Outlines Review: Women in Black episode 4

This week the programme is set in the U.K

Regular viewers and/or readers of these reviews may have noticed that this programme is a tad fond of sweeping generalisations.

The first words spoken by Armani Zain are:

“Tonight I’m exploring a world right on my doorstep, Asian Muslim women”. (Note by Asian she means Pakistani/Indian/Bangladeshi)

Holy marginalisation Batman! While many U.K muslims are ethnically Asian, there are also large Somali, Arab, Bosnian, Turkish and of course, convert communities, amongst many others. But we’re not going to get to hear about them tonight. We are not going to get to see them either. What follows is Asians only.

Zain informs us that Asian and Arab Muslims don’t really mix and have little in common. Which again is a overgeneralisation. Firstly the Asian community is not homogenous and has many divides. Secondly as people begin to prioritise their Islamic identity, Muslims are now more likely to meet and socialise along the lines of beliefs or adherence’s within Islam.

Fashion is again a key focus of the programme. A fashion shoot at Asian Magazine is shown, followed by a guide to the Shalwar Khalmeez.

Next, three Asian muslimahs show how Primark clothes can be worn Islamically. It was interesting that they felt the hijab added to their style and was something they were proud to wear, as they saw it as showing a Muslim identity.

Speed dating for Pakistani Muslims is the next stop, which brings up the topic of marriage. An alcohol free diner is shown as another venue where male and female Muslims can meet without attracting attention. I think Zain misses the point here. Something that can difficult for Muslims in a alcohol sodden country, is to find a halal place to socialise and it’s likely that the diner is viewed more as a meeting place for friends, then a place to meet the opposite sex.

In the diner, Zain interviews Kia Abdullah, a British Bangladeshi writer, who’s debut novel attracted attention for it’s gritty subject matter and sex scenes. Talk of ‘breaking taboos’ and ‘pushing boundaries’ abounds. I wonder, why is it that everyone else gets to have firm beliefs and ideas, but for Muslim women these beliefs mean they are caged creatures that have to fight for their freedom?

Next interviewee is The Sun’s (right wing newspaper not fit for lining a cat litter tray) tv columnist, Anila Baig. Anila was employed by The Sun in a blaze of publicity as their hijab-wearing Muslim columnist. She had not previously worn the hijab in her professional career and about a year later, she took it off. Some accused her of using the hijab as a gimmick. When Zain asks her why she stopped wearing it, Anila stated that she felt there were more important things she could be doing and goes on to state that more Muslims in the U.K wear the hijab, then in Pakistan. Then follows a discussion of weather hijab wearing is imitating Arab culture, with Anila stating that Pakistanis view Arabs as being closer to the faith due to the lack of language barrier, a concept Zain is uncomfortable with, viewing this a prejudice.

However, while being an Arab doesn’t make you a better Muslim, the fluency in Arabic (by which I mean Fus Ha), certainly is very beneficial for a Muslim and is a strong requirement for Islamic scholarship and therefore it’s important not to confuse the two.

Back to fashion, after visiting an Asian fashion emporium, Zain attends an abaya-themed fashion show.

Following this, Zain interviews two British Asian Muslims who wear abaya to ask why they wear a dress that is viewed as traditionally Arab. They explain that they view the abaya as more modest and showing an Islamic identity, whereas by wearing a Shalwar Khalmeez, they are stating that they are Pakistani first.

They seem quite content with their choice, but Zain follows this with a woe laden piece to camera positing that being a British Muslim, means being torn in three directions, being British, being Muslim and Pakistani culture.

Personally, I find the only direction I’m torn in is between the pie shop and the chippy, but I’m obviously not a ‘real’ British Muslim, so what would I know?

Now it’s dress-up time and this week, Zain dons a Shalwar Khalmeez to attend an exclusive gathering of Pakistani Women. This takes place at the home of  Dr Maleeha Lodhi, the High Commissioner of Pakistan in the UK. After a quick tour of Dr Lodhi’s wardrobe, Zain asks what she thinks about the wearing of the hijab as a political statement, to which Dr Lodhi replies that the wearing of hijab is a personal choice and that an emphasised religious identity, is not something that automatically leads to extremism. 

