She's A Thoroughly Modern Muslim

[Paragon]

Aided by a friendly commentary from actress Mina Anwar, they invite viewers to see Britain and Islam through their eyes, and show how they interpret the foundations of their faith in contemporary British culture.

Fair enough. But how they interpret their faith is somewhat comical, to say the least. Things such as:

 

Professor Haleh's

(a) modest rebellion

against fasting,

(b)to young mum Fari persuading her daughter to eat her greens

. And, while Asia tries to persuade the world that she isn't oppressed, Mancunian Maryam hopes one day

(a) she'll be a "strong enough person" to cover her head

. They're dedicated followers of Islam, but passionate about the little things that make Britain a great place.

are somehow equalled to give the impression that 'modest rebellion' against fasting (if there is such a thing), is as normal as 'persuading her daughter to eat the greens' . I mean c'mon, the BBC can sample these women as what kind of Muslims they want, but to naturalize 'modest rebellion against fasting' as an acceptable practice as a Muslims, truly sends out the wrong message to many impressionable minds.

 

What is a modest rebellion against fasting anyway?

 

PS: I think some of us here are admiring these women not far the strength of their faith but their short-comings. Sure, we all have short-comings but to lend our support to them due to the fact that we would like not to be judged for our own short-comings, you know, that odd ciggerette or shiisha and things like that, isn't all too good. Some of us my even have the forgetfulness to observe some rituals but surely that is a weakness and not strength.

[NGONGE]

^^ Everyone here has been quoting the Quran. I'll just be contrary for the sake of it and quote you a bit of the bible.

 

Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone

 

 

Originally posted by Naden:

Lily and Ghanima, my sincere apologies ladies, that was a st*upid and unnecessary insulting remark.

 

It still stands that Muslims always fall back on a severely insignificant piece of cloth. We flock to any spot in the world to be away from moral and ethical decline in our backyards. Corruption, bribery, non-existent human rights, and so on. There are far richer and deeper issues that need debate than this safe, superficial,

symbol

of Islam.

You're right. It is a simple piece of cloth. However it is in no way insignificant. In fact, it is significant enough to force the French government to ban it in schools. And, more recently, it was significant enough to almost topple the Turkish government. In many parts of the world (and even sadly many sections of the Muslim community) it is viewed as a symbol of the oppression of women! It is a talking point and a serious one at that. It's what the pseudo-mullahs insist upon most (watch them frothing at the mouth above) and the seemingly freethinking unbelievers reject best.

 

Depending on your chosen side of the fence, it can be the sign of a pious, virtues and deeply religious woman, or an independent, liberated and free from the shackles of faith and tradition woman! Both of course are extreme stereotypes but where would we be without those, eh!

[Naden]

^ Indeed. Given its potency as a political symbol (thanks to Hassan Al Banna's party), it is no wonder that it is at the center of all the banning and near political toppling that you write. I think that the so-called Hijab works, as a symbol of protest against economic oppression, as a protection against assault when civil laws break down, or simply as a personal choice to wear it in whatever form. I think it even works as sign of affiliation with muslim parties against the cannibalism of national parties.

 

What is irritating is that it obscures and suffocates any other serious moral debate. Mullahs (paid and pseudos) will not froth at the mouth at something such as ethical business codes, ethical treatment of the homeless/infirm and so on, at bribery, cheating, price-gouging, lying, and hypocrisy. I suppose as political symbols go, it is natural that it would garner such attention.

[Fabregas]

quote:What is irritating is that it obscures and suffocates any other serious moral debate. Mullahs (paid and pseudos) will not froth at the mouth at something such as ethical business codes, ethical treatment of the homeless/infirm and so on, at bribery, cheating, price-gouging, lying, and hypocrisy. I suppose as political symbols go, it is natural that it would garner such attention.

 

 

Those subjects have been discussed on this forum even. Perhaps you are just irritated at zealous young males discussing and lecturing females on their dresscode?

