Saudi poet Hissa Hilal’s appearance on the Arabian version of the Idols TV show has caused quite a stir. Wearing a veil which fully covered her face, she recited a poem which was fiercely critical of her country’s ultra-conservative clergy. Her performance has earned her much praise, but also death threats.
'The Million’s Poet', is the Arabian equivalent of 'Idols', the TV show which offers contestants a chance of winning eternal fame and a million euros in prize money. On this version of the show, contestants recite poetry instead of singing a song.
Contestants taking part in The Million’s Poet also recite from their own work, but this hardly ever includes social criticism. At least, not until last week, when female contestant Hissa Hilal, dressed modestly in a niqaab, surprised millions of viewers by lashing out at Saudi Arabia’s fundamentalist clergy.
"Their fatwas sow evil in our midst, normal things are branded as sins. The truth hidden behind a veil."
Watch Hissa Hilal’s appearance on 'The Million’s Poet' TV show: (story continues below)
Fatwa
Her unusually fierce criticism appears to be aimed at the ultra-conservative cleric Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Barrak who in a recent fatwa said proponents of allowing men and women to mingle were infidels who deserved to die.
Hissa Hilal also criticises the extremism which she says is being nurtured by statements made by conservative clerics. “Extremism”, she says in one of the 14 verses of her poem’, "sneaks into our society, to many clerics killing a human being is so easy, it’s always an option”.
Giving a Voice
Both the audience and the jury were enthusiastic about her poem, confirming Hissa Hilal in her belief that she gave voice to an apparently widely-shared sentiment in Saudi society:
"Many people in the streets and everywhere were glad I spoke so openly. Many people said: We share the feelings you have expressed.”
The jury admired her courage and rewarded her performance with a place in the finals scheduled to be held on 31 March. However, Hissa Hilal has also received death threats via extremist web sites. She says she is not surprised and not worried:
"So I have heard and many people have told me about them. It is only to be expected. When you discuss such issues you can expect much worse."
However, Hissa Hilal is concerned about her children. She also said she feared fame might affect her simple and quiet existence. Poetry is one of the most respected forms of expression in the Arab world, and some poets in the Middle East are as popular as rock stars are in the West.
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