Pyschological Warfare or an Innocent Film?
Is the new two-part series BRITZ a new tactic to remind viewers that the terrorist threat is very real while we go about our lives thinking otherwise? The BRITZ shows a young Asian Muslim man who joins the MI5 (intelligence service) and helps track down British Muslim terrorists.
Is this drama part of a psychological warfare to threaten and frighten Muslims to believe that they are being watched every single second of the day? I think so. And I believe it is also a tactic to scare the British public that the terrorist threat is something the MI5 have to tackle daily. It makes one suspect that their neighbours could be terrorists, or their colleagues at work. Any group of men having fun at a paint-ball park will also be suspects; perhaps they are training to be terrorists. Every Muslim is a suspect.
I admit that I hold the same values of Sohail, the lead character, in that I honour being a Western, whether that is as an American or British or Australian. I am proud to be a part of this country. It sheltered me, it gave me opportunities that I probably would not have received back home. And I would proudly stand up for it if anyone decided to treat it the wrong way. And I have defended it many times back in Egypt, though I may not agree with the foreign policies of the Western world, like many American and British people.
But I feel as if the film is forcing me to choose between the country I was born in or my faith. The slogan for this two-part drama, which continues tomorrow, is “Whose side will you choose?”. The two sides shown is the intelligence service and the terrorists. To be honest, I don’t want to be part of either. Is that fair? I want to live my life peacefully without these creepy, scary, conspiracies. I don’t want to believe that the government has our telephone/mobile/houses tapped, because that would mean I’m not trusted just because I’m a Muslim. I want to believe that only people who act suspiciously in terms of involving themselves in activities that may lead to terrorism deserve to be bugged, for the safety of the country and its people. I don’t want to believe that innocent Muslims are under surveillance just because they are Muslims, because that would be unfair; there are plenty of innocent Muslims who are against terrorism, including me.
I think if someone doesn’t like the West, then they should go home. They should not live in this country. And if I found someone who was like that I would inform the intelligence services straight away, because these people hold no faith or morals; they are killers who would kill you and your family if you so happened to be on the train the day they decided to carry out their heinous attacks.
The intelligence man in the film said something interesting, as to why these young men become jihadis. Because they feel guilty from their lives in the West, what with all the privileges they have, so they resent it because it is these countries that are waging wars against the Muslim world. They have some sort of identity crises, not knowing where exactly to belong. And so they join groups of people who hold the same ideologies they do, to feel like they belong to a larger group of people. That is the basic human need- to feel that one belongs, and this is how they do it.
But I believe you can be with the people who are against the politics of the country and are also against the terrorists. There is a middle ground. And you don’t have to sell your soul to the intelligence services to be a faithful citizen of the country you reside in.
I write this not knowing what the future holds for innocent Muslims in the West. Are we responsible for these terrorists turning out to be what they are? Could we do something to stop these groups forming? Are moderate Muslims doing enough? Do we have to forget about our Muslim identity in order to stop terrorism as what the film tries to portray with Sohail drinking and having sexual relations with an English woman?
Can’t Western people see that I can be a faithful Muslim and at the same time a faithful Westerner? That I can take the good things from Western society and be proud of it and at the same time be proud of being a Muslim, both not conflicting with each other but both helping me be a better person?
That I can pray, fast, wear the Hijab and attend Islamic lectures and at the same time protect the Western country I was born in from any harm, even if that means from people who claim to be Muslims?
That there is a middle ground we can choose, if only they let us. These psychological warfare tactics may be seen as to pressurise us to abandon our religion in order to not be terrorists. If that is so, then I want to be comfortable in practicing my religion and not be called a political-activist-soon-to-be-terrorist. What does a Muslim have to do to prove their loyalty to the country they are living in? Why it is only Muslims that are being shown as terrorists? There are so many more terrorists out there that are bound to be getting up to no good also, right?