At the gathering there is much talk of fashion. One woman states that she finds niqabi wearers ’scary’ and that “these women shouldn’t be allowed to decide the Islamic platform for  everyone else.” I find that statement outrageous and even more so, that it is left unchallenged. I guess some prejudices are more acceptable then others.

 

 

 

 

New Commenting Policy

I thought it was time for an update and to make a few things really, really clear. 

Outlines Review: Women in Black Episode 3

This week’s episode is in Cairo. Presenter Armani Zain is quick to paint it as a party town from her experiences there as a student.

Armani gives a good insight into dress in Cairo, explaining that while wearing the hijab is becoming increasingly common, many women do not wear the hijab. Those that do wear it, often experiment with many different styles and colours, so there aren’t that many ‘women in black’.

Further on the hijab tip, we meet a female factory owner who makes hijabs. She happily explains that as a Muslim women she feels her religion doesn’t just permit her work, it helps her to work and make her own money, by viewing it as a form of worship.

Zain mentions that the veil has become popular in Egypt, not just as a religious act, but as a political statement against the avowedly secular government (Hmm). Egypt’s increasing religiosity is again mentioned in regards to it’s film industry. Egypt’s film were once as raunchy as their western counterparts, but Zain laments that increased censorship has made them ‘bland’. Any viewers vaguely paying attention at this point may have noticed a not very well hidden agenda begin to emerge. More about this later.

Zain says that she herself would have liked to have become an actress, but that her culture and family would not allow. She speaks to two different women outside of a cinema. The first states that there should be more hijab wearing women in Egyptian films, as many Egyptian women wear the hijab. The other women disagrees, stating she doesn’t like the hijab and most people who wear it are forced to do so by male relatives. This is a rarely expressed view, narrates Zain.

Now for the issue of plastic surgery, with the frankly ludicrous claim that up to 20% of Cairenes have had some form of cosmetic surgery. Not even any U.S city, would such a figure be accurate. The plastic surgeon interviewed is female. She makes the rather dubious statement that cosmetic surgery is a gift from God and to not use this gift would be sinful.

More statistics with the statement that most married Egyptian women have had FGM. Zain does point out that there have been fatwas and campaigns against this practice.

Next, we saw Zain watching Heba Kotb’s show, in which the sexologist dispenses Islamically orientated advice in a frank manner. Zain is displeased when Kotb advises against masturbation, describing this as “reactionary”, not mentioning that masturbation is indeed considered to be widely disliked under Islamic rulings (opinions vary considering the circumstances).

Meeting with Kotb however, Zain describes her as the first person to realise that there are references sexual etiquette in the Qur’an and Sunnah. This isn’t actually true, at all. Zain  asks if Kotb feels such blunt discussion of  sexual matters in compatible with Islam? Kotb explains that to be sexually considerate is in the Qur’an and Sunnah that she hopes to strengthen marriages through her advice.

Next Cairo’s party scene complete with alcohol is shown as the norm for many Egyptian women and Khaleji’s who want to ‘let their hair down’. This is not Islamic behaviour and while I know there are women who are Muslim that do this, a lot of us don’t and would consider it sinful and resent the idea that we’re all longing to ‘party western style’.

As seems to be obligatory for this series, there is some hair removal. A minor fuss occurs as the woman are unhappy to show their faces due to Zain showing her legs on film. Zain seems genuinely astounded that the women would react like this, stating that it’s an example of the tightrope Muslim women walk. Again I have problems with this idea that Muslim women are perpetually conflicted souls, especially in this programme which has just interviewed three women who feel completely at ease with their lives and their religion.

An Egyptian wedding is shown, which while typical, is actually about as Islamic as a pork chop (alcohol, belly dancing, lavish expenditure ).

We are told that Egyptian women are not as free as their western counterparts (remember that hidden agenda I mentioned before) and that this desire for freedom coupled with a rise in religious observance not only creates hypocrisy but a future clash of ideals.

Yes, clash, that quintessential verb that must be used whenever Islam and Muslims are discussed in a modern context.

