This new Arab TV series shows the heartbreaking reality of life under Daesh

Ramadan TV series are usually dramatic, comedic or romance centered. But, there's one series coming to the screens this holy month that'll surely leave us thinking about the reality of life under the so called Islamic State (IS). 

Titled "Al Gharabeeb Al Soud" (Black Crows), the show is set to make its debut on MBC1 during the last week of May. 

According to the New York Times, the network also plans to produce an English language version to reach a wider audience. 

The series consists of 30 episodes, but the network doesn't seem too optimistic on the return on investment, considering not too many brands would be willing to advertise their products on a show whose plot-line centers around the story of a terrorist group.

"It will bring eyeballs, it will bring buzz and ratings and reputation, but no money," said Ali Jaber, the director of television for the MBC Network, according to the New York Times.

The series - which is set entirely in the militants' world - aims to portray the extremist group as a criminal organization "run by corrupt and hypocritical leaders." 

IS recruits are portrayed as victims, and women who challenge the terrorist group's control are the series' main protagonists. 

The actresses of the show took on the role in hopes of depicting the reality of life under Daesh (an Arabic acronym formed from the initial letters of the group's previous name in Arabic - "al-Dawla al-Islamiya fil Iraq wa al-Sham") in a way that is often underrepresented in the media. 

One of the actresses said she took on the role to "show my hatred and my condemnation of this group, to express it in a concrete way," Egyptian actress Samar Allam told the New York Times.

"It is important to wake people up and show them that Islam is not that," said Saudi Marwa Mohamed, who plays the role of a woman who kills her husband for cheating on her and then joins Daesh with her two sons. 

An Arabic TV series titled "Shawq" has a somewhat similar plot-line. 

Run on OSN (Orbit Showtime Network), the show tells the stories and struggles of Syrian women living in war. It sheds light on the real effects of conflict, particularly on women who are made sex slaves in the terrorist group's sex trafficking system. 

But, not all attempts have been successful. 

In January, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a clip titled The Real Housewives of ISIS -  a parody of the popular Real Housewives reality television series. It featured four British women who have left their homes to become 'jihadi brides' and join Daesh. 

However, the clip drew heavy backlash from people who deemed it insensitive to the plight of oppressed women enslaved by the terrorist group. 

Many also felt that it portrayed Muslims in a bad light, further blurring the lines between Islam and radical extremism.