[Paragon]

Originally posted by NGONGE:

^^ Everyone here has been quoting the Quran. I'll just be contrary for the sake of it and quote you a bit of the bible.

 

Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone

 

Erm, if our sinnless brothers/sisters in here wouldn't find it sacrilegous, I'd like to say: what a fitting quote that is!

[Som@li]

Dont be all shocked if you see them eating on the show HALAL bacon? how pathetic!

 

Serenity, Ma maqashay isqor bilaa qalin? Suaasha waxaan waydiiyey Ghanima?

[chubacka]

Well personally I am not grateful to the BBC for trying to show ppl muslim women are omg..normal. but yes its betta than undercover mosque or some unashamdly anti muslim programmes that Channel 4 put on.

 

 

I never knew hijab was such a fiery issue. Naden would you prefer it if noone ever spoke about hijab but instead debated every other issue under the sun?

 

Ur point seems to be hijab is discussed soo much it overshadows bigger issues, but really they are not in the same context.

 

What do hijab an war, bribery etc have to do wid eachother. The scholars should be talking about hijab an religious matters while politicians should be talking about these other issues.

 

I dnt see the prob in scholars talking about hijab, its their job to make religous matters clear. Its not their job to run the country lets not confuse things b/c of our personal issues.

[Khalaf]

Originally posted by Ghanima:

P.s.s

Khalaf

it is clear that a munaafia will be going to hell if she dies in that state, so have you not condone many to hell.

ukhti have u read anything I wrote?, because I don’t think u did. Relax, sit back, and just re-read what I wrote. Nothin ive said mentioned condemning ppl to hellfire, nothing that is ridiculous to say. Who and who doesn’t go to hell fire or is given jannah is upto Allah, and Allah is the Final Judge and Most Merciful Most Just to His slaves. All I have said is people (in this case hijab or my example of salat) who know the commandments of Allah yet still ignore it are not good Muslims, there is something wrong with the iman and have hypocrisy in them to ignore the commandments. It is important marka to increase the iman, and to study Islam so that being a practicing Muslim will be easier in this world, but there must be the effort from the individual to get the Help of Allah, Allah makes it easy for those who reach and ask. Islam=iman and deeds. Take that to imams and research it yourself inshallah. I don’t believe I have said anything wrong, and if I did then to Allah I ask Forgiveness.

 

I don't like arguing about religion because I don't believe I'm in a position to do so, so I'm just gonna leave it there before I collect sins. [/QB]

How funny then, you quoted many ayats/hadiths in response to Khayr and on topic in general, and to prove what exactly? First there is no or at least shouldn’t be an argument on a clear cut Quranic Ayat on Hijab, as ive said hijab is agreed upon as salat is agreed upon it is an act of worship. As muslims we were created to worship Allah in this dunya, and we do this by following the commandments of Allah that is duty of a Muslim, who is worse then the person that knows the commandments of Allah yet still ignores it, or doesn’t take it seriously? U tell me bal? What’s the point of being Muslim, if we don’t follow what Allah commanded us, are we different then the non-muslims if we ignore the duties of Islam? Ahh well, enough has been said on topic. Ramadan kareem

[Khayr]

Originally posted by NGONGE:

^^ Everyone here has been quoting the Quran. I'll just be contrary for the sake of it and quote you a bit of the bible.

 

Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone

 

 

What is being implied by that quote:

 

• We should abstain from judging and no longer see what is Good and Bad???

are somehow equalled to give the impression that 'modest rebellion' against fasting (if there is such a thing), is as normal as 'persuading her daughter to eat the greens' . I mean c'mon, the BBC can sample these women as what kind of Muslims they want, but to naturalize 'modest rebellion against fasting' as an acceptable practice as a Muslims, truly sends out the wrong message to many impressionable minds.

Its is precisely this movement of the sly fox with Subtle Suggestions that becomes an effective and potent tool in the battle for the Muslim Heart and Mind.

