Outlines Review: Women in Black, Episode 4

Last updated on: January 21, 2012 at 2:30 pm by Guest Contributor

Outlines Review: Women in Black, Episode 4 2012-01-21T14:30:42-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This was written by Safiya, and originally appeared at Outlines.

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. First, the Asian community is not homogeneous and has many divides. Second, as people begin to prioritise their Islamic identity, Muslims are now more likely to meet and socialise along the lines of beliefs or adherences 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 kalmeez.

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. Finding a halal place to socialise in an alcohol-sodden country is difficult for Muslims, and it’s likely that the diner is viewed more as a meeting place for friends than a place to meet the opposite sex.

In the diner, Zain interviews Kia Abdullah, a British Bangladeshi writer, whose debut novel attracted attention for its 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. Baig 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, Baig 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 than in Pakistan. Then follows a discussion of whether 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 abayas 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 kalmeez, 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 kalmeez 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 U.K. 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 emphasized 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.

Television

Previous Post

June 2, 2008

Breaking Glass Houses: Fawzia Afzal-Khan's Book Shattering the Stereotypes

Next Post

June 3, 2008 Copy Cats: Female Muslim Artists Get No Respect

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advertisements Art/Theater Books/Magazines Cinema Comics/Cartoons Culture/Society Events Fashion Film Friday Links Merchandise/Commodities MMW Announcements MMW Highlights Music/Radio News Photography Politics Profile Ramadan 2012 Ramadan 2013 Ramadan 2014 Ramadan 2015 Roundtable Satire Social Media Sports Technology/Science Television Uncategorized Video Web

Select a Month November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who is the most common author of the Psalms?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Moses Solomon Asaph David