Let’s look at things from a different perspective. People have been being Muslim for quite some time now, over 1400 years. They have neither faded into obsolescence, nor remained frozen in time. Empires have risen and fallen, wars have been fought, natural disasters endured and Muslims have remained.

As for Egypt, why is assumed that the modernity they seek is the right to ape western social habits? What was glossed over by the programme and it’s relentless focus on the upper class, is that a lot of Egyptians live in poverty. Illiteracy is high, poor housing widespread and the government manages to be both corrupt and draconian. Rising food prices have even lead to national strikes.

By repeating the lie that “They just hate/envy our freedom”, this programme isn’t unveiling anything. Instead it is just reinforcing familiar prejudices. 

Outlines Review: Women in Black BBC2

I wrote a big long review of this and Worpress ate it. This has never happened to me before and frankly, it’s just not cool. I’m already having to write this in IE as for some reason WP isn’t working properly in Firefox.

Here is a summary of my previous review.

The programmes starts by saying that Muslim women now comprise 10% of the world’s population. Yet they are seen by many as “Shapeless blobs in black”. Anyway this programmes aims to challenge that view by going, where else but, underneath the veil. Who would have guessed that under veil exploration would become more popular then undersea exploration, but with added exoticism.

Arab and Muslim are not interchangeable. Consult any dictionary for proof. Yet throughout this programme the terms are mixed and matched with little apparent thought to actual definition of either.

When the presenter (an Arab Yemeni raised in the UK) changes from jeans and a t-shirt into a black abaya and shayla half way through her flight to Yemen, she describes it as something many Muslim women do. Maybe so, yet many more have the same concept of modest clothing whether they are in Anchorage or Ankhara.

So the programme continues with showing how Yemeni women live, with a strong emphasis on how they shop and party. The male female segregation is presented as an Islamic act, despite that behaviours surrounding this segregation are often far from Islamic in intention and practice.

Irritation of a milder form, when the presenter describes sugaring as a must for Muslim women, although it is actually a practice of Arab (and Desi) women, regardless of religion.

If this programme marketed itself as an insight into the lives of Arab women, I would have no complaint. However, it is specifically presented as an ‘under the veil’ (groan) look at Muslim women, yet sadly Islam barely makes a cameo appearance. This is typified by a lingering shot of a niqabi woman drinking a glass of juice, which clearly shows her face. Such a shot is extremely intrusive and disrespectful of that women’s beliefs and boundaries. If a programme cannot respect these boundaries, how can it describe not only the beliefs that create them, but the people who hold those beliefs?

Just like many women, Muslim women like to look good, they like to have fun with their friends, they have hobbies and just like every woman, Muslim women are more then their pastimes. Is that so hard to understand?

Three years + of being a Muslim….

… and I still can’t sit still on the floor for long periods of time. There are children in the mosque who fidget less then me. Legs crossed, legs folded, legs tucked underneath - pins and needles, must stretch legs, legs straight out in front. Hope no-one thinks I’m being rude by pointing my soles at them. Try to wangle feet so they point away. Feet get cramp from being at such an odd angle. Cross legs and repeat cycle.

Ah dear blog I have missed you. I have lots of ideas but very little time and what I want to write I feel like I need to sit down and take my time over and… see my sparkly crown? I wear it because I’m the queen of procrastination.

So in lieu of writing an actual post, I’m updating my blogroll.

New additions are:

# Abu Sinan
# Darvish
# Dictator Princess
# Impossibly Blue Skies
# Jamerican Muslimah
# Lucky Fatima
# Mama Mona
# Mother of One
# Multicultural Muslimah
# Muse
# Saudi Stepford Wife
# Sweep the Sunshine

I do love the islamiblogosphere. Masha Allah, there are some amazing writers and minds out there.

If you would like to be added to my blogroll, let me know. Note, everyone gets a comment by their link (hover the cursor over to read it). It generally involves alliteration, because I have a childlike fascination with it.

The Damage Done - Updated 26/02/28

Last month, Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger, two extremely talented actors, each died from a drug overdose.

