J → Osama bin everywhere!: layali

layali

J → Osama bin everywhere!

Sep 22, 2008 12:36

I've just watched this fantastic short documentary on channel 4 (Britain / Channel 4 does produce amazing documentaries and daytime telly, thank you very much). A British, Pakistani female doctor who is also a Muslim travels around the world to seek out Osamas and find out what they love. They share a name and a religion, but she was there to see what else they shared and had in common, and more importantly their differences. She started this project with her film director friend after, and in response to, the London tube bombings.

The documentary itself is even better than the project (which is videos of Osamas introducing themselves and what they love), because you get to see a little bit of what life and society is like for that person and in that country. She discusses topics such as Sharia law courts in Nigeria, the influence of western culture and how it worries our parents, what it's like living in countries where suicide and terrorist bombings are a weekly occurrence. She shows how for Muslims, the everyday, normal things that are econd nature to them has been politicised by everyone. Muslims now have to explain themselves, pacify others with explanations and battle against stereotyping. She shows that there's a prevalent western image of 'the Muslim world', but in reality they are not united by their common religion and cannot be branded as one entity, by highlighting all of the different things that each Osama loves. Every Muslim's country, culture and interests is just as important and defining as their religion. Also addressed is the topic of the identity of western Muslims as teenagers, such as the influence of western dress, music and culture. However, the generation gap is not one just seen in the west.

I love this project. It shows that Muslims are the main victims of terrorism. Long before planes flew into New York and tubes blasted open, bombings were the norm in Middle Eastern and Asian countries. It shows that they move on with life,
and keep on fighting instead of dwelling on it (*cough* NEW YORKERS/Americans *cough*), an event that actually killed fewer people than natural diseases, dirty water, famine, starvation, road accidents and so on. It provides perspective, which I think every non-Muslim westerner severely needs and the sooner the better! She shows that British people are amazing people and that they do not compromise their identity for religion or for nation - one does not and should not have to choose.

Most importantly, you see the characters and personalities of the people involved, and it really does make you smile as you watch it. I can't get the videos to work on here, so I've just linked them.

- Osama the Shopkeeper

- Osama the Electrician
♥ This one was like a rush of nostalgia! Farrah and Masood were in Egypt at the same time as I was. There was a BIG final match akin to the Euro/World Cup with El Ahly vs. Zamalek (we support El Ahly, who won!), the two biggest rival teams. It was surreal to watch them in the documentary as they were watching it, as well as seeing everyone going nuts in the street with cheers! The whole city stopped to a stand still as everyone gathered on the streets, at the coffee shop (it was almost like being at the cinema) and in living rooms to watch this match.