Twitter reacts to 'My Week as a Muslim' TV show

Many found the show unnecessary and being guilty of erasing the Muslim voice, notes Diana Alghoul.

2 min read

Diana Alghoul

25 Oct, 2017

My week as a Muslim - The Garden Productions

Many found the show to be perpetuating Islamophobia [The Garden Productions/Channel 4]

Britain's Channel 4 has stoked controversy with a TV programme set in the Muslim community. My Week as a Muslim aired on Monday, following a woman who described herself as being "scared of Muslims".

Katie Freeman was once a part of the Royal Air Force and now works as a healthcare assistant in the NHS.

The 42-year-old lives in Cheshire, where she rarely mixes with non-white people, and was vocal about her reservations towards the Muslim community.

She was once an "anti-burka activist" and said that immigration was forcing the UK to stretch itself beyond its means.

Comment: My Week as a white non-Muslim

So far, so bad. Now enter the TV producers. For the show, she was dressed up in a hijab, her skin was made darker and she was given a prosthetic nose in an attempt to make her look more "ethnic".

She spent a week living with a Muslim woman, Saima Alvi, a teacher and monther-of-five in order to deepen her understanding of the way Muslims live.

Naturally, the show sparked controversy even before it was aired, with many blasting Channel 4 for even producing such a programme.

Many found the show unnecessary and being guilty of erasing the Muslim voice.

Twitter Post