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| The Apprentice 2010 Candidates |
My favourite so far is Stella English, because she reminds me so much of myself, I hope she does really well
For those in the UK, The Apprentice starts on Wed 6th October, 9pm, BBC1
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Saturday, 2 October 2010
I cannot wait for...
This:
I love this show! click here to watch the auditions, which I have watched too many times already! For those not familiar with the show, it involves 16 contestants battling it out for a top six-figure job with Lord Sugar. It's also a reality show as they all live in a house together. Lord Sugar famously eliminates candidates with the line "you're fired", and to the winner says, "you're hired."
My favourite so far is Stella English, because she reminds me so much of myself, I hope she does really well
For those in the UK, The Apprentice starts on Wed 6th October, 9pm, BBC1
My favourite so far is Stella English, because she reminds me so much of myself, I hope she does really well
For those in the UK, The Apprentice starts on Wed 6th October, 9pm, BBC1
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Four lions
"Four Lions" is a UK produced film written by Sundance Film Festival which is now out on DVD. This is the plot line taken from IMDB:
In a British city, four men have a secret plan. Omar (Riz Ahmed) is disillusioned about the treatment of Muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier. This is the most exciting idea Waj (Kayvan Novak) has ever heard. Better still it's a no brainer because Omar does his thinking for him. Opposed to Omar and everyone else on earth is the white Islamic convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay). He'd realize he joined the cell to channel his nihilism - If he had half the self knowledge of a duck. Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) is the odd man out. He can make a bomb - but he can't blow himself up just now coz his sick dad has "started eating newspaper". Instead he's training crows to fly bombs through windows. This is what Omar has to deal with. They must strike a decisive blow on their own turf but can any of them strike a match without punching himself in the face?
So basically it's about 4 asian guys who are kinda dumb but are planning to blow something up .... for whatever reason that might be.
The title is a pun of the "three lions" that appear on the England football emblem:
This is the trailer:
I didn't watch this film nor am I planning to. Although it's production is by non-Muslims, they proclaim it is not meant to be an attack on Islam. An I believe them. But the problem is that many young British muslims flocked to the Cinemas soon after its release to watch the film. And many people I know repeatedly watched it and have now purchased the DVD.
From the producer's point of view, the film is meant to be an insight into a "terrorist's" life and get the message across that they are just "normal" guys.. with a hidden agenda. The fundamental problem with this is that it desensitizes the idea of a terrorist. It shows Muslims and non-Muslims alike that they could be somebody you know, someone "normal" and makes the general public paranoid and suspicious of Muslims they know.
The idea of someone planning to take someone's life, innocent or not, should not be mocked. It is completely wrong, it goes against humanity and moreover, it goes against Islam. The Quran says :
"Fight against those who fight against you." i.e. if someone starts a war on you, don't just sit there you defend yourself. That is in the literal sense of a physical war against you. And it also says fight against them in the same way that the fight you. Islam is a fair religion, and Allah is the knower of all things, the wise.
Another problem with this movie is the ending. They do manage to blow something up and in the end it's the practicing, religious brother of Waj who gets caught and sent down for the bombing. He also happens to have a beard. This sends the message out that if you practice your faith, you will be labelled as a terrorist. But if you are one of those "normal" guys, no-one will suspect you, even the Police won't think you did it.
And this is the stereotype that most Muslims are screaming to get away from. The word Islam itself means peace and submission (to God), but thanks to a few misguided Muslims, all of us are being branded as "terrorists." And this film didn't exactly help to remove that stereotype. I'm not judging those who went to watch it, but I think sometimes the youth of today just need to think about the underlying messages the media are feeding us and think about the impact of this on the Ummah as a whole. Instead of flocking to watch it, we should have protested and stopped its release. I know it's too late now, but I haven't seen a single FB page or whatever condemning the film- quite the contrary.
I understand the film is meant to be funny- but I'm not laughing.
In a British city, four men have a secret plan. Omar (Riz Ahmed) is disillusioned about the treatment of Muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier. This is the most exciting idea Waj (Kayvan Novak) has ever heard. Better still it's a no brainer because Omar does his thinking for him. Opposed to Omar and everyone else on earth is the white Islamic convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay). He'd realize he joined the cell to channel his nihilism - If he had half the self knowledge of a duck. Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) is the odd man out. He can make a bomb - but he can't blow himself up just now coz his sick dad has "started eating newspaper". Instead he's training crows to fly bombs through windows. This is what Omar has to deal with. They must strike a decisive blow on their own turf but can any of them strike a match without punching himself in the face?
So basically it's about 4 asian guys who are kinda dumb but are planning to blow something up .... for whatever reason that might be.
The title is a pun of the "three lions" that appear on the England football emblem:
This is the trailer:
I didn't watch this film nor am I planning to. Although it's production is by non-Muslims, they proclaim it is not meant to be an attack on Islam. An I believe them. But the problem is that many young British muslims flocked to the Cinemas soon after its release to watch the film. And many people I know repeatedly watched it and have now purchased the DVD.