Today Steven Wright was convicted of the murders of Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls. All of the women were killed while working as prostitutes. Like 95% of prostitutes in the U.K, they worked as prostitutes in order to fund their drug addiction.*

The pernacious nature of substance abuse is such that it affects all sectors of society. Most people know at least one person who is/was an addict. I can look at my high school year photograph and point to several people who became heroin addicts (crack had yet to reach my home town then.).

The tragedy of drug addiction is that it obliterates you. Your personality, integrity family relationships, friends, work, study. It takes over your existence and then it takes your life.

I grew up with the “Just Say No” and “Heroin Screws You Up” messages. Since then, drugs have become even cheaper and more readily available then ever before. When I was a teenager, cocaine was for the rich, now everyone can afford it every weekend.

Not everyone who experiments with drugs becomes addicted, in all honesty, many are unscathed.

However, for those who are not so fortunate, they enter the murky world of criminality and various treatment programmes of varying effectiveness and accessibility.

How can we stop people becoming addicts and if that fails, how can we treat drug addiction?

I don’t know what the solution is, just that we seem as far from it as ever.

*2004 ‘Paying the Price’ Home Office Consultation paper.

*******

Women working as prostitutes are frequently the victims of violence. Wright was not the first serial killer to prey on sex workers.

The media coverage throughout the case has been laudable in humanising the victims, for indeed their lives and descent into drug addiction was as tragic as their deaths.

For many people street prostitiutes fall even below the scope of pity. Sadly this means they frequently exist outside of any available help or support too.

From their tragic deaths, a dialogue has opened about why people are driven to sell their bodies and how they can be helped to leave the streets. It is to be hoped that this dialogue continues and organisations are given the funding and support they deserve.

I used to live near a red light district. At any time of the day there would be women stood waiting for customers. In good weather they wore short skirts and knee high boots, leggings or tight jeans when it was cold. Their faces spoke of what they needed the money for. Crack, heroin and unhappiness are anti beauty treatments.

I understood why these women were there, what puzzled me was who was paying for their services and why. What appeal could possible lie with these women? How could you derive pleasure from having sex with someone who is so obviously unwell? Street prostitution exists because there is a market for it. Until we understand the minds of the ‘customers’, this is unlikely to change.

There have been two further cases of the brutal murders of women this week. Both the men had prior histories of sexual violence and assault.

For an excellent analysis of these murders and the flaws in a criminal justice system, which is lamentably failing to protect women, click here: 

Divorce Sharia Style

The above is the title of a Channel 4 documentary screened on the 3rd February. The focus of the documentary was the Sharia board in London and how they provided counselling and fatwas to the local community.

The documentary was quick to point out that many Muslims in Britain are caught between their culture and their religion and the contradictions between the two.

It also made clear what a fatwa was and that they are not binding upon a Muslim, one can chose to follow the fatwa or discard it.

As the above issues are frequently misinterpreted by the media, it was good to see such clarifications.

The programme featured the cases of three couples (for more details click here) and the thoughts of one of the sheikh concerning sharia law in the U.K.

However, as the documentary sadly showed, too many Muslims are ignorant of Sharia. If we Muslims do not know the sharia, nor know how to live by it, then what use is having it as law?

Sharia is just not words on a page, or worrying about what people watch on TV, it’s how you live your life.

People see the Sharia as something in a glass case, to be used in case of fire or other diabolical event, but living by the Sharia can prevent such fires ever occurring.

We focus on the halal/haram. “If it’s not haram, I can do it”. Where is common sense, where is respect for others, for our responsibilities, for the consequences?

I don’t blame the shayukh. You ask them for the ruling; they will give it to you. Whether it’s wise to follow that ruling is for the individual to decide. Just like you can phone the speaking clock for the time and it will state it, but it won’t tell you that you should get up now or you will be late for work.

Until we change our ways, having legal sharia law is as much use as putting window boxes on a house with a leaky roof.

Drawing a line under 2007

Some end of year bits and bobs.

Firstly I would like to say:
Thank you, Shukran, Gracias, Merci, Multumesc, Hvala, Danke and of course, Diolch yn fawr, to the following people:

Denizens of my blogroll. I have been reading you avidly all year. You’ve provoked my thoughts and emotions and more often then not made me laugh too. I do need to update my blogroll, so if I comment a lot on your site, but you’re listed here (yet), this includes you too. Special mention goes to:

The Ladies at Muslimah Media Watch for starting an excellent and much needed project and for providing a much needed voice to Muslimah on the Racialicious blog.

