Sunday 6 January 2013

Critical Investigation: Task 6

Quote: "No one is as murderously 'Islamophobic' as Islamists are.Nick Cohen (The Observer)
"I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace." Muhammad Ali 
In what ways does "Citizen Khan" reinforce Islamphobia?
Introduction

As Citizen Khan was watched throughout the summer, it had the most negative welcome on television as the audience had knocked it down on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter which had caused a big controversy for the writer, Adil Ray in reality and cyber reality. Discussed in the Guardian, "Was Citizen Khan written in 1972? The Pakistani stereotypes are just painful", many people had argued that it had portrayed many negative stereotype of Islam as a whole. It had created a moral panic in today society as the actual meaning was being changed “A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interest; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media...” and the audience started interpreted that not all Muslims are terrorists or linked to any terrorism at all; As Citizen Khan shows a Muslims nuclear family living a normal life. The sitcom was also investigated by OFCOM 

Citizen Khan had been broadcast by a well known institution  BBC is funded by the government through the license fee which is paid by the public, the mission statement of BBC is to INFORM, EDUCATE and ENTERTAIN with all their programs as 'Citizen Khan' does that by informing the public about the Muslim culture, educating them by teaching them the norms and values of life and entertaining them by introducing a bit of humour in the day to day life of the characters.


The certain audience that will be viewing citizen khan are typical C1 & C2 demographics as they may be working class people trying to relate to a family in which they can identify with linking it to citizen khan viewers to the Stuart halls theory, 'The spectacle of the "other"''the other is way that Muslims are represented in the media since 9/11 due to many films such as 'The Agency' replicating Osama Bin Laden as the meaning of 'other' is replicating Muslims terrorist to aliens as they are outsider from different countries as before the 9/11 the 'other' was the IRA ( Irish terrorist), The film 'The Agency' replicates terrorism. The audience theory closely link to 'Citizen Khan' is the Uses & Gratification discussed by Blulmer and Katz, diversion as the audience may want to escape their normal life, personal relationships may be also portrayed through citizen khan such as Family, husband & wife and community, Personal Identity with others as the audience may see themselves reflected in the texts and another is surveillance which doesn't really link with the text.
psychogrpahics

Negativity is used throughout citizen khan some stereotypes which does reinforce islamphobia as a scene from citizen khan shows an discussion about immigration 'Immigrants are those Europeans'  but as the scene progresses the daughter implies that he is an immigrant aswell this implies that all muslims are immigrants who come from different countires to take over jobs, this can be linked to the 7/7 bomings as all the bombers were british born who do not work so islamphobia in a sense in citizen khan is pitied in relation to alvarado.

Citizen Khan shows that Muslims are going through a sense of change to modernity due to the new generation, as Mr Khan's children Shazia and Alia are wearing 'white masks' to betray society; as the audience feel like normal Muslims children would not be open about relationship like Amjad and Shazia and this also links on to Alia who tries to impress her friends to conform to groups but wants to be a good muslim and make her parents proud but she tries to decieve her parents into saying she going to study really going to party, Alia's character in Citizen builds up a connection with another 'Yasmin' it is about  one young British Muslim woman's experiences in a working class  in the north of England  after 9/11. The film aims to make sophisticated observations about identity crises alienation ; the central character, coexist uneasily demands of her traditionalist father and the community of which they are part, while carrying on a clandestine relationship with John, a white male fellow worker'
Paragraph 2

But citizen khan also has an positive aspect as it is shown as a peaceful and content religion through out 'Citizen Khan' this is shown through the basic father and daughter converstain about the bird and thee bees as most of citizen khan is shown in moqsue the resembles devotation and determination of the relgion the most of the sitcom doesnt reinforces islampohobia to the audience as it shows that muslims are not only terroist but just a religoon


No comments:

Post a Comment