Whilst I don’t agree with some of the things the people on the show were doing, I am happy that the ‘TV world’ have given some decent airtime to Islam and have ‘tried’ to show Islam in a possitive light. Remember, to the non-muslim viewers, seeing that muslims in other countries are quite similar to them in their actions may go some way towards easing hostilities slightly.

Also, does anyone know if the series has ended? I noticed it’s not scheduled for next week.

Jezakallah

I hope that as you grow (inshallah) you have the courage to be your own person and not necessarily ‘fall in with the crowd’.

I am both heartened and dismayed by some of the very passionate reactions to Amani Zain’s presentation of life as a Muslim woman in Women in Black. And I note that the focus of criticism appears to revolve largely around the religious aspect – how it is to be a MUSLIM woman, rather than, for example, a WOMAN of Islam. This is an emphasis I find intriguing, since I confess, I am not Muslim, in fact I don’t have a religion at all, I’m an aethist, and therefore find myself relating primarily to the Women in Black series, and to presenter Amani, as a woman rather than anything else. From this position it opens up a subject and a world to me, and thus, to a degree, demystifies it for me. I embrace this. And to be fair, I sense that I am intended to be more the target audience for this series than the average Muslim woman, which might go some way to answering those comments that suggest the series is ‘lightweight’. At any rate, I have really enjoyed it – and if it hadn’t been made and shown, then I wouldn’t have had the opportunity of engaging in this debate with you all, and I appreciate that.

You see, I thought the purpose of this programme was to show what life as a Muslim woman was really like, not how some upper class Arab women like to shop.

Brizzle – Actually, while Muslims are not a monolith, interpretation of Islam is not that varied. All over the world you will find Muslims praying five times a day in exactly the same manner, reading the same Qur’an, attending the same Friday Prayers.

While Armani Zain’s programme is meant to be a light hearted look, I feel it is a wasted opportunity. The biggest misconceptions about Muslims are concerning what Muslims actually believe. When there are many people who do not even believe that Muslims worship the same God as Jews and Christians, I don’t feel that telling them about hair removal is a massive priority. Another major problem concerning the portrayal of Muslims is that culture is often confused with religion, which is major trap this programme falls into.

A telephone is not a vegetable, likewise drinking alcohol is not Islamic, pointing that out is not being judgemental, it’s being factual.

Amira – So if Muslim women were seen as fashionable, all our problems would be solved. Is that really what you think?

You don’t get it do you? I don’t want to have to pretend to be something and someone I’m not to be accepted. I don’t want to pretend that fashion and society are more important then what Allah The Almighty has laid down in the Qur’an. There is mass fearmongering against Muslims because people do not know Islam or what Muslims believe.

Wearing fashionable hijab might make it feel easier to wear, but it won’t keep it on your head, because fashionable or not there will always be people who want to remove it. Geert Wilders didn’t produce ‘fitnah’ because Muslim women are unfashionable.

It’s the “poor small minded people” (and that is no way to speak about your brothers and sisters in Islam) who you have to thank for the fact you can still wear your hijab, that there are increasing prayer faciliites, mosques and legislation to protect you from discrimination.

If there are Muslims in Egypt acting in a way that doesnt suit you, is it your place to judge them or if their approach be shown on TV?

I have found this series most interesting and well presented. I did not think the purpose of the series was to represent Islam or be Islamic, but to see how SOME Muslims from a range of middle east countries approach fashion.

What did you want from this program? Go and make one yourself!

In last nights episode, the presenter was clearly showing muslims in Eqypt that were in a bar, dancing, smoking and drinking alcohol. My arguement is that if these people (men and women) were true muslims, they wouldn’t be worried about being on camera and being caught by their families, they would be petrified about the punishment that Allah will inflict on them on the day of judgement. Putting on a hijab and abaya in public and then committing these dreadful sins in private has to be one of the strongest examples of ‘hypocrites’.

I appreciate that I am in a country where I am free to practice whichever religion I choose, but what’s the point in doing something unless you put your whole heart and sole into it??? I pray that Allah guides these lost people before it’s too late.