Egyptian director Ena’am Mohammed Ali was spurred to direct the series Qasem Amin by her belief that “women have been targeted by a social gap.”
“I have chosen Qasem Amin to be the core of my new series because I always choose a topic from history while my eyes are focusing on the present," she said.
"Women currently face a gap to the extent that many now prefer to stay at home, which leads to the evaporation of the information they acquired during their education. Therefore, the series comes within the context of care for women at this time,” the director told the London-based daily Al Hayat.
Writer Mohammed Al Sayyed Eid said the series tackled "the circumstances under which Egypt and Qasem Amin lived during the period between 1879, when Khidaiwi Ismail left Egypt and was succeeded by Al Khidaiwi Tawfiq, and Qasem Amin’s death in April 1908. This period was full of events that cannot be overlooked, including the demonstrations by officers (Urabi and his comrades) in 1881, followed by the British occupation of Egypt and the tenure of Khedaiwi Abbas, who later rebelled against the British. This is in addition to the emergence of the Mustafa Kamel, the Dunshway incident, and the start of plans for establishing the Egyptian University.”
“These are very important issues but they cannot be tackled comprehensively without reading Qasem Amin’s books, Tahrir Al Marah (Women's Liberation) and Al Marah Al Gadidah (New Woman). This is because these books are considered a social coup parallel to the political renaissance and revolution which both Mustafa Kamel and Saad Zaghloul launched. It is a group of coups which complemented each other to make our new age,” added Eid.
“The series will also tackle the life history of Qasem Amin, from the time he was a student and his departure for France to study at Montpelier University and obtain his BA in Law. This is in addition to building on his thoughts and reform aspirations. The series also sheds light on Amin’s other books including Al Misriyyoun… Asbab Wa Nataeg, Akhlaq Wa Mawaeth (Egyptians…Reasons and Results, Morals and Advice) and his memoirs, entitled Kalemat (Words),” said Eid.
The writer reiterated that “he had depicted all the figures which lived during that period including Mohammed Abdo, Saad Zaghloul, Mustafa Kamel and Ahmed Lutfi Al Sayyed. This is in addition to reflecting the time which witnessed Egyptian heroes such as Talat Harb, Hafez Ibrahim, Ahmed Shawqi and princess Nazley Fadhel, the initiator of the first cultural house in Egypt and the entire Arab World. I tried to depict an entire generation rather than one man,” he added.
Costarring in the series are Kamal Abu Rayya, who plays Qasem Amin, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Ahmed Khalil, Nadia Rashad, Mageda Al Khatib, Said Abdel Ghani, Tawfiq Abdel Magid, Ahmed Al Shafia’I, Amin Azab, Nurhan and Mirna.
Qasem Amin is scheduled to be screened during Ramadan – Albawaba.com
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