Cairo -

Divorced lady Faten (actress Nelly Karim) goes to the Dar Al Iftaa and asks Sheikh Yahya whether a divorced woman loses custody of her children if she gets married. He tells her that jurisprudence confirms this, but he does not present her with an explicit Quranic verse about that, so Faten asks him in defiance. Did our Lord say this (this) himself?” She denied the opinion of the jurists, then announced her opinion, “I challenge you that our Lord said that, the matter does not need study, that God is just and merciful and cannot deprive a mother of her children.”

In a scene in the next episode, Faten returns to Sheikh Yahya, telling her that he spent a long time looking for the opinion, and that God did not say that, and that the jurists were the ones who said that, so Faten ululated, Yahya takes her to another sheikh, older and more knowledgeable, when she discusses him in the opinions of Scholars of jurisprudence, and objecting to his point of view severely violent, insisting that scholars of jurisprudence explain the words of God, and expels it immediately, in a shocking scene.

Divorce from another angle

After the “Netflix” network presented the series “Search for Ola” months ago, and presented the story of a divorced woman (Hind Sabry) who embarks on a spacious life after being freed from the constraints of marriage, without having any problems with her husband or ex-husband. Faten Amal Harbi "to present a closer treatment of reality to a wide audience who watches the series on satellite screens during the most important and highest-watched Ramadan season, presenting the story of the suffering of a divorced woman who is trying to gain her rights after her divorce from a cruel husband, to be shocked by the law, society and religion as well.

Whilst, there is a big difference between both cases in terms of lifestyle and community.

However, #Faten_Amal_Harby realistic for such kinda men who were raised on being morons, so it's not about the lady who handles the divorce it's all about the MAN!

#Search_for_Ola pic.twitter.com/0sq2qmFsbu

— Ayten ElRawiy (@AytenElRawiy) April 6, 2022

Since its first episodes, the series has sparked a great deal of controversy due to its highlighting the opinions of its author, writer and journalist Ibrahim Issa, as some saw that he was promoting his beliefs through dramatic work, presenting direct messages on the lips of his heroine, Faten, and skeptical about jurisprudence and the opinions of scholars, as usual in his works by skeptical that the prophetic hadiths are not confirmed and must Rely only on the Holy Qur'an.

different issues

Despite dealing with a very important issue about the suffering of divorced women, and the consequent family disputes, judicial disputes and the suffering of children, Issa’s direct style controls the characters’ dialogue, from time to time Faten repeats, “I am one who takes (takes) everything from me,” “I am six.” (Woman) and he is a man” and “If I testify in court, they will not take my testimony. They consider it text (half)” testimony, “This is an unjust law that must be changed.”

Here, the shortcomings of the writer's script appear, from being very direct in addressing important issues to directing sharp criticism of the constants of religion.

Issa is also trying to mix all the controversial issues in law and religion in one container since the first episodes, presenting the hotel's refusal to accommodate women without the presence of her husband, the divorced woman's right to educational guardianship and her right to custody of her children, as if Issa is taking advantage of the opportunity to address a wide audience for the first time through an artist Famous and a Ramadan series to present all his ideas at once, linking women's rights stolen with the opinions of jurists.

change the law

Some pioneers of social networking sites see that the series wins for women, and may cause a change in the personal status law, as did the movie "I want a solution" starring Faten Hamama decades ago, and some went to praise the choice of the name of the series, which symbolizes the heroine "Babena clings to hope and fights for her rights." .

While some demanded a balanced drama that is not biased to desires and whims for the sake of fame, stopping the series that leads to the disruption of family life instead of reuniting it, and amending the Personal Status Law in line with the child’s interest to spend his childhood between father and mother in a balanced manner, so he knows his father and his family as he knows His mother and his mother's family, and that there should be a deterrent to the wife who abuses the law, and the man who also slanders his wife.

The poison is in the details

Some emphasized that God Almighty is merciful and takes into account the child’s interest by transferring his custody to his grandmother to his mother if the divorced mother remarries, contrary to what the series promotes, and criticized questioning the opinions of jurists and claiming that “their words are not the words of God,” and that the series is good, but poisons in the details.

