Middle East

Iraq pulls prank TV show that staged mock ambushes of celebrities by Isis


Iraq’s media regulator has canceled a TV prank show that lured guests into simulated ambushes by militants, forcing participants and viewers to relive some of the terror and fear that were widespread under the rule of the Islamic State group.

The show, Tannab Raslan, was aired as a special during the holy month of Ramadan until Iraq’s Communication and Media Commission this week ordered it off the air amid widespread outrage from viewers.

The show – a form of reality TV – follows Iraqi celebrity guests, including actors and soccer players, who are invited to what is described as a “charity event” but then fall prey under various scenarios to a staged ambush by actors playing militants. They are later freed by other actors playing Iraqi security forces.

The ambush re-enactments include fake weapons and stunt explosions while the “militants” threaten to detonate fake suicide vests.

Hidden cameras film everything – and the fear that grips the show’s guests is real. The show has raised ethics concerns and provoked outrage from angry viewers who said its content was highly offensive.

“The scenes bring back memories of Daesh once again,” said Baghdad resident Bashir al-Saddi, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. “Frankly, this is not acceptable, it is inhuman and uncivilized.”

But some, like one of the show’s actors and presenter Raslan Haddad, argued that the cancelation was unfair as the show also depicts the heroism of Iraqi security forces. “The decision is unjust,” he said.

In one the most controversial episodes, cameras follow Iraqi actor Nessma Tanneb as she is taken to a rural area outside Baghdad under the pretext of meeting a family liberated from Isis rule.

Along the way, she is told at a mock checkpoint that the area they are about to enter is unsafe and was under attack by Isis militants just three hours earlier. Tanneb is visibly concerned and asks to turn back but is ignored.

Once she is brought inside a house, an explosion is heard, and actors playing militants storm the building. Tanneb – who at this point is blindfolded – cries out, screams and eventually faints as actors playing Iraqi soldiers burst on to the scene and “liberate” her.

The show was produced by the Popular Mobilization Forces, a government-backed umbrella group of mostly Shia militias, many backed by Iran, which fought alongside Iraqi security forces against Isis.

Under its terror reign, Isis engaged in abductions, beheadings and enslavement, especially of women. Thousands died in the fight to oust the militants from Iraqi territory.

Despite the outcry, Haddad is unconvinced the show crossed any lines and insists contractual agreements would lead to huge penalties for the channel.

Isis was defeated in a three-year campaign with assistance from US-led coalition forces. At the height of its power, Isis held a third of Iraq’s territory and terrorized those under its rule.

“Participants have no objection, they agreed to it,” Haddad claimed.



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