From the producer's point of view, the film is meant to be an insight into a "terrorist's" life and get the message across that they are just "normal" guys.. with a hidden agenda. The fundamental problem with this is that it desensitizes the idea of a terrorist. It shows Muslims and non-Muslims alike that they could be somebody you know, someone "normal" and makes the general public paranoid and suspicious of Muslims they know.
The idea of someone planning to take someone's life, innocent or not, should not be mocked. It is completely wrong, it goes against humanity and moreover, it goes against Islam. The Quran says :
"Fight against those who fight against you." i.e. if someone starts a war on you, don't just sit there you defend yourself. That is in the literal sense of a physical war against you. And it also says fight against them in the same way that the fight you. Islam is a fair religion, and Allah is the knower of all things, the wise.
Another problem with this movie is the ending. They do manage to blow something up and in the end it's the practicing, religious brother of Waj who gets caught and sent down for the bombing. He also happens to have a beard. This sends the message out that if you practice your faith, you will be labelled as a terrorist. But if you are one of those "normal" guys, no-one will suspect you, even the Police won't think you did it.
And this is the stereotype that most Muslims are screaming to get away from. The word Islam itself means peace and submission (to God), but thanks to a few misguided Muslims, all of us are being branded as "terrorists." And this film didn't exactly help to remove that stereotype. I'm not judging those who went to watch it, but I think sometimes the youth of today just need to think about the underlying messages the media are feeding us and think about the impact of this on the Ummah as a whole. Instead of flocking to watch it, we should have protested and stopped its release. I know it's too late now, but I haven't seen a single FB page or whatever condemning the film- quite the contrary.
I understand the film is meant to be funny- but I'm not laughing.
Friday, 27 August 2010
2 programmes and one film!
Mother says I watch too much TV. I beg to differ (naturally.) So here are two recent programmes and one short film I've watched recently that I need to share.
1) "Middle Eastenders"
For those of you that don't know, Eastenders is a long-running British soap set in the East End of London, hence the name. This programme, Middle Eastenders documents the history of the East London Mosque. It includes why it was built, how long it took and the plight of the owners to make the mosque how they wanted. I found it really interesting as it casts a light on those Muslims who migrated from the Hindo-Pak subcontinent during the 20th Century, and how hard it actually was for them to practise Islam once they got here.
(click here to watch it)
2) Dispatches: When cousins marry
This programme was on channel 4 on Monday and it was eagerly-awaited (on my part anyway) after watching some trailers. The reporter went round to families who have suffered the consequences first-hand of cousin marriages. Such families have children with debilitating conditions with progressively worsen. Genetic studies have found a link between cousin marriages and genetic conditions. Cousin marriages are a tradition for many "Asian" Muslims in Britian, and the frequency of such marriages has increased. Although Islam neither forbids nor encourages cousin marriages, I think an attitude change is needed and people need to be educated about the risks. It's going to take religious leaders and community Elders to actually tell the people, as government campaigns wont work, due to the risk of stigmatising people.
Anyway, click here to watch it
3) Ummah Films: "Doctor Director"
This is so funny, and it barely needs an introduction as Baba Ali's ummah films are pretty famous. Although Ive no experience of this, it's a real situation many young Muslims face. It isnt entirely convincing as the daughter looks Pakistani and the parens are Arab!! and the dad is reading an Urdu newspaper- LOL, but it's a good watch despite that.
Click here to watch it or watch it below:
1) "Middle Eastenders"
For those of you that don't know, Eastenders is a long-running British soap set in the East End of London, hence the name. This programme, Middle Eastenders documents the history of the East London Mosque. It includes why it was built, how long it took and the plight of the owners to make the mosque how they wanted. I found it really interesting as it casts a light on those Muslims who migrated from the Hindo-Pak subcontinent during the 20th Century, and how hard it actually was for them to practise Islam once they got here.
(click here to watch it)
2) Dispatches: When cousins marry
This programme was on channel 4 on Monday and it was eagerly-awaited (on my part anyway) after watching some trailers. The reporter went round to families who have suffered the consequences first-hand of cousin marriages. Such families have children with debilitating conditions with progressively worsen. Genetic studies have found a link between cousin marriages and genetic conditions. Cousin marriages are a tradition for many "Asian" Muslims in Britian, and the frequency of such marriages has increased. Although Islam neither forbids nor encourages cousin marriages, I think an attitude change is needed and people need to be educated about the risks. It's going to take religious leaders and community Elders to actually tell the people, as government campaigns wont work, due to the risk of stigmatising people.
Anyway, click here to watch it
3) Ummah Films: "Doctor Director"
This is so funny, and it barely needs an introduction as Baba Ali's ummah films are pretty famous. Although Ive no experience of this, it's a real situation many young Muslims face. It isnt entirely convincing as the daughter looks Pakistani and the parens are Arab!! and the dad is reading an Urdu newspaper- LOL, but it's a good watch despite that.
Click here to watch it or watch it below:
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