“School is a nightmare”
With those words, Mariam, the show’s protagonist, opens the first episode. In flashbacks, she narrates how her school turned from her favorite place in the world to a place that she, literally, almost lost her life in. Events from two weeks earlier unfold leading to the point where she’s being violently attacked in a deserted school area.
But no, this is not a “Pretty Little Liars” wanna-be thriller where we lose our breaths wondering who’s the attacker, or in this case, the murderer is. From there, the story unfolds and it becomes very obvious who the attackers are; early on. We are super proud of this particular Jordanian show for so many reasons. But comes at number one, is the glaringly open and bold rhetoric used to narrate the daytime of a bunch of Arab teens at an elite school; for girls only.
For once, a show reflecting on an Arab community does not shy away from the truth. Teen shows don’t have to be merely about drugs and awkward romantic complications. it could simply delve deep into a teen’s psyche that leads a girl to accuse her classmate of sexually harassing her and even goes to the lengths of nearly killing her.
Needless to say, social issues like bullying and abuse are not lost on us. But for some reason, for so long, we may have turned a blind eye. Especially, to the moist grounds where assault grows the most. Schools. On another level, we’re exposed to more in-depth layers of how abuse is deeply rooted in Arab societies, especially towards women, to the point where it finds its way through adults and into the minor’s patterns of behavior.
Earlier this month, we were shocked to the core by the horrible incident that took place in El Behera. A girl conspired with two men to kill her “best friend” in cold blood. And, why? Simply out of rivalry. So, in light of that, and so many other factors, we don’t think the plot of AlRawabi School for Girls is too far-off. In 2018, a UNICEF study concluded that 70% of kids in schools are subjected to bullying.
In short, the show isn’t just exploring different types and layers of bullying, it’s more of a microcosm where the school actually represents not just the Jordanian society but the Arab societies as a whole; where other topics like internalized misogyny, westernization, and mental health were tackled briefly yet smartly as well.
