JEDDAH: Al-Asoof (‘Winds of Change’) was a big hit for last year’s MBC Ramadan lineup. Now the next instalment is due to air over the Holy Month and depicts events surrounding the 1979 terrorist attack at the Makkah Grand Mosque orchestrated by Juhaiman Al-Otaibi and his group of followers.
It focuses on a Riyadh family at a time of great transformation in the Kingdom.
Written by Abdulrahman Al-Wabil and directed by Muthanna Sobh, the cast included Naser Al- Qasabi, Abdul-Ellah Al-Sanani, Habib Al-Habib, Laila Al-Salman, Afnan Fuad, Reem Abdullah
The second season delves into the aftermath of the massacre, its impact on the wider Saudi society as well as the rise of the Islamic Awakening movement.
Speaking exclusively to Arab News, Ali Jaber, the director of MBC Group Television, said:
“Al-Asoof 2 tackles a major historical event of Saudi Arabia through its plot and dramatic tension which is an important process in the
formation of the present society.
“I believe that MBC to have the courage to tackle a very important and long-lasting effect of the Juhaiman incident is something very important,” he told Arab news.
“Discussing important events and issues have to come available for media to evaluate, criticize, develop, and look into,” Jaber said.
He added that MBC’s message in producing such a show, as a media company, was to make compelling television for its core Saudi audience.
“They (MBC Group) want to reflect and expose the reality of their audience’s life leading up to Juhaiman who turned life in Saudi Arabia upside down and pushed the country and society to a more conservative way of life.”
Relevancy is key according to Jaber.
He said that bringing forth a true image of Saudi Arabia before the Awakening Movement was an important part of the drama.
“We want to produce a drama series about life in Saudi Arabia in the 70s, 80s, and up to the 90s.”
He added: “We believe that life in the pre-Awakening Saudi Arabia was a different life from what it is now, we see that the openness and the good beautiful life was always there in the Kingdom.”
Commenting on Saudi Arabia’s current transformation, he said: “The message is that Saudi Arabia now opening up is something hugely important and it requires diving deep into.”
Al-Asoof 2 is set to be broadcast for MBC channel 1 exclusively in Ramadan.
‘Winds of Change’ drama recalls 1979 Makkah Grand Mosque attack
‘Winds of Change’ drama recalls 1979 Makkah Grand Mosque attack
- The next instalment is due to air over the Holy Month and depicts events surrounding the 1979 terrorist attack at the Makkah Grand Mosque orchestrated by Juhaiman Al-Otaibi and his group of followers
- The second season delves into the aftermath of the massacre, its impact on the wider Saudi society as well as the rise of the Islamic Awakening movement
Saudi Media Forum urges ethical coverage as crises redefine Arab journalism
- Raw news without context can mislead audiences and distort credibility, experts say
RIYADH: Arab media was born in crisis and shaped by conflict rather than stability, Malik Al-Rougi, general manager of Thaqafeyah Channel, said during the Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Al-Rougi was speaking during a panel titled “Media and Crises: The Battle for Awareness and the Challenges of Responsible Coverage,” which examined how news organizations across the region navigated credibility and professional standards amid fast-moving regional developments.
“Today, when you build a media organization and invest in it for many years, a single crisis can destroy it,” he said.
Referring to recent events, Al-Rougi said that he had witnessed news channels whose credibility “collapsed overnight.”
“In journalistic and political terms, this is not a process of news production. It is a process of propaganda production,” he said. “The damage caused by such a post … is enormous for an institution in which millions, perhaps billions, have been invested.”
When a media outlet shifts from professionalism and credibility toward “propaganda,” he added, it moves away from its core role.
“A crisis can work for you or against you,” Al-Rougi added. “When, in the heart of a crisis, you demonstrate high credibility and composure, you move light-years ahead. When you fail to adhere to ethical standards, you lose light-years as well.”
Abdullah Al-Assaf, professor of political media studies at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, said that in many crises across the Arab world, agendas and directives had often prevailed over professionalism.
“Credibility was buried,” he added.
Hasan Al-Mustafa, writer and researcher at Al-Arabiya channel, said that raw information could be subject to multiple interpretations if not placed within a proper political, security, historical or geographical context.
He added that such an approach was urgently needed during periods of political and security volatility in the Middle East.
When, in the heart of a crisis, you demonstrate high credibility and composure, you move light-years ahead. When you fail to adhere to ethical standards, you lose light-years as well.
Malik Al-Rougi Thaqafeyah, Channel general manager
“This objectivity, or this reliability, is a great responsibility,” Al-Mustafa said. “It is reflected not only in its impact on the audience, but also on the credibility of the content creator.”
Al-Mustafa warned against populism and haste in coverage, saying that they risked deepening crises rather than providing informed public perspectives.
He also said that competition with social media influencers had pushed some traditional outlets to imitate influencer-driven models instead of strengthening their own professional standards.
“Our media has been crisis-driven for decades,” he said, describing much of the region’s coverage as reactive rather than proactive.
During a separate panel titled “The Official Voice in the Digital Age: Strategies of Influence,” speakers discussed how rapid technological and social changes were reshaping the role of institutional spokespersons.
Abdulrahman Alhusain, official spokesperson of the Saudi Ministry of Commerce, said that the role was no longer limited to delivering statements or reacting to events.
“Today, the spokesperson must be the director of the scene — the director of the media narrative,” he said.
Audiences, he added, no longer accept isolated pieces of information unless they were presented within a clear narrative and structure.
“In the past, a spokesperson was expected to deliver formal presentations. Today, what is required is dialogue. The role may once required defense, but now it must involve discussion, the exchange of views, and open, candid conversation aimed at development — regardless of how harsh the criticism may be.”
He said that spokespersons must also be guided by data, digital indicators and artificial intelligence to understand public opinion before speaking.
“You must choose the right timing, the right method and the right vocabulary. You must anticipate a crisis before it happens. That is your role.”
Abdullah Aloraij, general manager of media at the Riyadh Region Municipality, said that the most important skill for a spokesperson today was the ability to analyze and monitor public discourse.
“The challenge is not in transferring words, but in transferring understanding and impact in the right way,” he said.
