I missed the 2nd episode when it first aired but finally saw it yesterday. Phenomenal scene when the Imam and the Priest march towards each other, coffee mugs sticking out in front of them, like to guys headed for an old time duel. They meet in front of the bench, turn to face us, slump onto the bench, and heave a sigh in unison! And the few lines that followed were 100% Canadian humor. I would love to see the show incorporate scenes with the priest dealing with some issues in his congregation. But I don’t do comedy for a living and noone asked me to consult for the show so don’t hold your breath :D.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about you don’t have enough Canadian friends :) but you can check it out below.
Episode 2 may be found here.
So what do I really think about the episode? Well, as Amar the yuppie Imam says, the perfect Muslim solution makes noone happy, so hold on to your brotherly/sisterly tenderness, gentleness, and tolerance (see my past blog entry on the subject if you need to ;) ) cause there’s bound to be something below that you don’t like.
- I don’t think any part of this show is meant to be educational. Some brothers and sisters seem to think that having Muslims on television requires that we provide a speaker to discuss the five pillars and their significance. Sorry! That’s not a sitcom. And in my humble opinion, not necessary. Stick with me a while - I’ll try to convince you.
- None of the characters are in the least way realistic. Of course not. It’s a sitcom. Think Seinfeld! None of these characters are real in their portrayal. Exaggeration is the necessary ingredient in comedy. Having said that, the characters are not completely unreal. Most of us have no trouble laughing at the accents of various uncles in an Azhar Usman routine (God bless the brother! There’s a trailblazer for you). But all of a sudden it’s on TV and a couple of million Canadians are watching and we’re thinking, “Oh no, they’ll actually that’s what Muslims are like.” No they won’t. Talk to your friends that are not Muslim. Noone expects a sitcom to actually educate. They expect it only to entertain.
- Still on the subject of characters. Unreal, you say. Not so, say I. Imam Amar? Quintessential Toronto Yuppie. Each of you probably knows at least half a dozen bros that look, style, dress, and speak just like him. And you like the non-fat cappucino :). So someone like this in real life probably doesn’t wind up being an Imam. So what. I actually have an image in mind right now of someone that looks a lot like brother Amar that’s given a couple of khutba’s here and there. The character is real. It’s the situation that’s unreal. Which is exactly what makes a sitcom (situation comedy).
- There is sheer brilliance in a number of things that Zarqa (God bless her and guide her steps) did with this particular episode. First the way she deals with the character of Babar. I think a lot of us are a little oversensitive about a character like that being portrayed on national TV. But if you were to step back and chill just a tad I think you’ll agree that he’s being handled in a very subtle way — he’s actually being made very lovable. In this one episode, the most natural thing to do would have been to make him a total bad guy. Not so. His soft heart and his eyes when he smiles at his daughter to tell her she can go out with her friends. Her hugging him and saying, “I love you” with such happiness and passion. The sheepish expression he has at the end of the episode when he accepts Amar’s fatwa with a calm but resigned “it’s terrible”. The scene in the cafe when he almost breaks down in tears and says, “it’s embarassing to me! You women are always thinking about yourselves.” I predict that he’ll wind up being the Kramer of this show — he’ll steal every scene that he’s in and will be the fav of countless viewers.
- Another brilliant thing is the ending. Sure, no Imam ever would give the “ruling” that Amar gave. Sure, no theological or legal analysis was given of the various positions, etc. But that’s missing the point (in my view, and I really don’t mean to offend anyone). This was the only way for the show not to take sides. Frankly I expected the show to throw out the barrier and was looking for some creative way to do it. But this is so much better. Regardless of arguments for or against, the viewer is simply left with the knowledge that in a real community this is an issue and the writer/producer simply isn’t going to take sides or try to solve it in 22 minutes. Wonderful. I happened to mention this episode and its central topic to a couple of non-Muslim women. Their immediate reaction was to recall their knowledge that in Orthodox synagogues there is a barrier. I think this show is just going to enforce the understanding that the existence of such debates in a religious community is just normal.
