Enta Horr, arguably Lebanon’s most controversial TV show, has been reportedly canceled by MTV according to Lebanon Files (Arabic link).
Joe Maalouf, the show’s host, has been involved with many now-infamous scandals which were started on his show, the most famous of which is that revolving around a cinema theatre raid which culminated in anal tests being done on several men suspected of homosexuality. Many believe he was the cause for the raid. Lebanon’s syndicate of physicians has since outlawed such practices by its physicians.
However, it seems a growing disparity between MTV and Joe Maalouf’s opinions has led the TV station to cancel the show altogether, effectively stopping the promo for any new episodes and re-airing older ones instead. The straw that broke the camel’s back was Joe Maalouf’s opinion regarding the Dekawne night club closing, which I haven’t seen yet. For those who are interested, here’s my opinion on that matter (link).
Many who are not fans of Joe Maalouf and his show will rejoice at this news which MTV wants to keep on the down-low for the time being. But I have to ask: even if they have the legal right to do what they did, is it correct to stop a TV show that sparks debate – regardless of what that debate might be – just because you don’t like the opinions being put forward?
It could be that MTV has grown tired of trying to set a distance for itself from what Joe Maalouf advocates. Or it could be that Joe Maalouf’s politics aren’t in sync with the Murr clan. But isn’t effectively silencing the man doing a station which was silenced for years a bigger disservice given that I’m sure his show isn’t causing them financial woes?
Regardless of what I may think about some of the show’s episodes, Enta Horr has often been a candid and scathing critic of some Lebanese realities that many of us don’t like to tackle. And even though Joe Maalouf’s approach towards some issues, especially those of homosexuality, is unacceptable, I believe the type of shows that Enta Horr represents is much needed in this country. It’s a sad day when that type of shows bites the dust.
Ironically, this has happened around World Press Freedom Day.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
What goes around comes around! Good riddance!
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You sure don’t like him 😛
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Good show, bad host…
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Sums it up well. I’d amend your statement to this: good show in concept.
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We need this type of shows but not this kind of hosts, that’s how I see it.
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Agreed.
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These shows are good when a REAL journalist present it not a pretender. Joe Maalouf does nothing good except giving people scandals (and in many cases fake ones) to make money and harming a lot of innocent people in the process, I have experienced this first hand. The fact that he does not verify his info and throw judgement and affect people’s lives, especially that in most cases he has the wrong idea about things, makes him a cheap person. He does not have credibility, more than once and MANY times his information was either not accurate or TOTALLY faults. And he did cause a lot of harm. MTV did the right thing, because Scandal Journalism is simply low life and immoral.
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Can you give me more info about this?
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Sure Elie, first let me state, a person who goes on a TV show and state “facts” that are not true once, means he has no credibility, it happened that he attacked one of our concerts, probably if this didn’t happen I would have never knew how much a hypocrite he is, he went on Enta Horr clamming that we did a Metal concert in an abandoned convent, he claimed that we worshiped Satan there, and that the people were drugged. HE STATED IT AS A FACT, his proof? a video that WE posted on youtube (he claimed that he was able to GET it!! lol) and when I asked him how do you know, he said “it is obvious in the video”, he has no knowledge of what he was seeing, he did not do a research or anything. Worse he took a phonecall from a guy called “Eddy” (which turned out that the guy is called Marinous Abou Khalil) and he let him speak freely clamming that we did rituals and that we chose the timing because it was the beginning of the Christian Liturgics’s year!!! When I called he kept interrupting me, most of the time mocking what I say and ridiculing it like a stupid child. I made it clear that this is NOT a convent, he kept insisting that it IS a convent, and ask the church to watch out to home they rent such places!!! NOW the facts:
1. the place is an abandoned school that witnessed a famous massacre of a whole Lebanese Army regiment at the end of the Civil War. Hens the name of the event was Massacore (which he calmed that it was named as such for some daemonic reason!)
