Little Sparta
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Little Sparta

2017, History  -   57 Comments
6.95
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Ratings: 6.95/10 from 274 users.

Little Sparta is a beautifully produced documentary that praises the power of goodness in the face of overwhelming oppression and unspeakable evil. The film traces the history of conflict in the Arabian Peninsula, and the victories that were achieved even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, including those that revolve around our modern war against radical extremist terror.

It begins by recounting the events of 650 BCE when the Persians invaded the Greeks with a formidable army of more than 100,000 troops. The fear of impending destruction gripped the region. Determined not to go down without a fight, the city of Sparta assembled a modest opposition army consisting of 300 men. Their fighting force soon mushroomed to over 7,000 warriors following various alliances with neighboring cities. Though gravely outnumbered, they eventually managed to push Persia out of their land through sheer force of will.

According to the film's narrative, this stubborn determination to stand for what is right has long defined the unquenchable spirit of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It has also earned them the nickname of Little Sparta, a tribute to the moral and military strength they possess in spite of their small size. What was once a vast desert now stands as a thriving leader of industry, gleaming infrastructure, global influence and military might.

The film also details the UAE's role in a series of other crucial events throughout the region's history, including the invasion of Kuwait, the Battle of Mogadishu, the toppling of Saddam Hussein, and the current battle against those who promote a perverted reading of the Koran through heinous acts of violence and terror. Along the way, viewers will learn of the UAE's close alliance with the United Nations and other coalition groups, their dominant role in military matters, their commitment to ensuring freedom of religion, and their devotion to humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts.

Divided into nine brief, but enlightening chapters, Little Sparta presents a valuable and surprising portrait of one of the world's most volatile and misunderstood regions. Above all else, it's a rousing anthem that celebrates the triumph of good over evil.

Directed by: Mansoor Al Dhaheri

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David
David
2 years ago

I am from the west, and westerners ave become such infantile idiots it's bewildering.
Religious extremism is a problem, and it's source is the west.

We are going to invade and kill lots of Arabs for oil....we need to demonize them first so the public accept genocide.

That is how words like spicks, slant eyes, gooks, towel heads, Huns etc originated. Where is the word for white mother f#@kers?

How many western countries have Middle Eastern countries invaded... None or zero?
While the west has continually invaded, put sanctions in place, over thrown governments, and bombed countries back to the big bang, at the cost of hundreds of millions of lives.

Its not the Muslims that have cluster and phosphorous bombs that they use to bomb our schools and essential services.

Where I live, we have the highest density of Middle eastern people in the country, and they are far more friendly and open that westerners.....and they don't hate everyone like we do.
Get of the hypocritical Christians.

Fact
Professor Pope (a right winger) of Harvard university interviewed 400 Muslims guilty of terrorist crimes (and they are abysmal crimes) and only 10% were driven by religious extremism, the rest were in retaliation to western intervention, in over half the cases the perpetrator had lost a family member.

Where are the courts of law they can go to, to have perpetrators held to account.

99% of people are peaceful....its the governments that spread fear and hate to meet their agendas.

Racists are essentially cowards that pick on defenseless scapegoats because they have the courage o stand up to the real criminals

AJ Abuab
AJ Abuab
4 years ago

I am an exmuslim and I love this documentary. It stayed on it's topic, and was proud of the accomplishments toward human rights. It's not towards any religion, it's just not against stating facts. It reminds me of what I love about my people, our culture that bears through the centuries.

John
John
4 years ago

What has Islam to do with Sparta?

Brian
Brian
5 years ago

The above documentary is complete propaganda, meant for westerners without understanding of Islamic theology. I suggest people do their own research into what the Qu'ran actually teaches.The ideology of Islam was spread by the sword and has been problematic for 1400 years.

Krisvon louise Regis
Krisvon louise Regis
5 years ago

A strong Foundation of Unity of Goodness can defeat all odds in this world! ?? ??

Chantal
Chantal
5 years ago

I guess if you like terrorist you would hate this film.

leia
leia
5 years ago

I came across this video by accident, but I watched it all the way through. Really an amazing insight in the arabic culture and society.

Mark
Mark
5 years ago

Very, very biased film. Arabs are good while Persians and pretty much every one is not. Definitely a paid by the government commercial, rather than independent research.

Jan
Jan
5 years ago

This a completely biased "documentary" which doesn't even follow a clear subject. It jumps from one historical episode to the other and then starts glorifying the UAE, hiding many of the dark and even medieval practices that still are legal in this country (such as flogging and stoning) and the repressive character of its regime. There are also many historical inaccuracies, such as the capture of Hormuz by Afonso de Albuquerque (which actually mixed brutal conquest with diplomacy and treaties) and the fact that Persia, together with the UK, actually recaptured Hormuz - thus the story of Persia as a Portuguese ally is questionable.

