Shortly after the finale episode of Homeland Season 4, Israel expressed disappointment on the Showtime political drama series over the way it described Menachem Begin, the country's former Prime Minister. In a scene between F. Murray Abraham's Dar Adal and Mandy Patinkin's Saul Berenson, Begin was described as killer who ordered execution of "91 British soldiers at the King David Hotel before becoming Prime Minister." The Israeli government found this offensive and demanded Showtime to offer an explanation.
Now, another country is crying foul against all Homeland Season 4 episodes. A Pakistani official released a statement on December 27 complaining the way the political series depicted their country in its current run.
"Maligning a country that has been a close partner and ally of the US . . . is a disservice not only to the security interests of the US but also to the people of the US," Pakistan Embassy spokesman Nadeem Hotiana told The Post.
Homeland Season 4 is basically a reset of the previous seasons. Claire Danes' Carrie Mathison was assigned in a Pakistani city, described in the synopsis as "one of the most volatile and dangerous CIA stations in the Middle East."
According to sources from Pakistan, Homeland Season 4's portrayal of their people is wrong in many levels.
"Repeated insinuations that an intelligence agency of Pakistan is complicit in protecting the terrorists at the expense of innocent Pakistani civilians is not only absurd, but also an insult to the ultimate sacrifices of the thousands of Pakistani security personnel in the war against terrorism," one source said.
"Islamabad is a quiet, picturesque city with beautiful mountains and lush greenery. In 'Homeland,' it's portrayed as a grimy hellhole and war zone where shootouts and bombs go off with dead bodies scattered around. Nothing is further from the truth," another person added.
Showtime officials are yet to comment about the complaints of Israel and Pakistan. Homeland will return for its fifth season next year.