2. The organiser of the event is not a Christian and he has no idea about Christian Lithurgy and thus had no idea about that issue.
3. We had permit from the municipality of Aley, we gave notice to the Security Forces and in the middle of the concert a Police Jeep came to the concert to ask the volume to be lowered and did a small check and left and did not see anything unusual!!!
We showed the permit on NTV a week after his episode about us.
Should I tell you about how this harmed a lot of people?! dragged them into detention including me? Or the parents that saw this and beat the shit out of their children because they listen to this “satanic” music?!
Joe Maalouf is an illiterate low life.
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Ironically this fucking country of ours is living on shit and dispute with its self… Enta Horr was an amazing show that I followed weekly when I was in Lebanon… It was about time that someone have put matters where they truly resides! Such a shame for Lebanon’s alleged “Freedom of speech” Wake up people!!!
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Freedom of Speech comes with responsibility, not with an immoral pseudo journalist that fake things and lie and cause harm to innocent people just to make money.
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Fully agreed. But I also think the Murr Clan isn’t exemplary when it comes to this so stopping his show because they don’t like him is doing it for all the wrong reasons.
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While I can fathom the sentiment regarding the show and admittedly I’m neither a fan of the show nor of Mr. Maalouf, some of the episodes I’ve seen weren’t that good. This type of show is needed but with a more serious, less popular approach perhaps.
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3omro ma yerja3
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I don’t like him but I think his type of show is needed.
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The only one homophobic here is MTV for stopping the show after the last episode.
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Joe ne7na kelna ma3ak d’ont be sad kelma btzid l chateim jame3oun 3a wra2 w 7otoun ta7et l l 7ixe2 kelma bte3la aktar w fi ktiiir ness ma btelba2la l 7oriyeh!!
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Joe Maalouf surprised me in his last episode about Ghost, he diverted the subject away from homosexuality and made it about basic human rights which I think was a wise step because whether the people detained were homosexuals, heterosexuals, transsexuals or anything else their basic human rights were severely breached.
I did not find anything homophobic or even enabling homophobic claims the Dekweneh joke guy made to gain empathy (as Joe and Dr. Elie said) on the contrary, in the conclusion, Joe made a very good statement regarding the rights of homosexuals as any other human beings.
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Enta Horr was an exceptional show revealing nothing but the truth , which would lead to change for the better in Lebanon. Unfortunately our country consists of a flaky government which thrives on power of the rich and politically capable. The host was doing his job only, but the truth is always the hardest to deal with- as usual Lebanon runs from its problems at hand instead for finding solutions for its people. As a Lebanese i am embarrassed to be apart of such a negligent society.
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Forgot to mention that the show was shut down due to the truth but the Moukhtar taking peoples clothing off to take photos of them naked is OKAY. This is a problem that if addressed in the western parts of the world would be as demeaning as possible to our president and government.
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Pingback: MTV: Lebanon’s Prime Homophobic TV Station – Why They Fired Joe Maalouf | A Separate State of Mind | A Lebanese Blog
hi joe
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WE NEED A PEOPLE LIKE JOE MAALOUF, WE LIVE IN A STUPID DURTY COUNTRY ALSO PEOPLE HERE STILL FOLLOWING THOSE THIEVES LIKE MICHEL AOUN SAMIR JEAJAA AND ALL THE PARTIES WE NEED CHANGE WE NEED TO BE CLEAN AND CLEAR WE NEED TO BE HUMAN BEING AGAIN
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well gay are free and i’m free to hate them i don’t want my kids to be raised after my death by gay and this is my freedom to protect them. Gay want to make sin and i don’t want to be involved
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We need shows like enta horr, not people like joe ma3louf
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Pingback: Live and Let Live | A Spoonful of Lynn
Jo maalouf is a retard coming from the middle ages, i bet after he was booted from mtv he went to search and destroy devil worshipers and deliver them to the law and before god with holy water hanging from his back pocket and wooden stick in his belt
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