JEDDAH, 26 April 2005 — “Madinah in My Heart” —“Cinta Madinah” in Malay is a novel about a Muslim youth who moves from his homeland in Malaysia to live in the holy city of Madinah leaving his pregnant wife behind.
The award-winning novel by Abu Hassan Morad is now being made into a television series, jointly produced by the Saudi Iqraa satellite channel and Malaysian Channel One.
The tale is more than just a traveler who has longed to visit the city of the Prophet (pbuh) but one with symbolism and the representation of our human journey during our short time on this earth.
The series of 20 episodes of 60 minutes each will be broadcast in Malaysia in June and then, in the fall on Iqraa with Arabic dubbing and another with English subtitles. This was announced at a press conference on Sunday attended by Malaysian Deputy Minister of Tourism Dato’ Zahid Hamidi, Abdul Hameed Alsharif, chairman of Dar Alsalam Arab Holding Group advertising and PR company, Dr. Nabeel Hammad, manager of Iqraa channel, and the author and actors in the series.
Some of the scenes were shot in Malaysia but now the actors, director and author are in Saudi Arabia where they will be shooting the remaining scenes in Makkah and Madinah until the end of May.
“The series has many messages and we are happy for the cooperation between our two countries which reflects the long history we have shared,” said Deputy Minister Hamidi. “We hope the series will encourage other production companies to work in Malaysia.”
He mentioned the tourist attractions in Malaysia which will be seen in the series and of potential investment opportunities and property ownership there. Hamidi said that in addition to ongoing negotiations with Saudi Arabian Airlines to increase flights to Malaysia, Malaysian Airlines have increased their flights from 15 to 50 a week to meet demands for summer travel; Qatar Airways and Gulf Air have also increased the number of flights to Malaysia.
The Malaysian Ministry of Tourism is offering many incentives for Saudis to visit and invest in Malaysia, including a five-year multiple entry visa.
Dar Alsalam Arab Holding Group is presently beginning a nationwide campaign to support the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism program, “Malaysia, My Second Home.” It is also working with a number of housing developers in Malaysia to promote the sale and rental of properties there.
