View source for Pokémon in the Arab world

{{CountryInfobox|area=the Arab world 
|logo=Pokemon logo Arabic.png
|language={{wp|Arabic language|Arabic}}
|continent={{wp|Arab world}}
|countries=the Arab league
|EP001=2000
|AG001=2005
|DP001=Never aired
|BW001=Never aired
|XY001=Never aired
|SM001=Never aired
|cat=Arab world
}}
The Pokémon franchise widely reached the '''{{wp|Arab world}}''' in late 2000, with the first broadcast of [[EP001]] in Arabic language on {{wp|Middle East Broadcasting Center|MBC Channel}}. Although, Pokémon video games were initially distributed in various places, particularly within the {{wp|Gulf Cooperation Council|GCC}} countries, since 1998.

The word Pokémon is written as '''{{tt|بوكيمون|Bukimun}}''' and pluralised as '''{{tt|بوكيمونات|Bukimunat}}'''. Pokémon are always referred to as either male or female, since Arabic has no neutral grammatical gender.

While almost all characters, Pokémon, and most of the locations have kept their English names in the Arabic version, some objects in the franchise received Arabic names. The [[Poké Ball]], for example, has been dubbed as '''كرة البوكي''' (''Kurt Al-Poké''), and the [[Poké Flute]] received the name '''مزمار البوكي''' (''Mizmar Al-Poké'') and so on. One of the Arabic names that are different from the English dub is [[Team Rocket]], which has been translated as: '''عصابة الرداء الأبيض''' ''{{tt|'isabat Ar-Redda Al-Abiadh|The white robe gang}}''. Also, the name of [[Pallet Town]] got changed to '''قرية شورباك''' ''{{tt|'Qaryat Shoreback|The town of Shoreback}}'' which sounds interestingly similar to the Cantonese name of the town {{tt|純白鎮|Seonbaak Zan}}.

==Controversy==
In 2001, the {{wp|Grand Mufti}} of {{wp|Saudi Arabia}}, who is the highest religious authority in the kingdom, issued a ''{{wp|fatwā}}'' banning the Pokémon franchise, claiming it encourages gambling and promotes {{wp|Zionism}}. High Muslim authorities in {{wp|Qatar}} and {{wp|Egypt}} then joined the ban. As this happened during the {{wp|second Intifada}}, a {{wp|Jordan}}ian newspaper printed a caricature of Israeli Prime Minister {{wp|Ariel Sharon}} sitting in a tank and laughing at an Arab man chasing a Pokémon. This is meant to convey that Arabs are distracted from their conflict with the Israelis by popular franchises, with Pokémon as an example of such "distractions."

Despite the initial banning, which quickly wiped away [[Pokémon merchandise]] (especially the card game) from markets in Saudi Arabia, Pokémon video games quickly returned to be sold normally, but under much less demand from local consumers. Some Pokémon merchandise such as the {{tcg|Expedition Base Set}} reappeared in stores a few years later, but newer sets were never brought. [[Generation III]] and [[Generation IV]] games seem completely unaffected by the ban.

{{bulbanews|BattleZone to hold first National Championships in United Arab Emirates}}
A ''fatwā'' was also issued in the {{wp|United Arab Emirates|U.A.E.}} emirate of {{wp|Dubai}}, however no bans officially occurred.<ref>[http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/dubai-scholars-declare-pokemon-unislamic-1.412648 Dubai scholars declare Pokemon unislamic - ''Gulfnews'']</ref> Although the U.A.E. takes its Islamic identity seriously like most Arab states, actions based solely on ''fatwā'' would however violate {{wp|Constitution of the United Arab Emirates|its federal constitution}}. Regardless of this, the licensed local distributor ceased importing Pokémon cards into the U.A.E. until the early 2010s, when the TCG experienced a resurgence among local players. In 2016, the U.A.E. became the first Arab country to be officially sanctioned by [[The Pokémon Company International]] to hold official [[Play! Pokémon]] events.

==Pokémon anime==
Pokémon airs or has aired in the following countries: {{wp|Algeria}}, {{wp|Bahrain}}, {{wp|Egypt}}, {{wp|Iraq}}, {{wp|Jordan}}, {{wp|Kuwait}}, {{wp|Lebanon}}, {{wp|Libya}}, {{wp|Morocco}}, {{wp|Oman}}, {{wp|Palestinian National Authority}}, {{wp|Qatar}}, {{wp|Saudi Arabia}}, {{wp|Sudan}}, {{wp|Syria}}, {{wp|Tunisia}}, {{wp|United Arab Emirates}}, {{wp|Western Sahara}}, and {{wp|Yemen}}.

