Has Quantico got positive female Muslim roles covered?

Last updated on: November 4, 2015 at 12:16 pm by Guest Contributor

Has Quantico got positive female Muslim roles covered? 2015-11-04T12:16:10-04:00 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 post is written by Guest Contributor Fatin Marini (@FatinMarini1)

As of this writing, the author has watched up until episode 5. We will have a follow up post soon!

Source

When I first heard about ABC’s Quantico, I rolled my eyes. A show about FBI recruits, one of which was a Muslim hijabi woman, with an Indian leading lady and a terrorist attack? I knew where this was heading. It was going to be Homeland all over again. And I didn’t need to spend my evenings on that.

Begrudgingly I watched the pilot episode but I was ready for a fight. I had so much attitude as it were, that I actually ended up seeing things that were not there. But then I re-watched the first couple of episode and this time around, I tried to find the positive in this character if not in the show.

Quantico is definitely better on the re-watch. Once I checked my attitude at the door I realized the hijabi character Nimah Amin, played by Yasmine al Massri, is actually pretty kick-ass. She is just like all the other recruits; she runs laps around the track, shoots a gun, gets commended for her pull-ups by her commanding officer and partakes in combat with her fellow recruits. And she does it all in hijab and long sleeves to boot! And that’s just her physical prowess. She is represented as being funny. When interrogating a fellow recruit, she reveals he is a virgin. When told that isn’t his secret, she replies, “it should be.” The other recruits laugh and cheer her on. In another instance, she watches one recruit hit the target at the shooting range with incredible accuracy and comments, “American sniper.” Whatever your opinion of those jokes, it is clear that Nimah gets some unexpected one-liners. Even al Massri was surprised by her script.

Nimah is revealed to have a secret (which I won’t reveal here for the sake of spoilers) only known to the higher ups in the FBI. She is complex and as an audience we want to know more. Muslim characters are usually just caricatures of a stereotype (see Homeland. Actually don’t.) They are usually one dimensional and one note. There are probably instances I could count on one hand of thoughtful, inspiring Muslim characters in TV or film. And yet, Nimah is proving to be one. I find myself compelled by her story. Growing up there were no Muslim characters on TV, let alone Muslim women. Here we have a show that has a diverse cast led by the very capable Priyanka Chopra and a Muslim woman who, finally, isn’t an outcast. She is accepted and well-liked by her fellow recruits and superiors.

So far, what sets the show apart from other shows is that it casts suspicion on all of the FBI recruits. When there is a terrorist attack on Grand Central terminal in New York, the blue-eyed blonde may be just as guilty as the Muslim or the nerdy white guy or the shady seasoned FBI agent. No one is what they seem. No one more so than Nimah. For the first time, as a Muslim woman I’m not rolling my eyes at the way the character acts or the dialogue she speaks. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better. I’m hoping the show continues on this same trajectory. For once, I’m looking forward to finding out whodunit because the answer might not be so obvious after all.

Of course, the show in and of itself is pretty outlandish and improbable, there are plot holes galore and lame escapes. It does have a diverse cast with strong female roles, but for all these strong females fighting to make names for themselves in a male driven world they are often distracted by six-pack abs and invitations for coffee. I’m not sure how much hope I can have for the character in this environment. But I am interested to see where the show is going with her character and maybe that’s about all you can hope for.

That’s the thing about seeing a Muslim on tv. Any tv. Even bad tv. It gives you hope. That maybe, just maybe, we’re making it to mainstream. As of episodes 1-5, I do like Nimah’s character. To al-Massri’s credit, she does a wonderful job with a subpar script. The problem with Quantico is not that it’s improbable and ridiculous, I mean look at Empire. There is no crazier show on tv. But they embrace their crazy whereas Quantico takes itself too seriously. And just when I think, “that’s it I’m out…I can’t watch this anymore. It’s too lame,” a scene of Nimah in her Islamic bathing suit pops up and I’m in again! It’s the hopeful voice inside whispering “Ok, one more episode.” And maybe that’s what the network execs are hoping for too.

Previous Post

November 3, 2015

Facebook Foodies: Libyan Women’s Visibility Online

Next Post

November 6, 2015 Friday Links

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

What is the Christian response to being wronged?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Forgive Hold a grudge Gossip Revenge