Luckyfatima for providing a wide insight into a variety of issues. Also for all the great comments she’s made on other blogs elsewhere.

Dave at Everyday Is Barcelona… For proving that you can be insightful and entertaining.

Reader and Commenters. I may not have the biggest or most famous blog, but I think I have the loveliest readers. Aside from the occasional trollacious comment, you all seem to get what I’m talking about and I am spared a lot of the snark that some other bloggers have to put up with. I’m not the best at responding to comments (I will endevour to improve this next year, Insha Allah), but I appreciate them all.

Now on to the award type stuff.

2007 and has been a bit of a blur as regards films and books. I haven’t read many books (shameful, I know), so I’ll skip the book category.

The best film I saw this year was All About My Mother, which was actually made in 1999. Due to the subject matter of some of his films, Almodóvar may not be everyone’s bag of chips, but when ever I see his films, I feel I get a glimpse into the lives of real, living, breathing people and that’s such a rare sensation in cinema.

Best tv show: Dexter. What could be sub standard slasher fare is a well executed insight into how it feels to not feel. Literally. Michael C. Hall deserves to be rained with silverware for this one.

Best T.V Channel. Euronews/Al Jazeera International.

I am a big fan of Euronews for their no nonsense, no presenter gurning-dramatically style of reportage. No Comment, the segment with pictures and no commentary, frequently provides the day’s most affecting footage.

However, in my opinion, one of the big stories 0f 2007, was the failure of Belgium to form a government, due to a split between the Waloon and Flemish sectors of the country. This lasted for six months, until an emergency coalition was formed in December. Euronews conveed this story, in depth, throughout.

The next time, someone talks with ill-disguised racism about ‘those people who can’t govern themselves’, think of Belgium.

Al Jazeera International is also consistently excellent. I think their coverage of the events at Lal Masjid was the zenith of their work, with the coverage prior to, during and after the massacre, being of a quality unmatched by other networks.

Islam in the Media.

There was the abomination that was Britz and two reality shows, which attempted both to give Non Muslims an insight into Muslim life. Elsewhere, it was the same old, same old, with my co-religionists popping up as terrorists on numerous dramas and being pathologised in multiple articles both in print and on line. Tired of reading about ‘The Trouble with Islam’? Me too. Let’s hope there is less of this next year.

Good news is that both a Muslim man and a Muslim woman appeared in mainstream British advertising. Yippee!
The man, a brother with an unmistakably sunnah beard was featured in an MFI ad earlier this year, while the sister was in a Nokia ad. Screenshot is here.

Music

This year for various reasons, I’ve decided to step back from music a bit. I can’t say I never listen to it, just that I listen to it a lot less.

Jazak Allahu Khayran to Muhajadeen Ryder for providing access to a wide range of nasheeds with his radio feed.

Anyway, in the interests of honesty, I will say that my favourite single of 2007 was Icky Thump by The White Stripes. I think that song is the only time this year that a song came on the radio and I thought “Ooh what’s that?”.

Were it not for the fact that it originally came out in 2006, The W.A.N.D by The Flaming Lips would also win, but I only heard it on an advert the other week, that’s how uncool I am.

It’s not been a good year for music videos, but this was probably the best of the bunch. Not exactly original but very well excuted and matched the song beautifully. Makes me wish I could skateboard.

Podcast of the Year: Addicted to Race

An offshoot of the ever excellent Racialicious website. The pleasingly deadpan Carmen Van Kerckhove discuss all manner of issues concerning race and pop culture. Currently on hiatus, but the archives are still available and well worth listening to.
Video Podcast of the Year: Ask a Ninja

If you like Strongbad Emails, you’ll like this. Very funny indeed.

Islamic organisation making a difference: Zaytuna Institute

The seminary, the distance learning, the wealth of multimedia on their site, most of it available for free, the publishing and the fact that in Sheikh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shaikir, not only do we have two great teachers but also two very eloquent spokesmen for Islam in the West.

Enough pseudo awards!

