A pornographic TV channel called "Lebanese Women" and a Lebanese fashion show displaying sexy lingerie were the subject of recent TV reports by the Lebanese OTV channel.
On May 17, 2010, OTV, owned by former Lebanese prime minister Michel Aoun, aired a report on a fashion show that was brought to Lebanon in cooperation with Playboy USA, in which women – whom the reporter stressed were "not Lebanese women" – walked the catwalk in minimal clothing. The show sparked a controversy, with many claiming that it was counter to Islamic values. The organizer of the event, Nathaly Fadhlallah, accused the opponents of hypocrisy, saying: "We claim to have a European orientation, yet we say that this show is shameful, while committing all possible sins, and looking to see where it's all happening." She added: "Now that we have brought Playboy, we are thinking of bringing something even more powerful."
On July 9, 2010, OTV broadcast a report on another controversial issue – the airing of a new pornographic Lebanese channel, and the demands to shut the channel down.
Against a backdrop of steamy footage, an indignant reporter said that the porn channel was "an affront to Lebanon and all Lebanese," constituting "a character assassination of an entire society and country."
For the May 17 clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/0/0/0/0/0/0/2569. For the July 9 clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/0/0/0/0/0/0/2541.
Following are excerpts from the two reports.
Playboy Lingerie Fashion Show Organizer: People "Expected to See Vulgar Girls... But They Saw Nice, Good-Looking Girls Who Look Just Like Them" – May 17, 2010
Reporter: "This spectacle is from Lebanon, and was organized by Lebanese, even though the participants are not Lebanese women. This is a lingerie fashion show, organized by a Lebanese fashion-show agency, in cooperation with Playboy USA, which took place at a specially prepared venue on the road to Dbayeh. This is just like any other international event brought to Lebanon."
Event organizer Nathaly Fadhlallah: "I like to shock people, but I like the results to be positive. Anyone who heard the words 'Playboy' or 'Playmate' thought they were about to see something that was 'overkill.' Thus, a guessing game began, as usual, even before the event. But as soon as they stepped into the airport, the people and the journalists were shocked. They had expected to see vulgar girls. People think that Playboy girls are stuck up. But they saw nice, good-looking girls, who look just like them. They met girls who were so classy that they enjoyed their company."
Reporter: "The lingerie show provoked various reactions. In addition, there were calls to censor the billboards along the roads."
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Nathaly Fadhlallah: "Why can't we take this a positive, rather than negative, way? First of all, we have invigorated tourism. We brought girls who had thought that this was a very scary country, because they see in the media war, killing, and even some backwardness."
Reporter: "A lingerie show on ice – a tumultuous evening in a tourist compound – and TV shows and movies featuring hot scenes… What's next?"
Show Organizer: "We Claim to Have a European Orientation – Yet Yet We Say This Show Is Shameful"
Nathaly Fadhlallah: "The confusion is caused by people who claim to be talking in the name of honor. We are operating in accordance with Lebanese law. We are committing no violation. We are not showing nudity. This is a very normal fashion show.
"There is no point in burying our heads in the sand and being afraid. We claim to have a European orientation, yet we say that this show is shameful, while committing all possible sins, and looking to see where it's all happening. This is the goal of this show."
[...]
Reporter: "The show has begun and it will go on for several days, and the organizers have a new surprise."
Nathaly Fadhlallah: "Now that we have brought Playboy, we are thinking of bringing something even more powerful."
Lebanese Porn Channel – "Character Assassination" of All Lebanese – July 9, 2010
Anchor: "There is a TV channel which broadcasts pornographic images and which is called 'Lebanese Women.' Everybody emphasized the importance of taking action to stop this affront to Lebanese women, yet the judiciary will act only after completing a case of higher priority – [the three men arrested for slandering] the Lebanese president on Facebook..."
Reporter: "It is not unusual for a TV viewer to accidentally come across channels broadcasting porn films and nude images. What is peculiar is that one of these channels is called 'Lebanese Women TV.' The channel is broadcast via the European Hotbird satellite, and it airs porn films and sex ads – free-of-charge and encrypted – showing girls imitating a Lebanese accent, although they are not Lebanese, thus exploiting the good reputation of Lebanese women for marketing and distribution purposes.
"This whole issue is harmful to the image of Lebanese women, and constitutes an affront to their pride and honor, and by extension, this is an affront to Lebanon and all Lebanese. It constitutes a character assassination of an entire society and country, for the whole world to see."
Lebanese Politicians Demanded an End to the Harm to the Image of Lebanon and Its Women
Reporter: "The entire issue is a scandal, but the way it is dealt with is even more disastrous. The issue was raised by several politicians, led by MP Khaled Zahraman, who visited the Lebanese president and asked him to intervene, in order to put an end to the harm done to the image of Lebanon and its women.
"He also sent a letter in this regard to General Prosecutor Sa'id Mirza. The issue was dealt with for a week, and was then neglected. When we contacted the head of the office for fighting IT and copyright crimes, the answer we received was that the office is aware of this issue, but is not dealing with it at present, because the issue of the president and Facebook is of higher priority.
"The question that begs an answer is how priorities are determined. Doesn't this warrant an immediate appeal to shut down the channel, or at the very least, to remove the name 'Lebanese women' from this spectacle? Doesn't the good reputation, honor, and dignity of Lebanese men and women merit a protest against the affront they suffer through this channel?"
