When exported to Muslim lands, various aspects of Western pop culture must be modified in order to accommodate Muslim sensibilities. When Muslims come West, various aspects of Western pop culture must be modified in order to accommodate Muslim sensibilities. Get the picture? "The Simpsons' Exported to Arabs -- Minus Bacon, Beer: Key Aspects of New Middle East Version Get Lost in Translation," from ABCNews.com, with thanks to all who sent this in:
(Oct. 18) -- After 17 seasons of entertaining U.S. audiences, "The Simpsons" can now be seen on Arab television. While U.S. foreign policy is not always a hit overseas, there is a huge audience for American popular culture.So the Arab satellite network MBC is bringing the cartoon saga of Springfield to the heart of the Arab world. "The Simpsons" has been exported overseas and is now called "Al Shamshoon."
With Omar instead of Homer, and Badr substituting for Bart, MBC hopes to win coveted young viewers. After all, 60 percent of the Arab world is 20 years old or younger....
But with a show that is so disinctly American, Arab media experts say, it's not enough to just translate the language.
"Translating the show linguistically, as well as culturally, as well as socially so that it appeals to the audience that's watching it here, I think there's a lot of details that one has to pay attention to," said Nadia Rahman, a professor at the Zayed University Media Center in the United Arab Emirates. "How does the mother dress? How does the sister dress?"
So MBC is making some changes as the characters go from American to Arab. They will remove references to things forbidden by the Koran, such as bacon, beer, and other references that might be construed as offensive.
From American Beer to Arab Soda
Homer Simpson's ubiquitous Duff beer will now be soda in the Arab version of the show.
Hot dogs will become Egyptian beef sausages, and donuts will become popular Arab cookies called "kahk." Moe's Bar has been completely written out of "Al Shamshoon."
With characters who are Jewish (like Krusty the Clown), Hindu (like Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu) and Christian (like the family's pastor, Rev. Lovejoy), Al Jean — "The Simpsons" executive producer — says those changes mean they aren't "The Simpsons" anymore.
"If he doesn't drink and eat bacon and generally act like a pig — which I guess is also against Islam — then it's not Homer," Jean said.
Some on the Arab street agree. Many bloggers have also expressed discontent.
"It's different," one Arab viewer told ABC News. "We are a totally different culture, so you can't be talking about the same subject and in the same way."
Is Margie's blue hair under a hijab? Or is she just wearing an abaya? Has Lisa been "dumbed" down? What's happened to Santa's Little Helper (the dog)?
Will we ever be on the same page with the Arabs? Homer is supposed to be a harmless, imperfectly human, politically incorrect lug. They don't seem to understand that that is where the humor is.
Will Bart (Badr) have to put Lisa to death to protect family honour - Lisa being Springfields youngest Buddhist & all that?
Surely its his duty as a good Muslim son?
And can we expect to see Mr Burns gay PA Smithers thrown from the top of cooling tower 2 for sodomy?
Will they have the celebrity guests still? How long before we see Osama doing a cameo appearance? Or Bakri? Or Qattada? Or Galloway? Or Livingstone?
Any funny episodes involving tall buildings in western cities & aeroplanes planned? Oh, those Westerners & their cultural misunderstandings - should be at least 7 - 8 seasons of material in that for them.
We in the West are going to be the butt of all humour in this show. How long before the "real message" starts seeping through?
With Mo, Arpu, Crusty & a myriad of un-Islamic un-desirables ethnically cleansed from the show, the real message has already started.
I hope they have good Muslim censors vetting the story lines. Mistakes are easy to make when dealing with infantile Muslim sensibilities.
And we all know what happens when Muslims are offended, don't we children?
DOH!
The Simpsons cannot be viewed out of context and without all the cultural baggage. Otherwise, what's the point??
"Any funny episodes involving tall buildings in western cities & aeroplanes planned? Oh, those Westerners & their cultural misunderstandings - should be at least 7 - 8 seasons of material in that for them."
There was, indeed, a funny episode that specifically featured the WTC. To my knowledge, it has not been re-broadcast since 9/11.
As with everything stolen from host cultures, the islamic reverse-midas touch will tansform this little gem of modern pop-culture into excrement.
I wonder if Homers "USA: JUST TRY & STOP US" Teeshirt will be revamped to reflect the modern Jihad?
JIHAD: JUST TRY & STOP US
Re: "How does the mother dress? How does the sister dress?"
LOL. That's easy - with a burqua. It should be easy to draw the characters.
3812Michelle:
Re: "They don't seem to understand that that is where the humor is."
I don't think the words Arab and humor occur naturally together.
I don't think the words Arab and humor occur naturally together.
Mother-in-law jokes may not work so well when you've got four of them.
Interested
Can you imagine a Muslim Les Dawson?
Regards
Albion
A Muslim Les Dawson?