Whatever the answers, however you feel after watching this thrilling, psychologically disturbing drama, the second and final part continues tomorrow, and so does the psychological warfare. I’m just afraid that this will escalate the already escalating paranoia that Britain and America is going through. Whenever people start to forget and go on about their daily lives normally, the media just has to remind them, like salt rubbed on a wound.
assalam alaykum unique,
well said! i agree with you completely. i honestly raised the same questions and concerns to my self and wondered really where is this all heading? and it’s so true… just when we thought that things are okay, the media has to remind us AGAIN.
a few things i thought id share:
i think one of the tactics used in part 1 to scare people was that m5 didnt know that things were always going on. like in the end, just before nasima was about to do something, sohail’s english collegue was confident that everything was over, but wasn’t that poor intelligence? this again scares the public that mi5 arent doing enough. just like that bit when he asked his brunette collegue when did the surveillance end and she said “the day before yesterday”.
also, i think this makes people get scared and worried about being around any asian/muslim person, whether practicing or not. nasima is an example of this. she didn’t look practicing although she cared about muslim affairs, she even had a non-muslim boyfriend! but she turns out to be the radical one…
anyway, i hope my post is clear inshallah, im writing this in a rush because baby is just messing everything here lol. take care ukhti, i hope to see your review for tomorrow’s continuation inshallah:)
shurooq
November 1, 2007 at 3:58 am
Salam waleykum!
I agree with Shurooq; very well-put! Shows like this pretend to fly the banners of “dialogue” and “open-mindedness,” when in reality all they do is create friction and more misunderstanding for the Muslim community.
Zeynab
November 1, 2007 at 4:25 am
Shurooq, thank you! very good points you raised, very clear indeed
God help us is all I can say, I hope there is no backlash on the Muslim communities in the West after this.
Zeynab, thank you! You have a point there, it is going to create more friction I’m afraid
Unique Muslimah
November 1, 2007 at 10:13 am
assalam alaykum,
i also wanted to add that i genuinely believe that we can be both law-abiding citizines and faithful muslims in the same time. sometimes i think we’re more faithful citizens than native brits, in the sense that as muslims were obliged to keep our contracts, not lie or distort facts, not steal etc. we know that a lot of british people do this all the time and still claim to be faithful to their country. it is common sense, that if we know of a muslim who has plans to bomb a supermarket tomorrow, that we must report him/her immediately. muslims are here for the betterment of mankind, both muslim and non-muslim inshallah.
shurooq
November 1, 2007 at 10:45 am
Hiya Unique!
Ishtaq ilaiki! MMMMmmmmmmuah!!!
Souhayla
November 1, 2007 at 3:04 pm
I thought the drama was quite good – although it did have the underlying message of “your religion” or “your country” but that option is something that people themselves have restricted themselves too. No-one’s ever said “you’re either British or Muslim pick which one” – and prove how you are by a) joining intelligence services or b) by blowing yourself up. This is how we think “loyalty” can be proven – which it can’t. You are absolutely right Unique – you can be oppossed to suicide bombings and still be Muslim. But how do you convey that? How does anyone convey that? It can only be achieved through dialogue with other Muslims and non-Muslims. Sometimes we cry about being stereotyped but we ourselves don’t do much to banish them.
I doubt people have made to feel they have to choose between being Muslim or British, because in all my life I never have been made to feel like that. Yes you experience racism, but do you begin to view every non-Asian person as a potential racist? You get sexist remarks – but you don’t view all men as pigs. You get some warped Muslims but you don’t view all Muslims as backwards..and on and on the list goes. So where people get this impression of having to define and categorise themselves or else their entire life and they cease to exist from I dont know but some do have this attitude – and this is what the drama plays on.
Sumera
November 1, 2007 at 4:01 pm
[...] Discussion on this drama going on over at Unique’s blog too [...]
Britz « Inner Reflections Transcribed
November 1, 2007 at 4:04 pm
I do understand the concern regarding fuelling paranoia and “reviving dead concerns” but the paranoia has never faded, nor have concerns died because there’s no media coverage on it for the moment.
It might however give the uneducated masses something to feed on. They do view the telly and its programming and messages as Gospel!
We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Sumera
November 1, 2007 at 4:11 pm
[...] Muslimah wonders whether the production is “pyschological warfare or an innocent film?” Is this drama part of a psychological warfare to threaten and frighten Muslims to believe [...]