- The use of sexual innuendo in the episode. For anyone that thought this was going to be a family show that your kids could stay up and watch, we now know better. Tape the show and screen it before you decide if your kids are allowed to watch any given episode. But beyond that, what’s the fuss? O.K. I really didn’t like “the pinch”. But other than that, everything that was said or done was within the limits of normalcy by Muslim standards. Check out humor in jokes told in traditional Muslim societies. Check out humor in the classic Islamic literature (more on this in a separate entry inshaa Allah). Be honest in thinking about the humor that you and I laugh at every day of the week. Most importantly, every reference to that in this particular episode had a particular function. Simplest example, and please don’t take offense. The scene where Amar looks at Rayan. The scene was done extremely quickly (alhamdulillah) and was timed so that by the end of the move when she glares at him to remind him that it’s inappropriate he’s just finishing the sentence about men looking at women. Now think of the average Canadian watching the debate as it starts and thinking of all the stereotypes about Muslim men and women in prayer, etc., and where do you think his eyes are going? And when she yells at Amar that he’s acting inappropriately at just about the same instance that he’s talking about distraction, any reasonable person watching this says “yeah, this is normal, and yeah you need to take it into account when you arrange people in prayer lines.” I don’t think you could do it better.
Let me sum up. Personally I love it. I believe that in many ways we are being too sensitive and applying an unrealistic standard. I also believe that sitcoms do not and cannot deliver a message through lecturing. Eyes glaze over and it doesn’t work. Sitcoms deliver messages (when they do) by the appeal of inidividual characters and by the paths chosen to resolve issues. The messages coming out of these episodes have been overwhelmingly positive.
Most important of all, I believe that you don’t have to agree with me for us to enjoy each other’s brotherhood, sisterhood, discussion, opinions, comments, exchange, and companionship. There are intellectual aspects to this discussion that we should continue to investigate intellectually. And there are taste aspects to this show and we should accept up front that different people have different tastes.
I look forward to your comments. Keep ‘em coming.
After reading your post, I have taken a different view on the 2nd episode.
At first I didn’t (and still don’t) appreciate the jokes which contained sexual references and innuendos.
The one that I thought was the most inappropriate was Amaar’s glance of the sister (I forgot her name). The glance didn’t bother me so much, rather the lack of a reaction by the Babur character, who seemed to merely laugh it off.
In reality a character of Babur’s temperment and agenda (to regain his imaamhood) I think would have used that event to start a revolution.
But like you said, this show is not reality, its situational comedy.
And so far, it has been serving that role well.
Now I don’t know what I’m aniticipating more, episode 3, or your analysis.
I told you before that I didn’t laugh that much because I thought too much. However, I do that with other sitcoms as well. I can’t help stressing my mind thinking about the effect of the subtle messages on the viewers and on myself. I just don’t let go easy :)
I had to watch the show online a second time to have a real laugh.
I liked the show because of all the reasons you mentioned but my favorite scene was when Baber hugged his daughter and then the barrier dropped. That was very clever, artistic and subtle.
I think that you missed the joke in the first scene about Ammar being “distracted”. Rayanne was offended that he “wasn’t distracted”. That’s a typical woman joke. A woman would be flattered if any guy is distracted by her and not the other way around. At least that’s how she meant it and that’s how the majority of the viewers will look at it. May be you need to joke more with Canadians instead of reading jokes in traditional books ;)
Google video has a better version of the two episodes each in one file. Here are the links:
Episode 1:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4689644836814333621&q=“Little mosque on the prairie”&hl=en
Episode 2:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8236368973976264462&q=“Little mosque on the prairie”
p.s. I am looking forward to your entry about humor in traditional islamic text :)
The reason why a lot of people have disonance after watching the second episode is because of a misunderstanding of the target audience and the purpose of the sitcom. The target audience is not just Muslims, but the Canadian population at large and the purpose is to carve a space for Mjuslims in the popular culture. Ignoring its effectivness or lack thereof, just the fact that this something like this is has been initiated has to be commended and supported. Approximately 2.1 Million people viewed the first episode. Since there are 600,000 Muslims in Canada, we can safely assume that the only 15-20% of the audience was Muslim, if not less. We also sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that ALL Muslims are like us. If we are blessed to be practicing and devout Muslims, we should not assume that everyone else is like us. Such efforts may not just be a good tool to normalise our identity to non-muslims but also may help to portray Islam as a relevent and normal way of life to other non-practicing Muslims.
usama: i absolutely agree. jazaakallahu khayran. imho, just the fact that the range and diversity of muslims is so front and center the way the show is done is itself an achievement.
