Viewers across the Arab world this Ramadan were in for a special treat with businessman-cum-TV presenter Ahmad Al-Shugairi hosting the fifth season of his popular program, “Khawater.”

What made “Khawater” (“Thoughts”) special was the fact that it was broadcast from Japan and compared Japanese and Arab cultures, something that attracted much interest.

The fifth season of “Khawater,” which was broadcast every day during Ramadan, mapped Japan’s progress and the reasons behind its success — Al-Shugairi tried to portray how people in Japan follow Islamic principles in their day-to-day lives without actually being Muslim.

Al-Shugairi says he is not a preacher but rather a regular businessman devoted to encouraging moderate Islamic manners in society. To realize his aims, Al-Shugairi aims high.

“If you aim, aim at the stars … so if you miss, you land on the moon,” he said.

The 36-year-old initially developed a taste of TV when he first appeared on the MBC’s “Yalla Shabab.” Having participated in “A Journey with Hamza Yusuf,” Al-Shugairi says he developed a sense of obligation to society.

He was given this opportunity in 2005, when he made “Khawater,” which started off as a five-minute daily program squeezed into the busy Ramadan schedule.

“There wasn’t enough time for a new program, so I proposed a five-minute clip that could be squeezed into the schedule. Things developed and I did a pilot program that was presented to Sheikh Waleed bin Ibrahim, the chairman and CEO of MBC, and he loved it,” said Al-Shugairi.

“We shot 30 episodes in five days. We prepared the content in ten days and finished the whole thing in a matter of three weeks. Just compare that to what ‘Khawater’ is now. The fifth series took us ten months to prepare,” said Al-Shugairi.

The first four years of “Khawater” focused on addressing certain issues in the Arab world.

“I point out the negative aspects of something in every episode and then suggest how it should be,” said Al-Shugairi.

In the last series, Al-Shugairi decided to turn this around.

“We decided it was time to show actual examples of the positives instead of just talking about them,” he said, adding that this why he decided to make Japan the focus of his program.

Instead of focusing on Japan’s advanced technology, Al-Shugairi decided to spell out the Japanese people’s excellent manners and focused on the topics covered in the previous four series of “Khawater.”

“I am talking about having a decent life on earth and good manners when dealing with people. In this, Japan is a step higher than other countries,” he said. “I really believe reaching Japan’s level is doable, it’s not impossible. It just needs planning, dedication and time.”

One of the other primary reasons why Al-Shugairi selected Japan is the fact that people in the Kingdom and the region are generally not so anti-Japan as they might be anti-US. There is, historically, no animosity between the Arab world and Japan, he said, adding that a message from Japan would be accepted in the Arab world.

A third reason for choosing Japan was because people in the Arab world hardly know about this quiet and advanced country located in the furthest part of Asia. They just hear about and have never visited it, unlike Europe and the US, said Al-Shugairi. “Arabs are familiar and exposed to the US and Europe through the media, movies, vacations and scholarships,” he said. “For these three reasons, we thought Japan would be the best.”

The program has, however, received a lot of criticism, especially since it focuses on comparing the Middle East to Japan. Facebook groups have been set up and e-mails are circulating criticizing Al-Shugairi and the program for belittling the Kingdom and the Arab world.

“I don’t agree with the idea that it’s not a fair comparison because I am not comparing the Kingdom to depress people; I’m carrying out this comparison to direct the Arab world toward a better future,” he said. “People have to understand that in the 21st century, the Arab world doesn’t need Ahmad Al-Shugairi to expose them.”

He added that people might think that Saudis are in the spotlight on his program, but the Internet has already done this.

“Type anything on YouTube and you will get a million results and see how many people have viewed the video. Arabs travel every year to the West and the West sees how Arabs behave,” he said. “It’s a global village. So, regardless of whether I’m here or not, and whether ‘Khawater’ exists or not, anyone can see (the issues highlighted in the program).”

Despite the criticism the program received, Al-Shugairi affirmed that a lot of people loved it and for many it has been the best series so far.

“We managed to capture people’s attentions and increase the ratings of the show by 40 percent,” he said. “We had a record in the number of articles written on the series — there were around 55 articles, including ones from Jordan and Morocco.”

Fascinated by the Japanese people’s cleanliness, punctuality and modesty, Al-Shugairi said one would expect the Japanese to be arrogant because they are world leaders, they are, in fact, very humble. “I focused on (comparing Japan to) Saudi Arabia because I am from here and it’s easier to shoot here. It is very important to develop the Kingdom as it is home to the two mosques. It is at the heart of the Islamic world, and it’s also rich,” he said.

Egypt also features prominently in this comparison.

“Geographically, it’s in the heart of the Arab world. This is further enhanced by its huge population,” he said. “With manpower in Egypt and the financial power in Saudi Arabia, I believe these two countries are the key to the Arab world’s development.”

Al-Shugairi focuses on manners. He believes that wrong battles are being fought. He praised the work of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, but he added that the moral police should focus more on improving the manners of Saudi youth rather than focusing on more trivial aspects, like how they dress.

“I want them to stop people from throwing trash in the streets,” he said. “I would love to see the commission fixing corruption; let them be in every single government agency sitting on top of the people making sure people don’t take bribes.”

He pointed out that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was far more vehemently against corruption than he was with regard to one’s personal desires and moral weaknesses.

“The beauty of the Arab world is that there is so much to fix to keep us busy,” he said. “We are doing this out of love for our country. Some people say that I am unpatriotic. I think the person who sees something wrong in his country and does not admit there is a problem is the one who’s unpatriotic.”

Back in 2002, the Saudi government introduced fines for people who don’t wear seat belts, something that Al-Shugairi believes is an example of how change can be introduced.

“Laws have to come in, the government needs to step up and set goals,” he said. “We are done with the culture of blame, people are blaming the government and the government is blaming people. People should focus on their own things and what they can do in their own environment.”

The “Khawater” team is now deciding what the series should focus on next year. Al-Shugairi described this as a challenge.