Raul
Raul
5 years ago

This is a commercial rather than a documentary. The end seems like an invite to New world order. Interesting, nevertheless.

The Roadie
The Roadie
5 years ago

Islam is not a religion of peace. It was spread by terrorists forcing people to convert or die. The burning of libraries along the way was just collateral damage.

Mark
Mark
6 years ago

This is purely a propaganda film for the US aligned Arab countries. If it was not for the US military aggression in the region I doubt that there would be any such thing as ISIS. And the Saudi's represent some of the worst religious extremism in the world. File this film under the column Manufacturing Consent, it's right up there with CNN, MSNBC, FOX and all the rest of US mainstream media.

UTTER GARBAGE!
UTTER GARBAGE!
6 years ago

'Little Sparta'!!?? What a load of rubbish - who writes this stuff?? ... this documentary self promotes Islam purely in the name of WAR ... nothing else - and who backs Saudi Arabia and Turkey in its weapons dealings? ... The USA/NATO/CIA of course ... The World Bank - the USA/NATO/CIA are essentially funding 'Little Sparta' in this BS story .... This documentary is not honest, it is propaganda - do some real research on the middle east!

corynski
corynski
6 years ago

You want to learn about Islam, just read their 'holy' book. I did. Sura 5:51 - "Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another." Sura 9:29 - "Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given as believe neither in Allah nor the Last Day, who do not forbid what Allah and His Apostle have forbidden, and do not embrace the true faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued."

wrong, they do not even know what jihad means
wrong, they do not even know what jihad means
6 years ago

FYI, a Jihad is an enteral battle(with ones self being, good vs evil....) Not a war like Muslims have been using for hundreds of years LOL. The people making this propaganda do not even know their own religion..... So look upon the current terrorists/ repressors of rights(women esp). Shame on you for not even knowing your own 'militant' religion. #propagandaGoneWrong lol

little sparta? ...
little sparta? ...
6 years ago

For your info, NO ONE in north or south America calls UAE 'little Sparta". LOL why would they, unless UAE took over Greece just to be know as 'little Sparta.'
And FYI, Sparta did not give a @#$% about any greek nation besides themselves(read a history book, any of them.) Hell the UAE live right by Sparta and even they should know that they are in no way Spartan like!

propaganda film!!!
propaganda film!!!
6 years ago

In all my years, I have never seen a propaganda film like this!! Making it look like the UAE are some kind of gods, even though they can not keep their own religion from destroying EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY just because they feel like it. This film has dozens of incorrect facts! I watched it laughing at how the (Muslim) film makers tried to make it seem like they even 'REMOTLY" have their S@#$ together. While they kill everything in sight in the name of terror!! I wish I could meet the maker of this film, and show him what his "people/religion" is doing to the WORLD

lol really
lol really
6 years ago

If Islam means peace and does not torture people, then you are just saying up is down and down is up lol. Christians are no better, but at least they do not take over entire countries in the name of (their invisable(evil; warmonger god))
Islam should be destroyed, just read their 'holy book' Mahammad rapes a lot of women(of different religion, which is against their 'purist' ideal). lol death to ALL religions, let common sense be your God; or is that to hard to think for yourselves!

Terrance Roff
Terrance Roff
6 years ago

ok, first off way over the top at times, I had to take breaks, I can be such a wimp.. almost as good as Fox network exclusive. A lot of really good footage. Yes much more or less staged, this is the world we live it. The amount of raw footage is telling/ Very strong "this is a very sharp sword of a military with very broad capabilities, both combat and Civil assistance/security and very dedicated/professional/hard cases! Not someone you really wanna get in a fight with. It's very nice blend of infomercial feel type documentary. I feel almost like I've been given the killer ap of all power point presentations. grab your beverage of choice (In tone of presentation, I do suggest at the very least a triple expresso DARK mocha sweetened with honey...lots of honey) Surprisingly. or may be not there is a very great deal of information here covering a very short amount of time, and also makes a point of hi lighting a repeating historical trend early in its presentation. Very much saying to me "Look, See. We delt with this once before and it did not turn out well. This will not be permitted again." and what comes across is pretty strait about backing that up. Makes me want to see if there's other U.S. domestic data to back it up and that may be the point. What I did see of military equipment I mostly recognized and saw a pretty impressive mix of capabilities. A very U.S. military inventory current or so doggone close I can't tell the difference and pretty obviously know how to use all of it. (Again ok with stock staged/and raw embed footage. Use what ya got!) Take a break every 10-20 min. Worth finishing and ya might wanna run back through it again a couple time. I'll give it a solid 7 out of 10

UreKismet
UreKismet
6 years ago

Total nonsense from the most cynical greedheads in the ME after Israel.
UAE has been assiduously funding mercenaries fighting as al Quaeda in the Yemen - why? Not because of any philosophical bent or desire for a better Yemen; UAE wants to take control of Yemen's ports and increase it already vast control over ME transport. The corrupt UAEgovernment/ports corporation has also been one of the major instigators of ongoing violence in Libya for exactly the same reason.
It's not even as though the emirates citizenry will gain anything from this appalling behaviour as the bulk of the investors and therefore profiteers from these awful wars are englanders.
Arabs dying for englanders to get rich, nothing new to see there then, move right along.

