Saudi comedian gets death threats for satirizing IS
TV star refuses to be intimidated after his program mocking jihadists causes stir among Islamic State supporters
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA Saudi comedian who produced a satirical TV show caricaturing Islamic State fighters has laughed off death threats he received from the terror group’s sympathizers.
Nasser al-Qasabi, 53, the brains behind “Selfie,” an Arabic sketch comedy show aired during Ramadan on the pan-Arab satellite channel MBC, told the Saudi news channel al-Arabiya that artists have a duty to speak the truth, even if it comes at a price.
In one episode, Qasabi plays a father who travels to Syria to retrieve his son who is fighting with a terror organization. One scene portrays a group of jihadists at a slave market, selecting concubines from a line of chained women captured on the battlefield.
“Come on, guys!” the character played by Qasabi quips to the group. “This is forbidden by Islam, these are just children!”
“God forgives!” the ringleader replies.
One fighter accidentally picks a hairy man in a woman’s black robe for his slave “wife,” after which a friend points out the apparent mistake.
“No problem!” the first fighter interjects. “If he’s an infidel, he deserves this!”
#ناصر_القصبي يشغل الرأي العام ويختصر في لقطة عظيمة فكر #داعش الإرهابي الحقيقي الذي يدعو حتى إلى قتل الوالدين. #سيلفي pic.twitter.com/MwxbCLWgdL
— مصدر (@MSDAR_NEWS) June 20, 2015
The content of the show has left Islamic State supporters reeling, with the brunt of the anger directed at Qasabi for daring to mock the group.
One Twitter user wrote, “I swear to God you will regret what you did, you apostate.”
Another threatened Qasabi with decapitation, noting that “the holy warriors will not rest until they cut your head from your body, in just a few days hopefully.”
Qasabi hit back against the mounting opprobrium, telling al-Arabiya that “the artist’s essential role is to reveal society’s challenges even if he pays a price.
“Warning the people about ISIS is the true jihad [struggle], because we’re fighting them with art, not war,” Qasabi said, using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State group.
“My Twitter is overflowing with people cursing at me, threatening me and hating on me. I’d like for them to calm down a little. Come on, Ramadan is just beginning,” he told fans on social media.
Supporters of the Saudi comedian also took to social media in a show of solidarity, with some Twitter followers posting, “I am with Nasser al-Qasabi.”
A columnist for the London-based Arabic daily al-Hayat, Fahd Deghaither, tweeted in Arabic, “Two episodes have shaken Daesh [IS] feelings. What would have happened if we had a whole production city with complete cinematic events? Who will stand against that?”
The Times of Israel Community.