Yasmin: Attitudes and Beliefs, Essay Example

For many years, British citizens placed significant faith in the Muslim population and their actions. However, after the cold and calculating attacks by members of Al Qaeda on United States soil on September 11, 2001, new challenges arose that demonstrated a new set of attitudes and beliefs towards this culture and its people. It is believed that for those living in Great Britain after September 11 that are of the Muslim culture, the years after this tragedy remain difficult throughout the country. These persons often find themselves being persecuted for their beliefs and their association to Al Qaeda members, even if they are innocent parties with no involvement with this deadly group.  Therefore, there are many problems associated with the perceptions that the British hold in regards to the Muslim culture and faith post-September 11. The film Yasmin represents these ideals and expectations in important ways, and demonstrates the importance of how these perceptions and beliefs influence society and culture in different ways. The following discussion will address this film and its purpose in conveying how the Muslim culture is received by society in Great Britain after September 11.

The film Yasmin is a unique depiction of the challenges that are conveyed in the eyes of the citizens of Great Britain living in a post-September 11 society. These elements are critical in shaping the environment and in supporting the outcomes that Muslims face in daily society. The primary story is as follows: “Yasmin…works for some sort of charity or social services. She is in an arranged marriage with Faysal…and Nasir…is a devoted but restrictive father. Her family lives through the attitudes to non-White Britons and to the changes wrought by 9/11” (Dilks). Therefore, the story is grounded in a realistic set of circumstances that are based upon the challenges of supporting Muslims that are innocent, yet they are perceived otherwise as a result of their cultural status (Dilks). In this context, it is important to convey a greater understanding of the roles of Muslims in a society where they are viewed in a negative light, and how these challenges are evident in supporting the needs and expectations of society as a whole (Dilks). The film is a difficult portrayal of innocence caught in the crossfire of a much bigger enemy, terrorism, and how it continues to plague different societies throughout the world in very important ways (Dilks).

Since the Muslim population is common throughout Great Britain, it is not surprising that there are significant factors contribute to the difficulties that they face in conducting their lives effectively and without harm. The film makes an effort to represent these ideals and expectations in the context of how they interfere with making sound judgment regarding cultures. However, it is very difficult not to make assumptions and to accept stereotypes regarding groups that are generally viewed as an ongoing threat to society, even if the majority of the group’s members are not a true threat of any kind. This is a difficult set of circumstances to face, and therefore, it feeds into many existing stereotypes regarding this culture and how they respond to other members of society in a resentful and negative light. The elements of these stereotypes continue to plague society in different ways, and they capture the essence of how members of Great Britain society observe their peers.

After the September 11 attacks, many members of Great Britain society sought to convey their own ideas and expectations regarding Muslims. Many formed their own preconceived notions regarding members of this culture, even if it was clear that they were innocent parties. In addition, the film depicts the following: “The British police started harassing the Muslims and Yasmin was no exception. The friends turned into foes and the white boy friend did not have any clue to support whom. One day, Yasmin’s residence was raided and her husband was arrested. This pushed Yasmin to the edge of full identity crises and she frequently found Bin Laden’s name written on her locker and enquiries in the office where she works” (Gani). From this perspective, it is known that there were significant factors that contributed to the problems that Muslim men, women and children faced in Great Britain, and how they suffered at the expense of those persons that were fearful of them and what they might do. Therefore, this set of circumstances was particularly difficult to manage in the context of other problems that the Muslim culture faced throughout society (Gani). In general, there was a significant degree of animosity and a lack of support for the problems that most Muslims faced in Great Britain, particularly early on after September 11.

