Iraqis turn to sitcom to satirise IS jihadists

Iraqis have been hitting back at Islamic State terrorists – through sitcom.

The cast and creators of Dawlat al-Khurafa – or State Of Myths – have risked terrifying reprisals to satirise the jihadist group, with many involved choosing to remain anonymous,

The 30-part series, depicting a dysfunctional town ruled by IS militants, started on Saturday and mocks the jihadists with slapstick and song. One character is a zealous follower of the fundamentalists, condemning those who drink alcohol – while secretly boozing himself.

In another scene, a grocer is told that vegetables with names in the Arabic language that are female in gender can't mix with those of the male gender.

State Of Myths airs on al-Iraqiya, a main state-owned TV channels available nationwide, including IS-held Northern Iraq. It had a production budget of $600,000 and involved the largest studio set built in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion.

The opening credits feature a man in a devil costume and terrorist leader leading a song featuring lyrics such as: 'We banned smoking cigarettes and displaced all Christians. We banned all extra-marital sex, except with jihadist fighters.'

Taha Alwan, who plays an imam, told the Washington Post: 'For me it's personal, It might be dangerous, but we need to send a message of how ugly those people are.'

Published: 1 Oct 2014