I do not understand what the disappointing tone and the stupid words of “The origin of this is the words of the jurists, not the words of our Lord!” On the basis that the jurists composed it in Safa’s hour in Al-Asriya in the garden of Ibrahim Issa’s villa .. Or on the basis that the words of Abraham are the words of our Lord 🤔


Overall, series # Faten_Amal_Harby is


sweet but poison #Ibrahim_Issa in the details

— Rania Ezzat 🍒 (@Rania_mostafa) April 9, 2022

The spokesman for the Association of Parents Affected by the Personal Status Law, Ahmed Ezz, also attacked the series, and saw that its makers use social networking sites to increase views, regardless of the corruption that this series leaves, he said.

Issa is a script writer

"Faten Amal Harbi" is the first television series written by Issa, after he presented his three films, "Mawlana" (2017), "The Guest" (2019) and "Sahib al-Maqam" (2020), and after a long journey in the world of journalism and presenting television programs, He is expected to release his new movie "The Atheist" soon.

In this series, Issa does not deviate from his previous path in promoting his ideas through his artworks, as if he presents the ideas of broadcaster Ibrahim Issa in a television program or writes them in a newspaper article. During it, it extends to controversial issues about religion and law, and as usual, Nelly Karim falls under the control of Issa and his ideas.

Between the guest and Mawlana

In his first movie "Mawlana", Issa presented the story of Sheikh Hatem Al-Shennawi (Amr Saad), one of the famous Islamic preachers through the media, and he has close relations with politicians, and how this affects his credibility with the public and his personal life.

In "The Guest", Issa discusses religious extremism, and tells the story of a young man who is a guest of the family of thinker Yahya Al-Tijani (Khaled Al-Sawy) during dinner for their daughter's sermon, then events suddenly develop, events take place in almost one place, and a debate extends to more than half of the film, in a script It relies on dialogue for the most part, as if it were a play taking place on the stage or a debate in a television program between supporters and opponents. Khaled Al-Sawy is under the control of Issa. Rather, it seems that he is Issa himself, with a body close to him and a performance closer to him. As for his tongue, he has become Issa himself as he engages in long discussions. Boring in an argumentative debate with a religious young man.

mental duel

Critic Tariq Al-Shennawi believes that "Al-Dhaif" is an extension of the TV program "Talk Show", which carries the ideas of Issa with his distinguished presence on the screen, commenting, "It is a mental duel, and do not forget that the script dances on the edge of the sword, it is not against wearing the veil, it only confirms jurisprudence." It is not an obligation, and the difference is as vast as it is thorny.”

El-Shennawy adds that Issa’s breaths dominated the vocabulary of his heroes in “The Guest” and “Mawlana”, and while Amr Saad succeeded in escaping a little from the influence of Issa in the first, Khaled El-Sawy was not satisfied only with the subconscious influence latent within the character, but also went to him consciously and premeditatedly All he needed was to borrow from the writer his suspenders.

The owner of the place

Issa somewhat distanced himself from the intellectual controversy and the long direct dialogues in his latest film, "The Owner of the Maqam", addressing the issue of Sufi blessing of the family of the house and Sufi religious singing, and presenting the story of the demolition of a shrine that some bless to establish a commercial project, which angers the dervishes of the shrine.

And as the critic Andrew Mohsen sees, “The Owner of the Maqam” was based on a good idea, but the treatment is weaker than the idea. Issa presented his point of view very directly, not engaging with him in thought or stimulating thinking in the viewer, relying on transformations in the main character. To make it clear how faith entered his heart.

provoke the crowd

It is important for artworks to address the issues of society, and to present the writer’s point of view towards the issues of his homeland and his nation, but the direct method in presenting it may sometimes harm, especially with questioning the constants of society. In asking questions about religious jurisprudence and the constants of religion in a way that provokes these masses, the important issue he raises is lost amid a great debate about the constants.