'Mother of Aaron', Gulf Arabic pronunciation: [ʊm häːruːn]) is a Kuwaiti television series that started airing during Ramadan in 2020, a time when TV viewership in Arabic-speaking countries is very high.
[1] The series portrays the relations between the Muslim/Christian and Jewish communities in an unnamed Persian Gulf country, which according to the historical events of the show checks out to be Kuwait around 1948.
The series begins with the Kuwaiti actress Haya ʿAbdissalām [ar] speaking Hebrew in a modern Mizrahi accent, telling the story of Um Harūn, an elderly Jewish obstetrician, that she wrote in a notebook titled אמו של אהרון (Mother of Aaron).
[2] The lead actress and the writer said the series was influenced by the real story of the Bahraini Jewish lady Um Jān, from which the appearance and occupation were taken.
'Mother of Aaron', Gulf Arabic pronunciation: [ʊm häːruːn]; real name Samḥa Šāʾūl), is an elderly Jewish nurse who works at the city's hospital.
Despite holding some extreme views, he is often seen with Rabbi David, who is also his neighbour and whose shop in the sūg (market) is next to his, fighting over petty stuff, having a friendly conversation, or teaming up for a common task, such as advising Miriam in one episode, or scolding Father Samuel for distributing the Bible on Muslim and Jewish kids in another.
'Father of Sʿīd', Gulf Arabic pronunciation: [bʊ sʕiːd]; real name unknown), is a big merchant and a close friend of Mulla ʿAbdissalām, whom he always advises against holding extreme religious and nationalistic views.
The show stirred mixed reactions in Arabic-speaking countries, mostly as it was perceived as an attempt to soften Arabs' hard-held stance against establishing relations with Israel ("normalisation").
The lead actress Ḥayāt il-Fahad denied allegations of attempts at normalisation by making a distinction between the movement of Zionism, and Judaism whose "followers exist everywhere".
He condoned the anti-normalisation stance Kuwait has taken and criticised the unsubstantiated calls for boycott over false premises, but showed support for people critical of the lead actress, Ḥayāt il-Fahad, who made racist comments against immigrant workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
"[14] The New York Times featured a quote by the prominent Palestinian journalist ʿAddilbāri ʿAțwān in which he says that 2020's Ramadan TV season won't be forgotten as it "witnessed the largest normalization campaign, driven by the Saudi media, with help from the government, and coordinated with the Israeli occupation state.
[15] ʿAbdilmiḥsin in-Nimir, the actor who played the rule of rabbi David, echoed similar sentiments, adding that the show paints [parts of] the Jewish community in a negative light.
[citation needed] According to Yediʿot Aḥronot, Syrian, Gazan, and Lebanese commentators criticised Saudi Arabia for its aspirations towards normalisation of relations with Israel for its own benefit at the cost of Palestinians' suffering, and linked the show to those years-long attempts.
"[14] The New York Times, in its report, points to some attempts at establishing relations with Israel made by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in order to counter the perceived threat of Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.