In his August 28, 2017 column in the Egyptian Al-Watan daily, Mahmoud Khalil praised the Egyptian 30-part television drama series Horseman Without a Horse, which depicts the alleged implementation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion; the series was originally broadcast by Egyptian government TV and the privately-owned Dream TV channel during Ramadan (November-December) 2002. Khalil stresses how faithfully the series presents the truth, and calls for more reruns of it to be aired "in order to give the new generations an opportunity to know it and to the old generations a chance to refresh their memory [of it]."
According to series creator and star Muhammad Subhi, the Mubarak regime in Egypt complied with external pressure to remove some scenes from it, but the uncut original version was broadcast in 2012 after the Muslim Brotherhood took power in the country with the election of Mohammad Morsi as president. In September 2013, several months after President Abd Al-Fatah Al-Sisi was elected, the series was again aired, on Dream TV, to mark the 40th anniversary of the October 1973 war.[1]
As early as October 2001, before the series even aired, it was much discussed in Egypt and across the entire Arab world.[2] It was widely criticized in the West as well, including by the U.S. administration, Congress, and the American press.[3]
Mahmoud Khalil. Source: Al-Watan, July 28, 2017.
The following is the translation of Khalil's column.
"The Horseman Without a Horse series, which focuses on the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion,' is one of the most important series produced by Egyptian television. The main topic of the series is connected to the book The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which are documents that the protagonist of the story, Hafez Najib, has managed to obtain, and with them to expose the global and regional plans of the Zionists. The star and creator of the series, Muhammad Subhi, pointed out, several days ago, an incident connected to its production, when Omar Suleiman, the late director of [Egypt's] general intelligence apparatus during the Mubarak era, interfered with the script and demanded that Subhi delete 140 scenes that included segments connected to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. [This number was eventually] cut, following negotiations, to 42. The actor added: 'I kept for myself the [uncut version of the] series [on tape], and after the January [2011] revolution [in Egypt] I showed it in full, without the omissions."
To view a segment from Horseman without a Horse on MEMRI TV, click here or below:
"The Protocols is one of the most important books the world has ever known. It has been translated into many languages, including Arabic. Some think that the book represents a forged document, and some believe that the schemes included in the Protocols are exact. In any case, the Arabic translation by [Egyptian] author Muhammad Khalifa Al-Tunsi[4] provided the main idea of the series. What draws the attention is that the writer of the preface to the [Protocol's] Arabic version is the greatest of the Arab thinkers, Abbas Mahmoud Al-'Aqad.[5] Al-'Aqad, as everyone knows, is a meticulous researcher who in his books refuses to accept any piece of information until he is certain it is correct. Al-'Aqad's testimony, [in the form of] his authoring of the preface, give us an indication that we must take the content of the Protocols seriously.
"Of course, no one knows what motivated the late Omar Suleiman to cut from the series certain scenes connected to the book. Perhaps this was due to certain circumstantial dictates that prompted this interference in the script of the series. But what is clear is that the changing of the circumstances after the January 2011 revolution made it possible for actor Muhammad Subhi to present the uncut series, as he announced, in order to reveal the old Zionist scheme to take over the world by means of the financial, employment and media apparatuses and by planting politicians loyal [to the Zionists] in various countries, particularly in countries with influence in global decision making such as the U.S. The removal of the Palestinians from their land was the first starting point of the implementation of the plan, with all its various phases.
"The peoples need, from time to time, to refresh their memory, and it is good that art plays a role in this context. In my assessment, the Horseman Without a Horse series is one of the most prominent landmarks of television drama, and the television channels, particularly the government channels, must make sure to air it every so often, in order to give the new generations an opportunity to know it and to the old generations a chance to refresh their memory [of it].
"If only Muhammad Subhi, with his art and his very impressive presence, would give us more new works like Horseman Without a Horse, that will make drama into a reliable tool for shaping the cognitive and emotional [perceptions of] the viewer and correcting his misperceptions."
[1] Al-Yawm Al-Sabi' (Egypt), September 9, 2013.
[2] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 109, Arab Press Debates Antisemitic Egyptian Series 'A Knight Without a Horse', November 11, 2002; Inquiry & Analysis No. 113, Arab Press Debates Antisemitic Egyptian Series 'Knight Without a Horse' - Part II, November 20, 2002; Inquiry & Analysis No. 114, Arab Press Debates Antisemitic Egyptian Series 'Knight Without a Horse'- Part III, December 10, 2002.
[3] See also MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 4611, Post-Revolutionary Egyptian Al-Tahrir TV Channel Resurrects Controversial 2002 Egyptian Antisemitic TV Series 'Horseman Without A Horse', March 28, 2012.
[4] Egyptian author (1915-1988), from the village of Tunis in Egypt, hence his name.
[5] Prominent Egyptian thinker, journalist, and poet (1889-1964).