Salams, Yaser - great to see you online! This is probably the fairest analysis of LMOTP that I’ve seen. Looking forward to more of your writings here!
Assalam aleikom
First of all, JazakAllah kheir to Dr Yaser for initiating this discussion and providing us with the interesting comments. I would like to point out however, what I feel are some problems which are being neglected here.
Criticism of these episodes has encompassed a variety of aspects, from the unislamic behavior of the actors to the poor humor. However, in my opinion none of these are even a fraction as troublesome as what really should bother the muslim community about this show - the fact that it is being used as a mouthpiece for secular ‘muslims’ to advance their deviant ideologies and ridicule traditional Islamic scholarship.
“How so?”, you ask. Let’s look at it carefully. The entire show is more than just poking fun at everyone without any bias, as suggested above. It is clear throughout the show that two groups within the Muslim community are being contrasted: on one hand we have the educated, liberal, enlightened secularists [or “progressive muslims” as they call themselves] and on the other hand we have the ignorant, backward, fresh-off-the-boat “conservatives”.
In fact the entire attitude of the show is summarized in a single statement by ‘Baber’ (who is supposedly representative of the face of conservative traditional Islam) in his emotional outburst about his daughter:
“Western school system!! Filling her head with…thinking!!
This statement alone should have provoked outrage from the Muslim community. The fact that this show would blatantly express in no uncertain terms that traditional Islam (and therefore traditional Islamic scholarship) is an illogical way of life fundamentally opposed to the use of reason, this is nothing short of an abominable lie. We should be outraged that the show would suggest that ANY segment of our community is opposed to reason. This is a clear insult to ALL Muslims. Have not the traditional scholars of Islam always described the position of BOTH sound reasoning (al-aql as-sarih) alongside the authentic texts (naql as-sahih)?? Contrast this with the quote from Baber.
And yet this quote from the episode is not an isolated mistake by the producers. The WHOLE show is in line with this portrayal. The man with the beard and the kufi is having domestic problems and is causing problems in the mosque, and who saves the day? The “enlightened” “educated” “progressive Muslims” (when we heard this word in the first episode, alarm bells should have been going off) who receive their advice from christian priests. Why is it the “progressives” (read: secularists) who are portrayed as the ones who speak good english, are knowledgeable about the religion (notice their consensus that the barrier has “no theological validity”?!) while the conservatives are portrayed as bigoted, close-minded misogynistic fobs? Not to mention Baber is also portrayed as an emotionally unstable ‘baby’.
So when a non-muslim see a muslim scholar or imam with a beard, and dressed in a cultural style the first thing they will remember is the emotionally-unstable, ignorant and sexist weird imam from Little Mosque on the Prairie!! What kind of service does that do for the Muslim community? No one will take such muslim imams seriously anymore, no matter how important their message. What happens to the Muslim imams with beards that wear shalwar khameez (pakistani dress), but like Shaykh Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi they provide an eloquent and fundamental message for the Muslim community in the west in flawless english:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=8230318654042458761&q=yasir qadhi
So this portrayal of our community (and it is OUR community) is definitely something that should be disturbing to us.
If this isn’t enough for us to question Nawaz’s underlying agenda, let us look at the following excerpt from the Globe article:
>>The germ of the idea for Little Mosque started several years ago, after Nawaz locked horns with several more conservative male members of her Regina mosque. After many years of praying with the men, she walked in one day to find a curtain had been strung, separating the sexes, because the men found women “too distracting.” Rather than get mad, Nawaz — who had completed several comedic film shorts — made a National Film Board documentary, called Me and the Mosque. “It was about how women feel about mosques,” she explains. “I was pretty sure all the gender discrimination these men talk about doesn’t come from the faith, but from a cultural interpretation of the faith, and from patriarchy.
All Praise is due to Allah(swt) and may the peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammed(saw).
