I had read about this series some time ago before it actually aired, but I haven't actually seen any of Sleeper Cell until now. (The series just came out on DVD and so I can watch the whole thing over a weekend) I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it yet. I've gotten through the first two DVDs and I'm taking a break before starting the finale.
Michael Ealy stars as an African-American Muslim FBI agent who is working undercover in a terrorist cell. I think the premise had a lot of promise, and the show is entertaining so far. It has its interesting bits. But to be honest, I'm not totally geeked about the series.
Michael Ealy stars as an African-American Muslim FBI agent who is working undercover in a terrorist cell. I think the premise had a lot of promise, and the show is entertaining so far. It has its interesting bits. But to be honest, I'm not totally geeked about the series.
SPOILERS AHEAD
DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THE SERIES
DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THE SERIES
Simply by virtue of having to tell a story over a long period of time about a small central cast, the writers had to flesh out the Muslim characters and give them different backstories. So it's portrayal of Muslims almost couldn't help but be more humane and realistic than the typical stock terrorist villan which usually populates this type of story. The terrorist cell consists of: A Bosnian who saw his entire family being butchered by Serbs. An ex-skinhead from France who found Islam through his Morroccan wife. A young white American with liberal parents (clearly modelled on John Walker Lindh). The head of the cell is Saudi (Although for most of the series, his background is not specified, and during work hours he passes as a Sephardic Jew. This character is by far the most cartoonish).
In general, most of the Muslim characters are portrayed as deeply conflicted and contradictory in matters of religion. From the very first episode, we see the members of the cell hanging out in strip clubs, drinking. We find that they raise funds by dealing in heroin, child prostitution and pirated DVDs. The French Muslim is married but commits adultery with little restraint (At one point, he has sex with the mother of one of the other terror cell members).
We even see the "good" Muslim FBI agent order (and presumably drink) beer in a bar as a part of an assignment given to him by the terror cell. On top of that (and this takes us into a whole other level of issues) the "good" successful Black Muslim FBI agent also starts a sexual relationship with a white Catholic beautician (a "single" mother who later turns out to be married). We later meet one of his former girlfriends, an African-American women with a successful career in the State Department but we are never told explicitly why their relationship didn't work out.
Another level of contradiction appears when the members of the cell actually kill a genuine mujahid. In fact, pretty much all the pious (non-terrorist, non-drinking, non-fornicating) Muslim characters of any significance (a mainstream Yemeni scholar, a white American who fought to defend Muslims in Bosnia, a young Afghan boy who spent time in Guantanamo) end up dead by the end of whatever episode focuses on them. It makes it seem as if the "subliminal" message behind the series is: Compromise or die.
As I said in the beginning, this is definitely better than most Hollywood portrayals of Muslims (e.g. see Planet of the Arabs). And it is definitely a huge step to have a television series with an African-American Muslim lead character, and with actual Muslims involved both in front of and behind the camera. At the same time, there is definitely room for improvement.
10 comments:
I think it's a good thing that the human flaws of the Muslim characters are "front and center" given that no religion has or can cure all peoples "ills". I think theses flaws does more to humanise Muslims than any "Pius" ones would. Indeed I think in the larger Muslim world I think such "humanity" would serve to undercut the vitrol of some of the more extreme elements within Islam (as should be done in Christianity and Judaism).
I agree that certain flaws can humanize a character. But I wish there was more thought about degree and nuance. A lot of the characters were overdone so instead of humanizing them, some of them were kinda cartoonish (so to speak).
Plus, people already have an intensely negative picture of Muslims in a lot of circles. Many people already believe Muslims are flawed. So that's not something which needs to be emphasized. That would just add to the demonization which is going on.
I think Oz did a MUCH better job of portraying flawed, human Muslims than Sleeper Cell. I would even say that's the best fictional portrayal of Muslims in America on film or tv that I've ever seen.
Salaam 'Alaikum
//I think such "humanity" would serve to undercut the vitrol of some of the more extreme elements within Islam //
I don't think fornication, random acts of violence, and participation in pornography and prostitution show "humanity." Personally, I'm tired of the only "good" TV Mozrabs being the ones who are "bad" by the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him). Even the "good Muslima" in this show shakes hands with guys -- I guess those of us who keep our hands to ourselves are part of the "extreme" then (well, as are most / all women who veil...).
The "foibles" Abdul-Halim mentions (in this show) are in themselves the result of an extremism that has poisoned the Muslim people (there is no extremism in Islam... the extremism is in human beings...). A-H, you will need to do some eye covering in one of the later episodes, when they portray a completely unrealistic (to my mind) incident with two friends of Farik's in a hotel. -UZ
Wa alaikum salaam UZ,
Yes, yes, yes. My thoghts exactly. I've actually rented the whole thing at Blockbuster and saw it over 2-3 days. So I unfortuately know the scene you are talking about.