Ijtema » Britz: Reviews & Reactions
November 1, 2007 at 4:18 pm
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Editor @ IJTEMA
November 1, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Salaam Alaikum,
I did I post on this too (Sorry I don’t know how to do the link comment thing). I really wasn’t impressed, but I’ll be watching part two tonight.
safiya
November 1, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I haven’t watched it but I can understand your comments. It is a bit odd really when ‘humane Muslims’ are portrayed as ones who drink and have sex. I remember the movie ‘Sabah’ and the woman tranforms overnight into this daring, brave soul because her love teaches her to drink and be merry. Eventually she sleeps with him which is the climax of the film and epitome of her liberation!
Achelois
November 1, 2007 at 9:34 pm
shruooq, that’s exactly what I tried to say in the post, I can be faithful to both. I don’t need to be like sohail and drink and have sex to be a loyal citizen. God help us sis.
Souhayla, where have you been!!! Missed you wallahi, email me!
Sumera, so many questions that even I don’t know the answers to! This is my worry, that it will be giving the uneducated masses to feed on. I’m watching the news to see what happens, what is going to be the effect of this drama? Like you said, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Thank you Ijtema!
Safiya, I read your post and it’s interesting how we have similiar thoughts after watching
Achelois, it is odd! I really dislike this portrayal. I can be both a faithful muslim and a faithful citizen of the country I’m living in. I think you will be able to watch it again if you have digital TV, or you can buy it on dvd online.
Unique Muslimah
November 1, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Silent-Rant Says:
November 1st, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Salams UM! Always love your blogs – I agree 80% with everything you say. Last night, I decided to watch it with a blank canvas for a mind and prepared myself for the stereotypical view many have of us, but I found myself somehow agreeing with a lot that they had to say. In a way I felt drawn (in parts) to Sohail’s character who did initially fight the Muslim corner by talking about foreign policies and oil as two main factors for the War against the West – both points that have been repeatedly denied by our former PM.
As you say I don’t want to take sides (they’re both as bad as each other if you ask me). but at the same time I think programmes such as these do send a positive message about British Muslims to an extent – I think however, the real decider for me will be the concluding part tonight.
I also wrote a review – so please check that out when you get the chance x
Silent-Rant
November 1, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Silent Rant, I moved your comment here (it was in the guilty for being a woman post). I also agreed with a lot they had to say and what Sohail believed in, but like the questions I asked in the post, what is the future for british muslims- are we all classed as terrorists?
I’ll read your review definetly!
Unique Muslimah
November 1, 2007 at 10:35 pm
don’t you live in egypt now? how did you watch this?
where do you live exactly!!! it’s all a amystery.
just watched the second part and as a drama it was really disappoitning.
i also didn’t see the point of the film, you know? i mean what were they trying to achieve?i think it was supposed to be an understanding of how british muslims are feling, but this post and comments show that they are so innacurate!
hema
November 2, 2007 at 2:56 am
I liked your point of view.
Btw,
Another point about the movie, is showing an “asian” man as a muslim. But there are many “absolute” western converted muslims also, who origin of their ancestors, is not from Asian or African or Arab muslim countries. But they are absolutely Europian or American..
How about them so?
Do they want to show that muslims can not be also an original westerner?
Do they want to show that if a westerner converts to Islam, he/she will be sorted out his/her origin and will not be known as an original westrener?
Shahrzad
November 2, 2007 at 2:58 am
What is worrying is that this is going to create more paranoia from the public and it shows that the MI5 didn’t know what was going on in the end- another bombing happened while they were totally sure that they had everything coverered
Unique Muslimah
November 2, 2007 at 11:56 am
Not just in the west, but also in Asian countries the word “terrorist” has become synonymous with “Muslim”. The media community should realise the hold they have on the public- how they can sway them to believe in a particular thought.These are difficult times to be a Muslim. May Allah give us all the strength to make the right choices.
Ayesha
November 2, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Ayesha, you’re right. Even in “Muslim” countries they are quite hard on muslims who are religious because they worry that they are would-be-terrorists. But what this show is trying to show is that you don’t have to be a religious person to be a terrorist. It can be about politics or personal revenge because of the way police/governmental law is treating you- pushing you to the edge.
Unique Muslimah
November 2, 2007 at 9:46 pm