The film also represents many other factors to consider in regards to how society currently views the Muslim culture after the September 11 attacks. It is particularly relevant to note that the character of Yasmin faces a considerable internal strife as she strives to overcome the discrimination that she faces in a society where she is essentially hated as a result of her culture and her physical appearance. This is a difficult premise to accept for any individual, but in the sense that Yasmin’s character is not that different from that of her neighbor, as she also finds the September 11 attacks and the terrorist regime to be equally horrifying for obvious reasons. In this context, “Come the television tragedy, the jibes are cranked up a level, from her co-workers leaving ‘Yas loves Osama’ on Yasmin’s locker to an armed police raid on her house merely because her husband has made extended calls back home to Pakistan. Within this snarl Yasmin finds faith and addresses the balance of her life to more Muslim principles: the calamity being her avenue to this stage not the outcome, and the nauseating recognition that the world Yasmin inhabits is our own” (Sneersnipe Film Review). This is a difficult premise to consider, yet it provides an approach that is grounded in the belief in some circles that all Muslims are terrorists, even though this is not the case, and that other challenges play an important role in shaping the environment in which Yasmin and others like her lived, breathed, and worked (Sneersnipe Film Review). This is a difficult perspective to accept when it is clear that there are important members of society that are innocent in reality, but guilty by association, and this is a very difficult concept to recognize unless one is on the outside. This is also an important perspective to consider because it provides a greater understanding of the issues that members of the Muslim culture faced in their ability to exercise strength and support for a variety of concerns and circumstances.

The film, although produced in 2004, remains highly relevant in 2010, because there are many members of society in Great Britain and throughout the world that have not altered their views regarding the Muslim culture and how it has influenced new generations of society in shaping their own perspectives. It is very difficult not to remember what September 11 means to many people throughout the world, and how it is a significant reminder of the evil that permeates in all areas of the world and in different societies. These elements represent new challenges for society to manage in terms of how they view Muslims, and whether or not they remain fearful of this culture and its people because of their association with terrorism in different ways. There is an ever-increasing relevance involved in how Muslims are observed and treated throughout society, and the film serves as a very visible reminder of the problems that Muslims face in their efforts to develop and to maintain a positive place in the locations in which they reside.

Since Great Britain is a complex nation with a very diversity membership in society, it is not surprising that Muslims are present and accounted for, residing as full-fledged members of this group. However, after September 11, many people that once embraced Muslims with open arms in Great Britain held new views and perspectives regarding these once supported members of society. Therefore, as the film demonstrates, members of Muslim society have been feared and ridiculed by other groups because of their mere presence in many areas. These influences are fueled by many different factors, and they continue to alienate members of the Muslim population as a direct result of their cultural status. The film “explores the cultural dilemmas of Muslims in post-9/11 Britain: the film’s younger Asian characters are tempted by western society with all its secular joys and perils but, because of rising Islamophobia, are pushed from that milieu into the comforting world of traditional Islamic society or, frighteningly, fundamentalist terror” (Jeffries, 2005). In this context, the film represents the belief that the majority, if not all members of the Muslim faith, are terrorists deep down, even if they do not represent any of the qualities of this extremist group in any way (Jeffries, 2005). This is an important consideration to make that facilitates the majority of stereotypes regarding Muslims in modern society, and also demonstrates that as a result of these stereotypes, members of these groups are ridiculed and challenged in their daily lives to levels that are unacceptable and unnecessary (Jeffries, 2005). Therefore, the Muslim culture remains a challenge to accept from the likes of popular culture and other areas throughout society. Therefore, the film takes a serious stance regarding the many assumptions that have been made regarding the Muslim faith and culture in Great Britain. These elements are active contributors to the ability of this culture to achieve any degree of success or recognition for their efforts in society, and rather, tend to experience problems and challenges that are difficult to ignore from many perspectives.

The film Yasmin represents the challenges that members of the Muslim culture faced in their efforts to act as contributing members of society after the September 11 attacks. At this point in time, the world seemed to stop, and after people truly recognized the significance of these events, they turned much of their attention and anger towards the Muslims in their own societies, particularly in Great Britain. These efforts provided a series of challenging circumstances for Muslims, as they faced considerable problems in their lives as a result of negative stereotypes and assumptions. Therefore, it is believed that members of Great Britain society experienced much hatred and animosity towards this group, thereby leaving innocent Muslims in a difficult place. The film captures many of these elements in great detail, and emphasizes the importance of how society has changed as a whole in response to terrorism and events that have taken place from September 11 forward, in Great Britain and beyond. These characteristics capture the importance of society and its people in important and meaningful ways.

Works Cited

Dilks, R. Yasmin. “Yasmin.” Close-Up Film. Close-Up Film, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Jeffries, Stuart. “Coming to a small screen near you.” Guardian. Guardian, 13 Jan. 2005. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Gani, Martin. “Yasmin.” Shvoong. Shvoong, 15 Jul. 2005. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Sneersnipe Film Review. “Yasmin.” N.p., n.d. 29 Nov. 201.