Channel 4: "Make Me A Muslim"

I understand your response as after seeing just 15 minutes of the end of the first part of the first episode that was also my reaction.

However after having watched all three parts what I had initially anticipated in terms of what these people should have found came to fruition. It was long routed and emphasis on the negative perception of the participants was somewhat excessive. Furthermore I think the mind set of the people was maybe too negative and judgmental more so than what should have been suitable for a program of this nature.

However in the last 15-20 minutes of the final part of the program it all came together very well.

The majority (if not all) the participants giving positive feedback:

• The lady who was a skin therapist found what in Islam what she couldn’t find in Crystals, Buddhism and Christianity - true contentment in the spirituality of the Islamic prayers, five times a day. Further she also took to wearing the headscarf as she realized how it liberated women who wear it. Although nobody said in certain terms she had converted to Islam it clearly appeared as through she had.

• The man who is gay said that he would “Seriously consider converting to Islam”.

• The man who was the “fallen Muslim” did in fact come back to Islam and proposed to his long term girlfriend as he now saw the Islamic emphasis in the virtue in living as man and wife.

• The taxi driver, who is the atheist, now realizes that we are not trying to impose Shariah on the UK. Also he now understands after meeting with a Muslim who is in the armed services that Muslim allegiances do truly lie with in solidarity with the British. Although at the end of it he still was an atheist he now has a deep respect for Islam and Muslims and even went as far as to say that Muslims today have the values that the British had just after the second world war i.e. they are hardworking, family orientated and morally upright.

In terms of spirituality and don’t think it can ever be transmitted successfully via television whatever the religion. And to get to know someone who is spiritually content you really do have to meet them – personally I don’t think there is any other way.

Curious to know what Seeking and any one else thought of the whole series.

Hi Mariah

Now I've seen the whole series, I would agree with you - it definitely came together in the last portion of the programme.

Like you I would like to have seen more attention paid to the positive aspects, the reasons why they came to the conclusions that they did. (As somone looking into Islam myself obviously that's going to be of great interest to me).

For example: it was mentioned that the beauty therapist was meeting regularly with new female Muslim friends and what a help this was to her. I would have loved to hear more about that.

In general I would have liked to see more of that particular lady's experiences highlighted - but as my husband kept saying to me, the negative and more controversial aspects make for "better television"!

Maybe if the programme had looked more deeply at a smaller number of participants...

I probably had my own expectations and hopes for the programme before it started. Maybe I hoped some of my own specific questions would be answered! And that of course is my issue and not that of the programme.

seeking wrote:
Hi Mariah

Now I've seen the whole series, I would agree with you - it definitely came together in the last portion of the programme.

Like you I would like to have seen more attention paid to the positive aspects, the reasons why they came to the conclusions that they did. (As somone looking into Islam myself obviously that's going to be of great interest to me).

For example: it was mentioned that the beauty therapist was meeting regularly with new female Muslim friends and what a help this was to her. I would have loved to hear more about that.

In general I would have liked to see more of that particular lady's experiences highlighted - but as my husband kept saying to me, the negative and more controversial aspects make for "better television"!

Maybe if the programme had looked more deeply at a smaller number of participants...

I probably had my own expectations and hopes for the programme before it started. Maybe I hoped some of my own specific questions would be answered! And that of course is my issue and not that of the programme.

Hey

I know what you mean....inshAllah the sister will find what she is looking for in Islam.

You commented that you have "specific questions" that you wanted answered by the program and mentioned that they were your issue – not in this ummah !! If you want any questions answered in lay woman’s terms (nothing too scholarly!) I would be more than happy to try and answer them. If the questions are personal I completely understand if you didn't want to share them.

Either way I hope you find all the answers you are looking for in Islam, I've certainly found mine although it did take me a while to get there!!
M