“I don’t think any part of this show is meant to be educational”
In the CNN video that you posted on your blog, it shows an interview with Zarqa Nawaz. In this interview, she herself says that her sitcom serves to educate and build bridges between people. Forward to the 2.20 min, and listen for the next 15 seconds approximately. The creator of the show herself admits her show is a source for laughter and education. Since this show conveys information about muslims to Canadians, it becomes a form of dawah. Consequently, the image portrayed in the show must be in accordance to the shariah. Even if Zarqa didn’t intend the show to be educational, anything muslims present will be a form of dawah. Of course nobody expects a lecture of the 5 pillars and their significance in a sitcom, but we do expect the show to educate non-muslims using humor as a driving force.
In one of your paragraphs (second) you said:
“No they won’t. Talk to your friends that are not Muslim. Noone expects a sitcom to actually educate. They expect it only to entertain.”
In the fourth paragraph you also said:
“Regardless of arguments for or against, the viewer is simply left with the knowledge that in a real community this is an issue and the writer/producer simply isn’t going to take sides or try to solve it in 22 minutes. Wonderful. I happened to mention this episode and its central topic to a couple of non-Muslim women. Their immediate reaction was to recall their knowledge that in Orthodox synagogues there is a barrier. I think this show is just going to enforce the understanding that the existence of such debates in a religious community is just normal.”
- You said that non-muslims who watch this show will not take any educational value from it, but will enjoy the sitcom as a form of entertainment. In another statement, you talk of how the viewer is left with the knowledge of this debate (the barrier) in the muslim community, and how these non-muslim women incorporated this knowledge for a comparison between jews and muslims. So does not this sitcom have an educational component to it? Of course the show is meant to serve its purpose as a comedy, but nonetheless it does convey to non-muslims a certain dogma of Islam. Consequently, it becomes a form of dawah.
Still on the subject of characters. Unreal, you say. Not so, say I. Imam Amar? Quintessential Toronto Yuppie. Each of you probably knows at least half a dozen bros that look, style, dress, and speak just like him. And you like the non-fat cappucino :). So someone like this in real life probably doesn’t wind up being an Imam. So what. I actually have an image in mind right now of someone that looks a lot like brother Amar that’s given a couple of khutba’s here and there. The character is real. It’s the situation that’s unreal. Which is exactly what makes a sitcom (situation comedy).
Its not that the character Imam Amar isn’t real, but that the show portrays an Imam whose image is contrary to the sunnah of Mohammed(saw). Showing a clean shaven – which is against the sunnah of Mohammed (saw) and the fitrah of a muslim - Imam staring at a woman while bending over is hardly the type of dawah we should be giving. The fact that that are numerous brothers that share the same image as Imam Amar doesn’t mean this is the image we ought to portray. If anything this shows the weakness of us brothers following the sunnah in a non-islamic environment. Allah(swt) says:
يَا يَحْيَى خُذِ الْكِتَابَ بِقُوَّةٍ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيّاً
(It was said to his son): “O Yahya (John)! Hold fast the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)].” And We gave him wisdom while yet a child.
9:12
Similarly, we muslims should hold on to our religion with strength and not be afraid to tell non-muslims this is our religion that Allah(swt) has honored us with. This show is unreal not because it is simply a sitcom, but that the events shown are against the teachings of Islam and would be rarely replicated by muslims in the West. Why not present an Imam who follows the sunnah of Mohammed(saw), who is bashful and modest, and speaks in an eloquent manner with hints of humor? Why not present muslim women as expressing their opinions with modesty and intelligence, instead of running around fighting men as did the daughter of Yasir? Her behavior only tarnished the image of muslim women and opposed the noble characters of the Mothers of the believers, who were the real knowledgeable female scholars of this deen. During the historical battle between Aisha(ra) and Ali(ra), Aisha(ra) behaved in a modest and bashful manner and did not run around raising her voice while fighting men. Would that behavior be appropriate for our mother? So why is it appropriate to present this to the non-muslims as an “IDEAL educated muslim women in the west”? I am not saying that the actors, whom most are not muslim except a few, must act a perfect manner. The problem is with the show depicting those muslims who follow the sunnah (by having the beard) of Prophet Mohammed(saw) as primitive individuals, while those who do not follow the sunnah as wise individuals who must the save day. Some examples:
1) In the second episode Baber, who follows the sunnah of Prophet Mohammed(saw) by having a beard, complains how schools in the West filled his daughter with “thinking” and about the image of “desperate housewives”. Therefore, muslim men with beards are portrayed as against women thinking, and only advocate their purpose as submissive housewives.
