SINCE THE launch in Jeddah last month of the Saudi video clip “Malak Gheir Allah” or “You Only Have God to Count On,” the world media has paid a fair amount of attention to it. The clip is very different from others which have been, for the most part, linked to popular music. Such clips tend, to say the least, to be provocative and really have nothing original about them since they are mostly imitations of Western clips. And since the music channels have become successful businesses, these types of channels have been increasing by leaps and bounds and their content has been of questionable quality.
This new clip, however, represents something that has been slowly gaining ground in Saudi Arabia — attracting audiences slowly but surely. The trend can be traced back to the youth program, “Yallah Shabab,” that aired on MBC a few years ago and depended entirely on young men and women as presenters. The program addressed the younger generation and its message was moderately religious. Having so many casually-dressed young presenters who were in sync with their generation in discussing genuine issues they faced made the program a hit and it ran for several years.
Banking on its success and aiming to continue the message, the same group — with the exception of one or two who stirred up controversy — started another successful program shown only during Ramadan. It was called “Rihla” (Journey) and it took the audience and the presenters on a journey with Sheikh Hamza Yousef, the American scholar who had become a favorite with many people because of his work on “Yallah Shabab.” Sheikh Hamza is a modern religious scholar — young, moderate and tolerant and he has a different slant on many religious issues. “Rihla” took its audience to Europe and America; it visited Muslims there and it also presented examples of moderate Christians and Jews. Sheikh Hamza’s moderate and compassionate tone was a success and the program was one of the most watched in the usually very full Ramadan TV schedule.
It seems obvious that what people, especially the younger generation, are actually seeking is a moderate view of Islam, one that shows love of other people and understanding of other cultures. The arrival on the scene of a young British Muslim singer, Sami Yousef, made it clear that this was indeed the case. His songs were religious — they were about the Prophet (pbuh) — and the artist is one in a group of young men and women. He lives in the same world they live in and is a pleasant face to link to religious singing with undertones of love and tolerance that include the entire world. Yousef’s success has pointed business in a new direction, one in which he was virtually alone. All of this grew out of the need of the younger generation of Muslims to address the religious aspect of their lives in a less conventional and more tolerant way.
And so we arrive at “Malak Gheir Allah” which had the advantage of coming in the wake of those mentioned above. The clip, which was launched in Al-Basateen Shopping Center in Jeddah, chose as its theme young men and women. The producers chose to launch it in a place popular with their target audience: Al-Basateen is a popular shopping center where young people often hang out.
The audience reacted rather well to the clip although it was somewhat too direct in its message and a bit predictable. It deals with a young man who does not perform his religious duties and when the world turns its back on him, he begins to rethink his life. Nonetheless, we can also say that the direct message worked with many who cheered at the end and posted it online for everyone else to see. Because of the success, maybe we can expect to see more of the same thing; for sure, being different and simple is one of its major strengths.
Maybe too it is an indication that the popular music industry should start looking at what has made this music video a success and begin to emulate it. What we hope is that the trend will not turn completely commercial and be used for different purposes by the moguls of the music industry.