My New Year’s Resolutions

1)Current outlines - Rounded. Dairy Milk + Dr Pepper = Chunky.

So I am setting myself the realistic goal of exercising at least twice a week. That doesn’t sound like much, but I’m currently doing nothing, so anything is an improvement.

2)Books. Those things made of paper with words printed on them. Want to read more of them. Will start going to library again and work on making time to read. Any recommendations, feel free to leave a comment/email.

3)Arabic. I have the self motivation of an aphid. Finding a class would be a good start.

4)Diet. See point 1. I am terrible at denying myself, so instead, I’m going to go with making sure I get my 5 a day of fruit and veg.

5)Community work. It’s time to give something back. No more excuses.

Phew! That is more then enough for now.

May this new year be one of blessings and growth for everyone, insha Allah.

Alhamdulilah for everything.

Better doesn’t make your life better

One of the reasons I moved to WordPress, is because it’s easier to do the whole trackback thing when you’ve seen a post and been inspired by it. At Umar Lee’s and Margari’s blogs there have been big discussions on suitable partners for marriage, looking abroad for a spouse and so on.

Should you marry someone from this country? That ethnicity? What about the children? Which leads on to the whole concept of Muslim identity, can there be a British/American/Western Muslim identity.

We cover each other with labels : Arab, Pakistani, British, American, Born Muslim, Converts.

Then we plaster over slogans: Arabic speaker (will help me learn Arabic), Modern, Traditional, From my culture, not from my culture, Educated, blue collar…
So people have all these ideas for marriage, that it is a big magic wand that will change their lives and will surely improve them as a Muslim.

So many issues and it’s easy to get caught up in it all and people forget what marriage is about.

Firstly. Intention. It is such a powerful thing, in this life and the next, so make it a beautiful one, for the sake of Allah swt.

Secondly, You marry a person. A human being with issues and deficiencies, good points and bad points.

I recently read that marriage means you have to face all the problems in your life times two. To me, that is a really good way of describing it.

If you are struggling in your deen, marriage won’t necessarily improve things, even if you are married to a good brother.

Alhamdulilah, I am very happy with Mr Outlines, but when we first got married and I was crazy-in-love-shiny-dress-dance-routine-wanted-to-sing-it-to-the-world*, I found that these feelings were so overwhelming, plus newly married life is very busy, that it really affected my conectedness (not sure if that is a real word) to Allah swt. I really had to evaluate and set myself back on the path and Alhamdulilah, Mr Outlines was a real help with this.

Actually that brings me to another point. So you’ve met the wonderful spouse to be they are pious, you have the same attitudes in Islam, so it’s going to be wonderful, right?

Masha Allah, this is a great start, but you have to take into consideration the differences in each person’s journey to Allah swt. You might like to go to every halaqa ever and they like to read Qur’an by themselves all night. You need to make space for each other. We are all trees in a forest, there is room for us all to grow, insha Allah.

Back to the labelling issue. We need to make less assumptions about what being this or that race/ethnicity/background someone is. None of us were made in a factory, we are all complex. It pains me to read when people write/say ‘x’ are backward. ‘y’ are dominating, ‘z’ make bad wives.

You are not marrying Arabs, Pakistanis, whatever, you are marrying that person, so find out what they are like and their opinions. Look to their deen first and then be realistic and be prepared to accept that person as they are. You are not ‘doing someone a favour’ by marrying them and vice versa. Respect is key, if you do not think they are good enough for you, it won’t work and they deserve better.
Above all, it is already written.

Astagfurallah, I forget the reality of this sometimes. You think about different decsions: what if? There is no what if, no fork in the road, no alternative reality. So alhamdulilah, we have the Qur’an and Sunnah to guide us and help us gain the good in this world and the good in the next, insha Allah.

If I have written anything good it is from Allah swt, if I have written anything bad, it s from me.

*Actually, I do still feel like this, Alhamdulilah

Yes, WordPress

I feel so traitorous for leaving Blogger, but WordPress blogs look so much nicer.

Anyway, Outlines 1.0 will remain in place, but insha Allah I will be blogging here from now on.

I will update my blogroll soon, insha Allah.