Rob
Rob
6 years ago

I'm guessing Nassir and Muahmed are the same people, should've picked different names. Picking misspelled Muslim names and being anti-islamic doesn't sound right. I'm not a propaganda expert or a historian or muslim or a paid reviewer. I like documentaries, I visit this website often and I purely spoke out of my good experiences living in the UAE, and I'm happy to take my 50 cents for it, if someone wants to give it to me. But I have a feeling you made a lot more than that calling attention to yourself in these boards. And... ever heard of spell check?

Having said that, I don't want to come across as a fanboy, this documentary is not one of the greatest. But it's definitely not a terrible one. It's got some eye rolling moments but overall it's worth a watch. My connection to the UAE made it all the better for me to watch this and I agree that terrorism won't get us anywhere. That's all.

Patrick
Patrick
6 years ago

Worse documentary I even seen. Even as a propaganda doc it is soooooooo bad.

Sandy
Sandy
6 years ago

The few, the proud, the Emiratis.
Is this a military recruiting film or a promotional video for the department of tourism? This is not a documentary. The music and production are all about impressing the viewer. I respect the Emiratis, and I don't blame them for patting themselves on the back. Let's just agree this is flag waving and not a documentary.

Jason
Jason
6 years ago

"Islam forbids killings"!!! ??? Do they !!!??? Murder is part of family home environment, mainly the honour killings of sisters and daughters. I suggested the directors of this documentary, read "Burned Alive" by Souad, a narration in the first person of what's happen inside a muslin traditional home.

Nassir
Nassir
6 years ago

i see the paid shill fifth column muslims are here too. Just like on the You Tube page this pieace of sh*t was published. most of these people get what 50ct per possitive post on islam. at least thats what china is paying there 50ct army fifth column. Look at the western names they write as Bradley Patton baldric rob and all you other you know who you are, F**** these people are insufferable. The west is under attack from religious zealots and communist thugs

L.A. D.
L.A. D.
6 years ago

What an amazing documentary. I enjoyed it because it was unbiased, straightforward and simply done well.

Beezwax
Beezwax
6 years ago

Fuc**** primitive propaganda... It's embarrassing how obviously sick your religion-based society is. Come join the real world a**holes

Bradley
Bradley
6 years ago

The Emiratis are by far the friendliest, most inviting and hospitable people I’ve met. The UAE was founded on some fundamental values and the rulers have maintained these values through all these years passing them on to the next generations. I’m not the one to judge who’s politically correct or wrong in the region but from what I see, UAE has done an excellent job of keeping terrorism out of it’s walls, kudos to the military and the local police force for that. They’ve invested strategically where they needed upgrades in terms of military equipment or technology and it’s paid off for them. Even though it’s a small country, they’ve built systems that regulate every aspect of the country to make sure the government knows when something wrong is happening so they can fix it. It’s a great place to live. Don’t take my word for it, come see for yourself. There’s a reason Dubai is one of the busiest airports in the world.

muahmed
muahmed
6 years ago

Purge Islam Globally
allah is a false moon god who we destroyed long ago. muhamed is never coming back we diismembered him.
your taqyia will not work here. islam is dead.

Patton
Patton
6 years ago

Some of the comments are kind of upsetting. I have many muslim friends and they're all normal people who are living normal lives. They have no hatred towards people that belong to another faith. The muslims dissociating themselves with terrorists is similar to the christians dissociating themselves with the Klu Klux Klan. If you believe every muslim in the world wants to kill you; then you need help.

Now, about the movie, if you have lived or are currently living in the UAE, then you will enjoy this movie. It brought back a lot of good memories about the country when I watched it. MBZ is indeed the promise of the future for the country. I like the storyline, comparing the Spartans with the Emiratis. It's not the best documentary I've seen but it's definitely worth a watch.

Suraj
Suraj
6 years ago

This is a greatest documentary Film about how Muslims against terrorism. wonderful !