2) Imam Ammar is a former lawyer who sacrificed his career for Islam, while his image has no resemblance to that of a muslim. Since he is playing the role of the Imam, his image must conform to the sunnah of Mohammed(saw). It is Ammar who provides a compromising solution regarding the barrier, one that surprised the audience and appeased both sides of the argument to a certain extent. It is Ammar who quotes from Bukhari as his evidence for his solution, while Baber is never seen quoting anything. This depicts Baber as a conservative Imam without any education
3) Baber is the person who is burdened by a heavy accent, preoccupied by giving khutbas solely about the Kuffar’s evil intentions and Canadian Idol, to the extent that Baber is seen as a extreme Imam. Imam Ammar is eloquent in speech and is seen performing activities a REAL Imam would do – meet with the mayor of the town, have a dialogue with the local pastor and so on. Again, the one with the beard and thob is an absurd crazy muslim, while the clean-shaven western looking Imam is portrayed as an Imam fit for the job. I’m not saying that wearing a shirt and Jeans is deplorable, but the comparison highlighted in the show between the two Imams depicts those who follow the sunnah as absurd individuals.
After watching this show, how will non-muslims view Islamic scholars who have a beard and a cap? This show doesn’t build bridges like Zarqa said, but only produces stereotypes – that a Islamic scholar, or any muslim for that matter, that follows the sunnah of the Prophet(saw) is probably an extremist and is not fit to head any mosque.
Another brilliant thing is the ending. Sure, no Imam ever would give the “ruling” that Amar gave. Sure, no theological or legal analysis was given of the various positions, etc. But that’s missing the point (in my view, and I really don’t mean to offend anyone).
Since the show is a form of dawah, how could it be irrelevant to use the shariah as a form of scriptural guidance for the show? If the show chooses to delve into Islamic rulings, it must therefore, consider Islamic theology. If used in a responsible and intellectual way, exposing the beauty and practicality of Islamic law in everyday life is what would attract non-muslims to Islam. Instead, Zarqa has chosen to abandon this great jewel to substitute it for distasteful humor. This show provided an amazing opportunity to destroy the stereotypes that exist in society today, as well as serve as a form of dawah to attract non-muslims to the truth. Instead, the show has only served to aggravate these stereotypes and make a mockery of the religion. Some may say that the inappropriate jokes are not to be taken seriously. Allah(swt) says in surah taubah:
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّمَا كُنَّا نَخُوضُ وَنَلْعَبُ قُلْ أَبِاللّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ وَرَسُولِهِ كُنتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
If you ask them (about this), they declare: “We were only talking idly and joking.” Say: “Was it at Allah (عز و جل), and His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (SAW) that you were mocking?”
لاَ تَعْتَذِرُواْ قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ إِن نَّعْفُ عَن طَآئِفَةٍ مِّنكُمْ نُعَذِّبْ طَآئِفَةً بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ مُجْرِمِين
Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you because they were Mujrimun (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, criminals, etc.).
9:65-66
Though the jokes may not be directly making fun of Allah’s Messenger (saw), saying jokes that may a mockery of Allah’s religion is something the muslim community should refrain from. Saying that there is 115 surahs in the quran (second episode), and that Prophet Mohammed(saw) never had a telescope from Costco is mocking the religion. I’m not saying you shouldn’t joke at all. But, the jokes must be said in a manner that is both funny and halal.
May Allah(swt) bless the muslims in the West and aid them in their dawah. Anything good that I have stated is from Allah(swt), and anything wrong is from me.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ الْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُون
وَسَلَامٌ عَلَى الْمُرْسَلِينَ
وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين
Fantastic, mashallah. I am however, quite intrigued as to your reference to humor in classic Islamic literature. I look forward to all your posts of course, but that one in particular. No rush though :)
Assalamu alaikum
Jazakallah Khair Dr. Yaser for initiating getting all of this out in the open. While I agree that we shouldn’t label people and call their intentions for doing anything (especially if they are well-known), I too am not a fan of the episode.
I found the show to have jokes of bad taste, and as a Muslim I couldn’t help but feel offended at the jokes of the Deen. I also found it to be poorly written and not too funny at all, as it did not cater to my style of humour and entertainment. With this in mind I probably won’t watch the rest of the show unless it takes a COMPLETELY new direction in its entirety.
