Maranaos from all ages and class glued to their TV sets for thirty minutes to see the famous Koreanovela drama “Which Star Are You From?” They would crowd around their much-prized TV set at 9:30 ever Monday to Friday. Students would study and prepare their assignments before nine o’clock and would not sleep early just to catch Jeremy and Aning or Angeline whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Viewers find appealing music essential to the drama show. Any avid viewer can recognize the theme song “Catch me I’m falling” popularized by Toni Gonzaga. The music played every time Aning or Angeline weeps sends sentimental individuals crying, too.

Which Star Are You From is a Korean drama which speaks of a man who fell for a pair of sisters (one dead, one living) and the amount of pressure and objections they face throughout their entire relationship. It features a young girl who fells in love with a movie director.

The drama begins depicting footage from the past between a pair of lovebirds, Kim Rae Won as Jeremy (a film director) and Jung Ryu Won as Corin/Angeline (a musical student). He lost her (Corin) in a car accident which he indirectly caused 3 years ago and since then, has been unable to let go of their past together. Just when he thought he’d pick up from where he left off in life (3yrs fast forward) and goes scouring for filming sites with great filmography, he meets Aning (a country girl) who exactly resembles his dead girlfriend.

Just when Jeremy finally embraces her love for him and his for her, Angeline’s mother interrupts and tries to keep them apart from one another – even to the point of sending Angeline to the states. Despite their acknowledgement of love for one another, they were kept apart from one another from all the obstacles and barriers that were hurled at them.

After her family refuses to allow her to see director Jeremy, the girl runs away from her family, her home putting her life in jeopardy in order to marry a movie director she hardly knew. She made a decision that she can never take back to live a life of exile and sin. If asked why she did this, she would naturally say she did it for “love”.

This Korean drama and together with other TV soap operas, one of the largest influences on our society plays a huge role in the formation of concepts about love, marriage and family. This drama portrays men and women who are in “love”. And yet, often times, the person they “love” will be someone they just saw or spoke to briefly. Suddenly, however, they are willing to lose their family, their job, their life and even their Lord.

The message of this TV drama is very penetrating. The most powerful message is: If you sacrifice for “love” all will be well in the end. In other words, if you disregard your religion your family, your God, following only your desires, you will be rewarded in the end.

If we look to America, we can see clear effects of these misshapen concepts. Why has divorce reached the unprecedented rate of 40-60%? I believe the answer lies in the misconstrued definition of what true love and marriage actually is. The relationship so sweetly portrayed in the soap operas, which speak only of chocolates, flowers and happiness, end right there: on the episode of the story. In real life such relationship leads nothing but unhappiness and heartache. For how we can there be any real happiness in a “love” inspired by shaitan. This type of “love” far from being pure and sacred falls into the category of fornication.

What effect does this have on our society, on our youth in particular? Who are the victims of these misconstrued ideals? What is the basis of the “love” portrayed in these dramas? What criterion will young Maranaos affected by these images use when choosing a spouse? Will they follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Nabi (saw), who says the one who marries for deen is blessed or will they base their choice on an empty, fleeting attraction disguised as “love”? If the youth begin to choose their spouses based on this ephemeral emotion rather on deen, what effect will it have on the Maranao as a whole? Will not more families be broken down due to divorce and strife? Will not more children be raised far from Islam?

We need to realize and tell ourselves that there is only temporary satisfaction of the nafs in a pre-marital relationship, and we need to terminate any such relationship which we might be involved in, and sincerely make taubah (repentance) to Allah (swt). As difficult as it might be to end such relationship, once we realize and acknowledge to ourselves that these TV drama to which we are exposed to from such as early age are totally based on Kaffir way of life, which appears to be very appealing from the outside, but which bears no contentment and no real happiness, it will be easy to do, InshaAllah!

In addition, these Koreanovela also create a very wrong concept of what the ideal partner should be like. It is obvious that since they are Kaffir productions, there is no stress on piety, good akhlaaq, honesty and all the other qualities people should be searching for in a potential marriage partner. Instead this TV shows promote superficial thinking, with all their emphasis on good looks, perfect 10 figures, flashy cars, etc. . .

It should be explained to each teenager that pre-marital relationships, the boyfriend-girlfriend relationship to which we attach such a great deal of importance in this world have nothing but a negative bearing on our lives in the akhiraah (hereafter). It should be time and time again instilled into their minds that pre-marital relationship are a sin while Nikaah (marriage) is an ibadah (worship).