress Noor and women were also fans of the Turkish actor moaned.

Turkish soap operas and TV shows which began recently to be showed on the Arab TV channels, Ismail says “we saw an opportunity in turkey.” (Qtd in Abuzeid The opportunity is based on the high percentage of people watching the soap operas and the dramatic story lines as well. It was a hit success when the first Turkish soap opera started showing on Arab TV. Percentage of people watching it started to increase People became addicted to it and even it became a kind of turning point in their own lives.

People in Arab world get attached to the characters, events and the new style in the Turkish soap opera. They are affected by their new culture. They are also influenced by the Turkish people. They start search the differences between Turkish society and the enclosed Arab society. People start to express their own opinions, defending their thoughts and ideas.

There are positive social effects that appear in the Arab society due to watching Turkish soap operas such as the effect of it on Arab women.. They believe that those Turkish soap operas are the best, as they have things which we don’t have in our Arab society. As a result to these soap operas some women recently became aware of their rights. Some women started to look for themselves on the levels of business and financial life, while other took the side of liberal life searching for freedom. In the Turkish soap opera the women appear as model of liberal independent women who have their own career and job, financial freedom and even their own houses far away of their families. They reflect the ideas of Turkish women in freedom in Islamic society. Arab women stated to take Turkish women to encourage themselves never stop fighting for their lives that they believe in.

Women in Arab world have the courage to loud her voice as They look at the Turkish women as an example of free women, although they are Muslims living in Islamic society too. Women compare the male characters of Turkish soap operas to their men in Arab society. They are full of love and romance and not harsh in their decisions, Arab women started to compare every thing as female characters and to look over many problems that we lack.

On the social level, the Arab women are not the only ones affected by the Turkish soap operas, but the whole family as well. The Arab families watch the two series “Noor” and “Lost Years” and notice the family gatherings of Turkish families and they are close to each other. The reason that leads Arab families to compare themselves to Turkish ones Muslim society tooand they much of arab culture. Where family members are living all in one house. These features seem to be a part of their Arab society.

Also on the social level, the Turkish society has a liberal view that is not present in the Arab society. The dressing code which Arabs have stress on it. Turkish people wear whatever they wanted with no limits or borders. They looks good and they are fashionable society . Tamiko says in the article “Noor, Has a Turkish Soap Opera Fueled Change for Women in the Arab World?” that ” Noor fashion knock-offs were snapped up in boutiques.” The Arab people are impressed by this look so they started to take what suits them and live with Turkish style

. The latest effect of Turkish characters of soap operas on Arab society is that the statistics refers that the newly born babies named after the stars increased in the Arab world. Tamiko discussed in his article that the number of Arab babies named Noor and Muhanned is doubled. This reflects the major effect of Turkish soap operas on our Arab countries

Not all the social effects on Arab society are positive ones. People in Arab society some negatives of the Turkish society. People believe that Turkish society isn’t the best but they have also some defects such as There is a lack of segregation between men and women, which don’t appear in Arab society traditions. Married women are allowed to have male friends and that is legal and the relation between men and women at work. Another aspect which raises the anger of the Arab world and its against the religion is the allowable informal relationships between male and female. They are allowed to live together without marriage These features don’t match our Arab culture and habits. This is refused on the social level not only on the religious level.

Also one of the major negative effects is that incites crime. It has been shown in the soap operas. The crime appears to be an ordinary thing to the society according. Respected society figures are kidnapping people in order to fulfill their aims from their enemies many types of crimes such as stealing, drug dealing by high authorities and even the presence of paid assassins.. Abu-Rahal expresses the presence of crimes and threats of kidnapping with a big rate in those soap operas. This means a perfect proof of social disorder.

Among the positive social effects of the Turkish soap operas on the Arab society, there are positive cultural effects. They are main methods to introduce a new culture to the Arab society. It is an image of the Turkish society, thoughts, ideas, traditions and habits, They are trying to give the world image about turkey modern civilized country and its fight against all its national and international problems which might be a kind of smartness of the Turkish people.. May be they mean to raise the attention about turkey and give themselves a higher rank in world.

. Arab tourism is affected heavily by those soap operas. The number of Arab tourists visiting Turkey is doubled, the number of flights targeting Turkey is doubled The Turkish diplomat Yasin Temizkayn points that the number of Saudi tourists visiting Turkey never increases more than forty thousands, until the soap operas are showed, which raise the number of tourists up to one hundred thousand this year (qtd in Mokhtar). The Arab tourism companies increased the amount of their money invested in Turkey. Increase of air lines in turkey. The ambassador says “we used to have only two flights a week from Riyadh to Istanbul, today we have four air bus flights a day and they are all packed.” (Qtd in Zawawi)

The number of Arab people learning Turkish language increase and the Arab sociologists direct their attention to Turkish society figuring positives and negatives.

Despite the hit success of those Turkish soap operas, they appear to be a double edged weapon it’s a kind of entertainment that targets its damage towards the religious beliefs and moral ideas. It disturbs the peace of the Arabic social and religious. Arab denies the way Turkish people behaving against all the religious and personal ideas. They almost break the major rules of the Islamic religion. People start to ask said in articles how they could have sex without marriage. How that is socially accepted although they are supposed to be an Islamic society? And its said that it is fatal mistakes against whole Arabs. On the other hand, this contradiction causes damaging thoughts and results in the Arab society. That is not the only problem but its wine that became something ordinary and that is reused habit that breaks every rule that put by god against his religion. And negative aspects like adoption of kids to be legal their kids and the abortion all of that which is considered an Islamic crime, repeated several times in those shows. All these contradictions and fatal mistakes are an evidence are showed on air to be ordinary in that society and confirmed by different social and governmental authorities. Worth by his article assures that when he stresses on the point of drinking, informal relationships and abortion. He discusses briefly the major differences between Arab people and Turkish People.

Responsible religious authorities refuse the shows and. religious People start to look at these shows as evil ones spreading immoral and refused ideas,. They try to protect the Arabs society from bad aspects informal relationships, , abortion, drinking ,adoption and independence freedom of women and her dress. voices begin to protest against what was happening in the Arab society addiction of these shows. Mokhtar discusses “The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheik Abdul Aziz Al-Sheik, has condemned Turkish soap operas, which have charmed millions of people across the Arab world, and prohibited people from watching them.” Al Sheik was referring exactly to the most two successful shows “Noor” and “Lost Years”. Some religious views ban watching these shows and apply certain a legal punishment on the Arabic channels. Worth points that the high cleric of Saudi, Sheik Luhaidan, gave his permission to prosecute the owners of those TV channels. Some take serious decisions banning the shows and stop showing it on Arab TV. Tamiko reflects that point saying “Did the viewers listen? Nope” the fans of that TV shows increased and even the channels showing it increases private and local.

After the discussion of the positive and negative ideas, values of that Turkish tv and its affect on Arab TV channels. some people liked that TV shows and other hated it from the first sight and said its something far from our culture and some people became neutral they like positive aspects and hate negative ones although religious people banned it but it still addicted by people . The question is the Arabic addiction these shows will continue forever? And what are its far consequences? The end statement may be you stay neutral influenced by the culture and benefit from the positive side only and don’t look for the negative one.