Saudi Arabia holds the most power over the media of any country in the Arab world, yet not even they are strong enough to get rid of all of their opponents--they have too many preoccupying them might be the response to this. Nasser al-Qasabi is a writer and comedian along those lines, who garnered millions of viewers for the second and third episodes of his television series “Selfie,” which he described as “a jihad against those who think they are fighting the jihad.”

The series shocked the major Arab network, both its audience and advertisers, with a portrayal of the organization Daesh. The image of Daesh as presented by the series, and welcomed by many viewers, chastens the acts of terrorist groups--regardless of what might be seen as weaknesses of the drama and what the press has to say about it--and following that, one goes to sleep hoping not to be gripped by the nightmares of what one does not want to see in reality.

The righteous at the forefront of Saudi Arabia misrepresent themselves with their systems of ruling. They allow for a stream of liberals to criticize all aspects of militancy in a situation such as this, yet they do not draw parallels, even once, between those who commit those acts and who choose to sponsor them, and the fact that Saudi Arabia continues to ally itself with one of the most extreme religious sects in the world: Wahhabism. They silence the criticism of “free” citizens who question their government’s role in “the fight against terrorism.”

Saudi Arabian drama makers have aligned themselves with their Egyptian counterparts in stressing the message that society is the victim of external dangers or ignorance without searching for political motives, which are fundamental components in both Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Nasser al-Qasabi, and Adel Emam before him, have attempted to reveal the first beneficiary of such tactics: those in power and their allies.

It should be noted that the objectors to the content are citizens of the Gulf in particular, and Arabs in general, who live in their respective countries but are not members of organizations of the state. That the objectors of the content think that its creator “offends Islam” should come as no surprise; it is a natural reaction for people watching a station which presents “Selfie” alongside programs which advocate Wahhabi ideals, no different from those espoused by Daesh.

Saudi television stations, most of them in Arabic, are responsible for this confusion in the presentation of Islam after decades of publishing myths and devoting themselves to extremism, to the extent where we no longer have the faith of pure believers, like followers of Omar ibn al-Khattab. We now have Muslim terrorists who have taken up arms against the state, or Muslims who live in fear of escaping the killings, burned or bombed, or others who do not stand in opposition to the continued employment of organized religion in this manner, playing upon the waters of the disputes between religious currents in an attempt to postpone their demise a little while longer.

In fear of being accused of selectivity, let us recognize the rest of the details: there is a controversy between “reformists” and “conservatives” in Saudi Arabia, enough to occupy the Arab media and social media networks throughout Ramadan and beyond, and this difference is sometimes reflected in the advertising market.

Noting that, however, it is worth taking note as well that, “Selfie” bares the same name as the act of filming ourselves and our lives with our own hands, an attempt to convince ourselves and others that this is the only image which represents us.

Mahmoud Muneer is a writer, journalist and the editor of the “Takween” section on AmmanNet

*The Arabic version of this op-ed article appeared on June 21, 2015. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of AmmanNet.

Translated by Julia Norris