In the Arab world, the anime is available on [[Netflix]].

{| style="background: #2E83D2; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; {{roundy|10px}}; border: 3px solid #81807A"
|- 
! style="background: #6AA9E4; {{roundytl|10px}}"| Country
! style="background: #6AA9E4; {{roundytr|10px}}"| Channels aired
|- style="background: #fff"
| Algeria
| MBC, Spacetoon and TRT
|- style="background: #fff"
| Bahrain
| MBC and Spacetoon
|- style="background: #fff"
| Egypt
| MBC and Spacetoon
|- style="background: #fff"
| Iraq
| MBC and Spacetoon
|- style="background: #fff"
| Jordan
| MBC, Spacetoon and New TV
|- style="background: #fff"
| Kuwait
| MBC and Spacetoon 
|- style="background: #fff"
| Lebanon
| MBC, Spacetoon and New TV
|- style="background: #fff"
| Libya
| MBC, Spacetoon and TRT
|- style="background: #fff"
| Morocco
| MBC, Spacetoon and TRT
|- style="background: #fff"
| Oman
| MBC and Spacetoon
|- style="background: #fff"
| Palestinian National Authority
| MBC, Spacetoon and New TV
|- style="background: #fff"
| Qatar
| MBC, Spacetoon, TRT and New TV
|- style="background: #fff"
| Saudi Arabia
| MBC, Spacetoon, TRT and New TV
|- style="background: #fff"
| Sudan
| MBC and Spacetoon
|- style="background: #fff"
| Syria
| MBC, Spacetoon and New TV
|- style="background: #fff"
| Tunisia
| MBC, Spacetoon and TRT
|- style="background: #fff"
| United Arab Emirates
| MBC, Spacetoon, TRT and New TV
|- style="background: #fff"
| Western Sahara
| TRT
|-
| style="background: #fff; {{roundybl|10px}};" | Yemen
| style="background: #fff; {{roundybr|10px}};" | MBC and Spacetoon
|}

The [[Pokémon anime]] was originally [[dub]]bed to Arabic by Syria-based '''Venus Corporation''' (<big>مركز الزهرة</big>, '' Markaz Az-Zuhra''), but they had since ceased production due to the controversy in 2001. After that Lebanon-based '''Super M Productions''' continued dubbing the anime. In the first year the anime was aired exclusively on '''{{wp|Middle East Broadcasting Center|Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC)}}''', a channel broadcasting from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, but after the end of [[S01|the first season]], it spread rapidly to other channels. It was aired mainly in MBC, '''{{wp|Spacetoon}}''' (also broadcasted from Dubai), '''{{wp|ERTT|Tunisian Radio and Television (TRT)}}''', and '''{{wp|Al Jadeed|New TV}}''' (broadcasting from Lebanon). The total number of Arabic episodes so far is [[AG092|366]] episodes.

As of the 2010s, none of the Arabic-language TV stations in any country is airing or rerunning the Arabic dub of the Pokémon anime, most likely to wane audience interest, and also possibly because of the fact that the dubbing production has long been discontinued (circa 2005) for reasons unknown. All forms of home video releases are also virtually nonexistent in the Middle Eastern market, despite the fact that Region 2 DVDs can be imported, usually from the United Kingdom, should any production lack a licensed local distributor. However, there is currently at least one TV channel that airs the Pokémon anime in the local region with newer episodes, albeit only in English: subscription-based channel {{wp|Disney XD (Europe)|Disney XD}}, as provided by {{wp|OSN}} for the region. This broadcast of the anime series is not well-known though, most likely due to, if not for the language barrier, then to the relatively low participation of the expensive subscription TV model in the region overall. Regardless, Disney XD's airing of the anime is not officially recognized for the MENA region specifically.

As most global Internet-savvy users do, people in the region can have access to the anime via alternative means. They use unconventional methods such as {{wp|BitTorrent|torrenting}} episodes, or dubious methods such as accessing the official [[Pokémon TV]] service either via website or app since it is not region-restricted, unlike most similar video streaming services. The former method is very common overall since many of the Arab states are lenient on pirated content, not due to lack of related laws, but more likely due to lack of enforcement.

===Cast and crew===
====Venus Corporation====
[[Ash Ketchum]] was voiced by '''Buthaina Shia''' ('''بثينة شيا'''), {{an|Misty}} was voiced by '''Majd Zhazha''' ('''مجد ظاظا'''), and '''Rafat Pazo''' ('''رأفت بازو''') provides the voice of {{an|Brock}}.

