I’m not a great soap fan to be honest but like most British Muslims I could probably name many of the characters on EastEnders and Coronation Street, writes Roshan Muhammed Salih.
I’m also familiar with the few Muslim characters who’ve appeared down the years, mostly on EastEnders. Such as Ali Osmon the compulsive gambler. Or adulterous couple Zainab and Massoud Ahmed. Or gay son Syed Ahmed. Or evil uncle Inzamam who pretends to be religious but is really a sexual predator.
All or most of these characters are played by non-Muslims who wouldn’t recognise a prayer mat if it landed on their heads and couldn’t tell the difference between a Sunni and a Shia.
So I guess we should all brace ourselves for all of those Muslim stereotypes to be flogged to death when Coronation Street introduces its very first Muslim family, the Nazirs.
Specifically, we should brace ourselves for the reclusive son who suddenly finds religion and ends up plotting to blow up the Trafford Centre. The pretty Anglicised daughter who’s forced to marry some freshie from back home. The strict dad who beats his wife if she doesn’t serve him roti every night. The downtrodden mum who can’t say boo to a goose. And of course that inevitable old chestnut – shock… horror … the bacon-eating homosexual son.
Oh yeah… and I just can’t wait for those excruciating praying scenes when they get the sujood all wrong and blurt out verses in Mancunian Arabic.
Do some basic research!
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The people who write these soaps and the actors who play the parts can do serious research when they want to – such as when they tackle sensitive storylines such as domestic abuse, rape or alcoholism.
But when it comes to Islam and Muslims they seem to do little research or none, probably relying on Sheikh Google for their information and Osama Bin Laden’s Greatest You Tube Hits for their guidance.
Now many of you will probably be thinking: who cares if Coronation Street has a Muslim family or not?
Well the fact is that Corrie pulls in millions of viewers every night, figures that traditional news bulletins could only dream of. My point being that popular culture is far more influential at forming impressions in the public’s mind than any news package or newspaper article.
Yet many of us are up in arms when we read Melanie Philips writing something negative about Muslims in the Daily Mail (which was probably only read by tens of thousands of people), whereas we say and do nothing when Muslims and Islam are traduced in mass-viewership popular TV programmes.
Even though you may not like to admit that you watch the soaps, we all know that you do. So when you see Islam and Muslims being misrepresented in the most crude and embarrassing way (as you surely will) don’t hesitate to fire off a complaint to the makers of Corrie at the following e-mail address: [email protected].
@RmSalih