 

PS: I think some of us here are admiring these women not far the strength of their faith but their short-comings. Sure, we all have short-comings but to lend our support to them due to the fact that we would like not to be judged for our own short-comings, you know, that odd ciggerette or shiisha and things like that, isn't all too good. Some of us my even have the forgetfulness to observe some rituals but surely that is a weakness and not strength

Spot On!

 

What is funny is these people are more than willing to "Judge" traditional muslims and conservative muslim values but won't allow for any conservatively minded judgements to be made by others. Thats a contradiction and what it ends up suggesting is that you can't debate with these people because it is Sentiment that overrides their responses. This often turns the debate into something profane and self-serving like a playground name calling match.

[umu zakaria]

I wonder. why are u fighting over something that is clearly stated in the Qoran n hadith? Hijab is one of fundamentals of muslim woman. it distanguishes them from non muslims and Allah commanded us to wear in a certain way now, whoever does not wear it is WRONG, a deadly sin infact but God will judge not us but we can condemn and renounce!

 

Allaha na hanuuniyo.

[NGONGE]

Originally posted by Khayr:

What is funny is these people are more than willing to "Judge" traditional muslims and conservative muslim values but won't allow for any conservatively minded judgements to be made by others. Thats a contradiction and what it ends up suggesting is that you can't debate with these people because it is Sentiment that overrides their responses. This often turns the debate into something profane and self-serving like a playground name calling match.

Horta Ramadan Kareem. Hope that your fast is accepted and sins reduced.

 

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, here comes the bile.

 

Are you capable in walking in a straight line, saaxib? I mean going from point A to point B without needing to pass by points X, Y or Z! Ok. Follow this one slowly and don't lose your way. The discussion was about a program that WAS not aired YET. It was all speculation at the time (well, any time before last night). I don't much rate your common sense but I'd still wager that even you would (when things are explained to you calmly and with pictures if need be) refuse to judge in haste! I have now watched the program and could give you my impression of it if you like. Before watching it however there was no way that I would condemn, disparage or judge these women. All I did, if you go and read back was to hope that the show will reflect Muslim women in a good light.

 

On your accusation that "these people are more than willing to judge traditional Muslims", I say bah and utter humbug, saxib! It is not traditional Muslims that we judge; it is YOU (whatever you may call yourself). We are able to make such a judgment as a result of YOUR words on this forum and not a news report purporting to describe what you may or may not have said.

 

You choose to openly assume the moral high ground. But I don't trust you no matter how many verses from the quran you post or how many ahadeeth you dissect. I don't trust you because I frankly don't like your attitude (or Khalaf's or Red Sea's). It's rude, sanctimonious, confrontational and full of baseless assumptions. Granted, I'm even ruder, much more mischievous and deliberately confrontational. However, it's not I that affects the devout persona!

 

We've done this before in the past, saaxib. You sort out your delivery (or just ditch the online cimaamad) and I'll stop judging traditional, conservative Muslims (i.e. YOU).

 

 

ps

The program was very light-hearted and didn't reveal many things. It showed four very different Muslim women. Some I warmed to and some I didn't.

[Ibtisam]

Salam

 

Khalaf, Ramadan baa iga soo qaashi, I would have loved to nail you to the wall Otherwise.

 

I did not watch the program after all, because first night of Ramadan and all I forgot. Ngonge can you do a better summary.

 

P.s.

Enjoy your fast people.

 

Salam.

[NGONGE]

It was a very light-hearted show and didn’t dwell on the Islamic points much. Takeaway Islam sort of thing!

 

 

The guy at The Times didn't like it.

 

From The Times

September 13, 2007

 

Last Night’s TV

Tim Teeman

 

 

BBC One wanted to foster a bit of inter-cultural understanding. But She’s a Thoroughly Modern Muslim was a dreadful, flawed documentary – laughably so – and one that ended up running bizarrely contrary to its initial intention. The idea was: Muslims are just like “you”, white BBC viewer at home (offensive in itself, you might argue). This notional viewer was apparently so racist and ****** that they were labouring under the belief that Muslim women were uniformly oppressed by men, purposeless and potentially so dispossessed that they could blow something up at any minute.