For {{TRT}}, [[James]] has been voiced by '''Ziad Rifaee''' ('''زياد الرفاعي'''), and [[Jessie]] has been voiced by '''Fatima Saad''' ('''فاطمة سعد'''), and finally {{MTR}} was voiced by '''Adel Abu Hassoun''' ('''عادل أبو حسون''').

[[Professor Oak]] is voiced by '''Marwan Farhat''' ('''مروان فرحات'''). Other notable voice actors in the Arabic dub include '''Amaal Saad Adin''' ('''امال سعد الدين''') as [[Nurse Joy]] and '''Fadwa Suleiman''' ('''فدوى سليمان''') as [[Officer Jenny]].

====Super M Productions====
{{incomplete|section}}

==[[Pokémon merchandise]]==
After the Pokémon anime started airing in the Arabic language, it became one of the most popular anime series in the Arab world. Therefore, the demand for Pokémon-related merchandise among Arab children was high. Thus, several video game retailers began to sell a wide variety of Pokémon merchandise as they were best sold. Additionally, many restaurants offered promotional toys with their meals, such as Burger King in [[2000 Burger King promotional Pokémon toys|2000]]. Due to the controversy in 2001, however, a lot of the merchandise was withdrawn from the main retail shops. After the controversy subsided, many game stores started selling Pokémon goods again without incident.

As of the 2010s, various distributors imported certain official Pokémon merchandise from either Europe or North America, such as {{wp|Toys "R" Us}} outlets selling [[Poké Doll (plush)|Poké Dolls]] and other kinds of toys. Many high-end bookstore chains, especially those that rely heavily on imported materials, may sell an assorted variety of books and magazines. For example, a {{wp|Books Kinokuniya|Kinokuniya}} outlet situated in {{wp|The Dubai Mall}} (the sole Kinokuniya outlet in the entire region), which is known to sell large volumes of varied stock, has been retailing children's magazines, video game guides, game books, film novelizations, as well as most of the [[Pokémon manga]] series, available in both English and Japanese, with the latter being distributed exclusively via this store.

In early 2013, [http://www.active-gulf.com/ Active Gulf], Nintendo's officially licensed distributor in the Middle East, have collaborated with their retail partners to locally sell authentic packs for the [[Pokémon Battle Disc Game]].<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/NintendoMiddleEast/photos/a.257069684360761.61017.160105550723842/466399456761115/ Active Gulf announcing on their official Facebook page about the availability of the Pokémon Battle Disc Game]</ref>

Many smaller toy and variety stores found in the grey market may often sell unlicensed and counterfeit products, with many of them imported from China. It is also possible to find pirated trading card packs, but in much smaller volumes than when initially released, as in prior to the 2001 controversies. Overall, the current legal status of the official trading card game itself remains vague in any case.

==Events==
===Conan in the land of Pokémon===
{{main|Conan in the land of Pokémon}}

===''Pokémon Live!''===
Despite ending its run in January 2001 in the United States, ''[[Pokémon Live!]]'' was invited to perform on an open stage in {{wp|Al Mamzar|Al Mamzar Park}}, Dubai, U.A.E. in the duration of the whole month of March that same year, coinciding with the annual {{wp|Dubai Shopping Festival}}.<ref>[http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/young-and-old-enjoy-pokemon-1.411320 Young and old enjoy Pokemon - ''Gulfnews'']</ref> Whilst the musical was mostly identical to its performance elsewhere, the female actors had a slight change to their wardrobe which covered their exposed abdomens and thighs, likely to avoid sensitivity issues with a mostly Islamic audience. Since the musical featured the same cast from its American run, it was performed solely in English. The musical, albeit received very positively by its audience, ended its run just days before the 2001 controversies began in the region overall. 

===Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions===
{{bulbanews|Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions to be performed in United Arab Emirates}}
On March 31, 2017, [[Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions]] was performed at the {{wp|Corniche (Abu Dhabi)|Corniche}} in {{wp|Abu Dhabi}}, United Arab Emirates as part of the Mother of the Nation Festival. It is the first Symphonic Evolutions concert to be performed in the the Arab world.

==Related articles==
* [[List of Arabic Pokémon themes]]

==References==
<references/>

{{Pokémon around the world}}
<br>
{{Project Globe notice}}

[[de:Pokémon in der arabischen Welt]]