(MENAFN) Tunisia's education minister, Mohamed Ali Boughdiri, has criticized a Ramadan TV series for allegedly tarnishing the reputation of schools, while two lawyers have launched a bid to take it off the air. The controversy came after private channel El Hiwar Ettounsi broadcast the first episode of the soap opera "Fallujah," which tells the story of a group of high school students, their behavior towards their teachers, and their often difficult home lives.
The series has caused outrage due to scenes depicting drug use and sexual harassment of teachers. In one scene, a new teacher is hit on by students in the classroom then finds her car tagged with "Welcome to Fallujah." In another, a drug dealer in the schoolyard hands out ecstasy tablets to students who then sell them on to classmates.
Education Minister Boughdiri has alerted Prime Minister Nalja Bouden and vowed to take all necessary measures to have the series taken off the air. Two lawyers have filed a request to a Tunis court to stop the broadcasts immediately, claiming that the series deliberately undermines public morals and the educational system by disseminating obscenities.
The Federation of Secondary Education, a teacher's union, has also expressed concern about the series, stating that it "seriously harms teachers" and urging the Ministry of Education to investigate how a private TV channel was able to film in a public school.
Ramadan TV series are popular in the Middle East, but they often provoke controversy due to their provocative content. The controversy over "Fallujah" highlights the ongoing debate in Tunisia about the role of television in shaping public opinion and the limits of free speech.
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