 

So, in an inappropriately jaunty tone, the BBC wanted to show us that they were not oppressed or fanatics. It would take each stereotype we ignoramuses had and shatter them. But is it news to anyone that some Muslim women have jobs and actually like Britain? Really?

 

We had: Haleh Afshar, OBE, an academic, and Asia Alfasi, a cartoonist who – shock – loved chocolate. (I thought the Koran had banned it. Wow.) Maryam Khan was a Mancunian, the youngest Asian town councillor in the country when she was elected. Maryam ate chips – I think you were supposed to drop your mug of cocoa with surprise at this sight. Farhat Ahmed was a housewife who lived in Cheshire. She wore waxed jackets and wellies. I know, amazing! Muslim woman in wellies!

 

They were supposed to represent a spectrum of British Muslim women. Hmmm. For one, they were all from north of the Watford Gap. For another, outwardly, they seemed to be financially comfortable, articulate and middle-class. So, in reality, they were a narrow cross section and were picked absolutely as positive images – all determined to tell us how happy they were. That’s fine, but it’s not representative; it’s feelgood gloss.

 

But oddly this documentary didn’t celebrate, or even interrogate, multiculturalism. It was a shallow examination of these women’s lives, and Muslim women’s lives in general. It surfed over gnarly questions of belief and did nothing to dispel any of the misconceptions and prejudices racists would have.

 

Asia said she “peacefully submitted” herself “to one God”, but what did that actually mean? Haleh said that in Britain she could say what she liked and no one (as in Iran, her native country) would “chop off her head”. And she laughed. I must have missed the joke. Maryam insisted “Islam is a way of life”, but had a selective approach to how she practised it. Haleh didn’t fast. Was their partial observance of their religion problematic? If not, fine, but the question should have been asked.

 

Maryam said: “Our religion does not say go and bomb up other people” – which may be right, but this a week after Newsnight revealed very extreme texts on the shelves of some East London libraries. Should an impartial piece of documentary-making allow her assertion to go unchallenged? Religious zealotry is, of course, not exclusively Muslim but there are Muslim zealots – shouldn’t that have been raised?

 

Asia said she wore the hijab as “a statement of strength”, so she wouldn’t have to “engage with men” who might look at her sexually. Doesn’t that substitute one prejudice for another? Some men might not find her attractive anyway. She met her fellow comic artists for coffee but never in a bar because she couldn’t drink. But lots of people go to bars who don’t drink for one reason or another. Again, no challenges allowed.

 

This patronising, unquestioning nonsense ill-served Muslim women as much as any ignorant, or curious, nonMuslims. The way to instigate racial harmony isn’t to pat us on the head and tell us we’re all the same. We’re not. We are alike in some ways and different in others, and by encouraging a group of Muslim women to shout about liking tea, Yorkshire puddings and Manchester United doesn’t make issues around global conflict, or day-to-day racism, or the reality of being a Muslim Briton, any easier to negotiate or understand.

 

What about asking these women about topics such as prejudice, having children, reproductive rights, abortion, homosexuality, misogyny, feminism, sex, forced and arranged marriage, being single, Iraq, fanatical belief? But this was about easy answers, not difficult questions. Still, gosh, we discovered Muslim women wear wellies.

 

Telegraph guy was not happy either..

[Blessed]

I agree with the article on all counts. Hala was amusing.

 

Salaams and Ramadaan Kareem you two.

[Ibtisam]

Ngonge Thanks, so it was a crap show glade I forgot to watch it.

 

Zenobia Ramadan Mubarak to you and the whole family

 

P.s. Zenobia I'm organising an Iftar event for the ladies, I'll do it before you go inshallah, so keep it in mind.