Netflix's first Arabic original sparks backlash on home turf
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This undated photo provided by Netflix shows a scene from the series "Jinn." By global Netflix standards, its first original Arabic series “Jinn” hardly pushes the envelope. But when the show debuted worldwide last week, many Jordanians were shocked and appalled by a program that they say violates the country’s conservative norms. The outrage has shaken Jordan’s self-image as a bastion of tolerance in a turbulent region and reflects a cultural gap between the country’s Western-allied ruling elite and deeply conservative Muslim public. (Netflix via AP)
Netflix's first Arabic original series has sparked a conservative backlash on its home turf of Jordan.
In a Netflix statement, the show's writer Bassel Ghandour had hailed the series "Jinn" as a "real turning point" for Jordanian representation.
The five-episode thriller centers on a group of privileged teenagers who visit a wide-open desert haunted by ancient demons that make strange and terrifying things happen.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But many Jordanians were shocked and appalled by the show after it debuted last week.
The show's scenes of youths drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana and dating has offended many among a conservative Muslim public, and highlighted the gap with its Western-allied ruling elite.
The attorney general demanded the authorities "take immediate, necessary action" to pull it from Netflix, but they have yet to do so.