JEDDAH, 3 March 2004 — The first Arab reality TV show successfully concluded on Monday after three months of controversy over its format, contrary to earlier reports that it has been suspended.
Some critics had damned the groundbreaking show Hawa Sawa (On Air Together) as too liberal, but fans writing on Internet diary sites said it supported traditional values of limited contact before marriage. MBC says the format is locally created with traditional values and respect for local culture in mind.
Suitors could view the girls 24 hours a day and contact them before a possible meeting to propose marriage. In a region of 280 million Arabic speakers, the show has been an enormous success.
Soon after the show ended, MBC announced it was suspending an Arab version of Big Brother, which has been a runaway success in several Western countries.
The program was to show six men and women living in the same villa.
Hawa Sawa showed eight women living in a villa, with no men around. There were no cameras in bed- or bath-rooms.
Traditional values in Arab societies require the segregation of unmarried men and women, but television networks have increasingly been pushing back the boundaries.
MBC said it was suspending Big Brother after a decision “in tandem with the Bahraini Information Ministry” following a “huge outcry”.
“By this sacrifice... MBC does not want to risk, through its programs and broadcasting, being accused of harming Arab traditions and values, because it considers the channel one for the Arab family,” a statement said.