Curmudgeonly, unprepossessing, given to sexist stereotyping*? Yes. Funny? No.
* eg "I can always tell when the mother in law's coming to stay; the mice throw themselves on the traps. "
Come to think of it, another reason the mother-in-law jokes won't work, is that, far from being an old ratbag, the wife's mother (or wives' mothers) may be younger than the husband!
I do believe that Marge Simpson's hair is shaped like a camel's hump...that is haraam.
Many bloggers have also expressed discontent.
"It's different," one Arab viewer told ABC News. "We are a totally different culture, so you can't be talking about the same subject and in the same way."
He then added, "I mean, that Hindu guy, I mean, what? is he even still breathing?! Not in my tolerant islamic nation he's not. LoveJoy? Well, as long as he stays home, shuts up and has non-obstentatious funerals, well, I guess like MAYBE the network would keep him around until next Ramadan, but by then he's denouncing the old Triple Play or he's gone. And as for Krusty, well, I think we all know what HE'S guilty of, that twisted conspiring J - I mean, ISRAELI. I mean, was he or was he not guilty of nearly blowing up the nuclear station like what - five times? Oh, sure, he'll say it was that al-Shamshoon guy, but that guy's a regular, ordinary mosque-going muslim, likes his TV and football and everything. Couldn't have been him."
Pausing for reflection, he enjoined with "Wait - what's a football made from, anyway?" and promptly left.
AP
Oh no, not the Simpsons...is nothing sacred to these people? Whats next, an Islamic Archie Bunker? Minus the bar and cigars? Or an Arabic version of Gunsmoke, minus the bar, cigars and friendly bar girls, like miss kitty? Or how about 'Cheers', minus the bar, cigars and bargirls. Or better yet Sienfeld, minus the bar, cigars and Kramer. There is no Islamic equivelant of "Kramer"...
There seems to be a gap or omission in the text:
"With characters who are Jewish (like Krusty the Clown), Hindu (like Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu) and Christian (like the family's pastor, Rev. Lovejoy), Al Jean — "The Simpsons" executive producer — says those changes mean they aren't "The Simpsons" anymore."
I think what has been left out would be something like (restored text in bold):
"With characters who are Jewish (like Krusty the Clown), Hindu (like Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu) and Christian (like the family's pastor, Rev. Lovejoy), taken out or completely changed, Al Jean — "The Simpsons" executive producer — says those changes mean they aren't "The Simpsons" anymore."
The biggest change to any Muslim The Simpsons would be the countless and frequent episodes throughout the years that have blatantly and outrageously ridiculed & lampooned all sorts of sacred aspects of Judaeo-Christian religion: I can remember countless Simpsons episodes where Jesus is mocked, ridiculed and/or lampooned; same for Moses; and a few episodes where God Himself is mocked, ridiculed, lampooned, or belittled. (This is not to mention the countless episodes that have mocked and poked fun at evangelical Christians represented by the Flanders family.)
These translated verbatim would be unthinkable in any Muslim television show (since they revere Moses and Jesus and of course God); and reasonably translated into mockery of Mohammed would be, for Muslim television, beyond unthinkable and would likely cause murderous riots.
Obviously, I've got too much time on my hands.
Dr Pepper:... would be, for Muslim television, beyond unthinkable and would likely cause murderous riots.
Murderous riots caused by the Flanders family, now there's something to think about.
Iranian ban:The ban affects films that deny the existence of God as well as those seen to promote immorality, violence, drug usage, liquor consumption, secularism, liberalism, anarchy and feminism, the television report said.
Well thats just about everything. Guess the Iranians will be stuck with a film diet of 'How to grow corn in the sand, and other agricultural adventures'. Or technical films on how to refine oil, or old US Navy "Survival at Sea and the Jungle" training films, for any Iranians stuck on deserted islands or in the jungle. I once saw a film of how to install a new rubber belt on a vacuum cleaner. It may be suitable for Iranian theaters if you take the background music out of it..movie goers in Iran are in for exciting times...
"The Simpsons cannot be viewed out of context and without all the cultural baggage. Otherwise, what's the point??"
-- Posted by epg
Here are two hints:
1) World's shortest book: Moslem comedians.
2) World's 2nd shortest book: Moslem artists.
Homer, we hardly knew ye.
Its enough when 1a and King Klinkermann convert,
or "revert" to "Simpsonism"...
Well I guess we all stand corrected -- there can be humor in Islam after all - though I'm not too sure how funny this Islamicized Shamshoons will be -- is Matt Groening groaning at what they did to his creation? I wonder...
And as for Islam being the world's biggest joke-free-zone, just remember, you can't have SLAUGHTER without LAUGHTER... and Allah knows best!
Hmmm. Will we see Rev.--oops, Sheikh--Lovejoy with a full beard and tarboosh, preaching from a minbar? Then agin, the goof's so theologically liberal it wouldn't make much of a difference.