I think it would have been totally appropriate to show how the terrorists manifested various degrees of hypocrisy but I think the show went too far to the point of not being realistic.
It would have been more compelling if they had been more moderate.
I don't think fornication, random acts of violence, and participation in pornography and prostitution show "humanity."
Well that depends on how you define "humanity". I define humanity in terms that include imperfections that manifest themselves in various means. For example, Fornication is simply intercourse without "someones" blessing. Sexual intercourse itself is quite normal and human and only someone drinking massive amounts of ideological kool-aid would think otherwise. Pornography is normal human behavior caught on filmor drawn. Again it takes the adherence to a specific ideology to deem the artistic expression of such normal human behavoir as "bad.' clearly all societies don't deem such things bad. random acts of violence are things that happen. We agree that such behavior expressed by adults with normal levels of self control is bad but my point is, and is proven the world over, that religion, in and of itself is incapable of stopping certain types of persons from indulging in such behaviour. Hence my comment that by showing that the people in certain religions are "flawed" like everybody else, it deflates the idea that somehow Muslims(or any other group for that matter) are somehow "different" or even "better" than anybody else. In the end that humanization, that normalization is good (IMHO) because it deflates the egos of all involved. when these egos are deflated then humble dialog and acceptance of other people can happen.
And yes, there is extremism in Islam as there is in any proselytizing religion: the idea that you (the practicioner) is right and all other are wrong to some degree. Such ideas are the womb that breeds religious intolerance among other things.
Cheery -o
Do you honestly feel that the typical portrayal of Muslim is so noble and heroic that it needs to be "humanized" by including extreme vices?
//Pornography is normal human behavior caught on filmor drawn. Again it takes the adherence to a specific ideology to deem the artistic expression of such normal human behavoir as "bad.' clearly all societies don't deem such things bad//
Sondjata, the point is that even the "good" Muslims in this show were "bad" by the standards of the Qur'an and Sunnah. I'm not a relativist, and I really don't care if "all societies" agree with what Islam teaches or not. My point is that the American media, and by extension the American people, can not tolerate the "good" Muslim who actually adheres to even the most basic teachings of the religion -- no drinking, praying 5 times, no fornication, and so forth. The "good" Muslims, the "moderate" ones, as defined in fictional things like this or in the "non fiction" newspaper articles and television specials are the ones who more closely adhere to a secularist, liberal lifestyle, where "Muslim" becomes a socio-political / ethnic identity. We have seen the "good" and "bad" so-and-so imagery being played out with media images of Africans / African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Jews, and others. I would think that as a Muslim I'm allowed to air my two cents about the "good" and "bad" Mozrab.-- UZ
//And yes, there is extremism in Islam as there is in any proselytizing religion: the idea that you (the practicioner) is right and all other are wrong to some degree. Such ideas are the womb that breeds religious intolerance among other things.//
Oh please. Everyone has these ideas. the liberal thinks he or she is right and everyone else is wrong. So does the conservative. So does the advocate of free-trade or the advocate of socialism or whateverism. Everyone's an extremist, even you.
//Hence my comment that by showing that the people in certain religions are "flawed" like everybody else, it deflates the idea that somehow Muslims(or any other group for that matter) are somehow "different" or even "better" than anybody else. In the end that humanization, that normalization is good (IMHO) because it deflates the egos of all involved. when these egos are deflated then humble dialog and acceptance of other people can happen.//
Sondjata, are you Muslim? I'm only asking b/c I don't think you are, and if you're not, then you can't really speak for the Muslim identity. And if you are, I'm just curious as to why on earth you would think this "real" portrayal is praiseworthy since every Muslim in this country (and outside of it) knows that it is always the deeply flawed Muslim who gets the screen time (see Planet of the Arabs for an example, or Not Without My Daughter).
This isn't about "deflating" the egos of Muslim viewers. It's about titillation (necessary for those premium cable shows -- they don't go far without excessive drug use or sexuality being portrayed). It's about non-Muslim ideas of who the "good" Muslim is, and it's about joining in the demonization of Muslims who happen to be devout, conservative, even "fundamentalist" (whatever that is).
My daughter isn't even a teenager yet, and she's known for years, just from her own eyes and ears, that she should never expect to see her reality reflected in the American media (not as a "good" Muslima and likely not as a Latina, but that's another kettle o' fish). Of course, now we get into the idea of whether or not Muslims (or anyone) should rely on the media for positive imagery for children and / or themselves and how much it matters and I really hate taking other people's threads off topic. So sorry for the multiple comments!!! -- UmmZaid
You don't need to apologize for the comments... especially if you are so on target. That's what the comment section is there for.
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