However, I do feel that there are 2 ways one can watch the show. The first way is as a casual viewer looking to be entertained, and the second is as someone who is nitpicking, and just looking for any flaws to bring them out.
A good portion of the jokes criticized above, I feel, were seen from a nit-picker’s perspective. I think when we watch the show it should be as objective as possible. If we look for flaws then we will find millions by our own inclinations, even if that was not the purpose of the joke. For example, I found the whole idea of comparing the appearance of Baber and the appearance of Ammaar, comparing the traditional and secular Muslim to be a little farfetched. I always felt that Zarqa was poking fun at Baber’s age and “old school uncle” mentality to be her true objective, not pushing the “Western look” as the progressive Muslim agenda.
This is just a reminder to myself and to the other people, and I don’t mean to offend anyone as we are all entitled to have our opinions. Just try to view it as objectively as possible, and don’t “look” for offensive material, rather if it comes, then we have all rights to speak out against it.
For the future…I sincerely hope that the creators of the show clean up their act to make it more tasteful, more appealing, and actually entertaining. First off, they need to lay off jokes on Islam (it is considered a grave sin to misquote the Qur’aan). Second, it actually has to be funny, which is the main purpose of a sitcom right? If not the present people in charge of the show, then someone else needs to be at the helm insh’Allah.
Just to end with a quote from one of my high school teachers regarding the show. “I watched it, I tried to like it, I wanted to like it, but this just isn’t going to work out.”
Again I didn’t mean to offend anyone, and may Allah help me to understand the situation better.
This is amazing… At first I was thinking how come the post did not generate so much feedback (when I initially read it) but then it did.
I agree with the overall anaylsis of Dr Yaser, but I disagree with a little bit of the overly positive look at the show. I think we should wait for more episodes to unfold. This show has benefits that some people might overlook. Some which were outlined in the post and others maybe in future posts. The show in terms of production and/ or a message will also have some negative sides. It will stir up emotions of people within the Muslim community and some of the laughable moments reinforce sbtly some stereotypes (if not about the community then about certain people within it)
I personally disagree with those who think the show is a bad outreach tool, since it was not designed to be that nor does it fit the “traditional” idea of that, even to the viewers. I agree with Dr Yaser in this. It is a sit com, not a lecture. It also presents the goals of its producers and designerd that are presented by a certain media medium (in this case comedy). We can gree on somethings and disagree on others. No show is meant to be perfect.
What we can do though, I think is use this show as a tool for dialogue. Some of its topics are worth discussion. It can also be used as a starter for discussions with many TV audiences many who I believe would be interested in a positive dialogue or experience that has to do with anything from: minorities, comon problesm within communities, family values, etc.. It can also be a show that will help people come together. Think of youth who can now talk to their friends at school about a show about them, or women who see in Zarqa as someone who is successful who is at the sametime similar to them in her beliefs and values…
Finally although I don’t find the show as brillian as its advocates are promoting, nor is it as terrible as its critics are saying, it still has its laughs and is interesting. Its also unique and a step forward (I hope but it is not flawless of course)
I missed yesterday’s episode so I’m looking forward to Dr. Yaser’s analysis. However, I have to admit that I’m surprised at some of the comments I read above. I find that we, as a community, have a tendency to be overly critical of any representation of Islam in the media. In an ideal situation, ever instance of Islam in the media would satisfy even the most critical of people. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world. Too often, any mention of Islam in the media has tremendously negative connotations. As such, this show is a HUGE step forward in the right direction.
I don’t find the show brilliant by any means but I do feel that it is doing something that no show has done before- it is bringing Muslims in the mainstream culture as normal people, having normal lives! Another point that I think is huge is that for the first time, we have sisters in hijab on TV that are not part of a documentary or a newscast on oppressed women.
I sincerely believe that rather than berating the show amongst ourselves, doubting Zarqa’s intentions or having the range of negative reactions that has sadly become characteristic of our community, we should use this as a springboard for dialouge with our neighbors and friends who are not as familiar with Islam to make it real for them. In that endeavor, we can correct whatever we find wrong in the represenation of Islam but we MUST walk through the door for dialouge that the show has opened for us.
great points Hafsa