: “Jawaab nihaa’i?” Arabic “Millionaire” Show Unites Arabs

With contestants from all over the Arab world, the Arabic version of “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?” is a runaway hit, with its catchphrase “Is that your final answer?” entering the local lexicon, just as in the West. Host George Qerdahi, an urbane Lebanese Christian in a designer suit, vies for attention with fully veiled contestants from Mecca on the trivia hot seat. In one episode, Qerdahi plays a contestant’s nerves before finally revealing if their answer is right or wrong. “Stop this horsing around. Just gimme the answer,” one Saudi woman retorted in street-wise language that got a titter from the audience, not expecting a veiled woman to be so bold.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.