Jimmy_Snackbar
Jimmy_Snackbar
6 years ago

they have done an excellent job of hiding the propaganda between various facts and images pertaining to the Arabian peninsula. its almost like watching a documentary, but you can feel its hidden agenda under the covers the entire time...

very well produced and high quality propaganda. its too bad, i was really impressed with the quality and was looking forward to learning something outside CBS about the region but the ulterior message is insulting to my intelligence.

as always, thanks for the great vids, but i'll pass on this one V. :D

R
R
6 years ago

Amazing!!!! ❤️??

Name (required)
Name (required)
6 years ago

"We know less than 4% of the known universe". That makes no sense, is self-contradictory, and is totally inaccurate. Of what we are aware exists, not only can we not actually put a number on, but also, if we could, it would be much, much, much less than "4%". What percent of viruses do we know about? What about the history of viruses? What about Jupiter? How much about Jupiter do we know?. What a ridiculous statement! Who comes up with that?

Baldric
Baldric
6 years ago

When the world has already labeled Muslims as terrorists, This is so touching to see how Muslims against terrorism.

John
John
6 years ago

Wonderful!!!

Jocelyn
Jocelyn
6 years ago

Movie is very good i will give 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rob
Rob
6 years ago

Saudi Arabia is conservative, but they are not like Iran or Qatar. And UAE has struck a good balance between keeping Islamic values and being accommodative to people who have different beliefs. I saw a comment earlier about someone saying people watching would think UAE single handedly fought everyone and saved the region. Firstly, the movie does not say that, it gives credit where it's due. And secondly, it's about time someone made films where first world countries don't always come to save the world, whether it's from extremists, aliens or supervillians.

Diane
Diane
6 years ago

I have been a resident of the Emirates for more than 25 years and I will agree with many things said in this film. Ok, it's got a political side to it. But I don't see what's wrong with that. What matters is that despite so much conflict in the region, UAE has kept the peace all these years and have kept terrorism out of the country. I really appreciate the government for their effort for that and this documentary is more like a 'Thank You' note to those brave men who gave their lives to protect this country so normal people like me can sleep at night.

Bruce
Bruce
6 years ago

I agree with the bottomline of this film. Terrorism cannot solve problems, no matter which country/religion they represent.

George
George
6 years ago

Wow! This has to be a 5 star gagger masquerading as history. In order to watch this, one has to completely suspend disbelief or be totally ignorant of 1400 years of history and current events. Anyone watching this would think that the UAE single handed defeat Saddam Hussein in Kuwait, the Serbs in the Balkans, brought peace to Afghanistan and are the lone superpower in the world. Now when are they going to deal with North Korea?

To get a true picture of Islam, go to YouTube and watch "Why We Are Afraid, A 1400 Year Secret," by Dr Bill Warner

Jay Steff
Jay Steff
6 years ago

ISLAMIC HIT FILM ON THE REST OF THE WORLD.

WTF
WTF
6 years ago

Nice piece of propaganda...full of sh*t though.

Frank
Frank
6 years ago

Life is beautiful all the time and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats.

Sarah Raza
Sarah Raza
6 years ago

ISIS and the Houthis are like bugs infecting our lives... the coalition is the bug spray to get rid of them. Great documentary!

Olen Gray
Olen Gray
6 years ago

Promising: and hope for a war torn middle east

Thomas
Thomas
6 years ago

Maybe a nice made docu, but smells heavily of propaganda. If you know your geopolitics you would take it with a grain of salt. The Persians (Iran) are evil godless brutes, and ISIS is mostly fake Muslims from everywhere but the Arab peninsula... And Saudi Arabia is not an dictatorship with sharia, but the birthplace of peace (Islam)...... Sure....

Kelly Owens
Kelly Owens
6 years ago

Islam = Peace. Come on, the least biased definition means "submit, to
submit, or submit to the will of Allah."
By omiting, with a clear motive, how
Islam spread to: N. Africa, N. India, Persia,.....etc......etc....; this documentary reveals only what it conceals. Islam was spread by the sword. There are innumerable " Little
Spartas " throughout Africa, Asia, and
the southern reaches of Europe where
resistance may have been as brave, or perhaps even more heroic. We will most likely never learn about the many
indeginous societies, and unique cultures that fell to "...the religion of peace." Islam does not play well with
.....others. It is no accident that Muslim
majority countries, are all virtual monocultures. The fate of the millions
who perished, often fighting to the last man as the Spartans did, should be chronicled, not ignored as this film cruelly does. A testament to the adage
".....History is written by the victors." KOut

Seriously
Seriously
6 years ago

Oh my god that had got to be the most thinly veiled piece of unadulterated propaganda I have come across in a long time :D Not really a documentary, more of a commercial for the UAE

assunder
assunder
6 years ago

i don't even believe the translation in the subtitles