In this essay, I will be discussing how the director, Kenneth Glenaan, portrays the
effects of the September 11th attack as they impact upon the Muslim
community of keighley in the drama Yasmin. The drama Yasmin is about
the life of a Muslim woman caught up in the racist backlash of
September 11th and about a Muslim community in northern England
dealing with Islamaphobia after the September 11th attack. Kenneth
Glenaan has chosen to show the impact of the Muslim community in
keighley through individual representatives and key groups, therefore
I will be looking at three individuals which are Yasmin, her brother
Nasar and her dad and a key group which is the police force the way
portrayed before and after the September 11th attacks.
To begin with I will be looking at Yasmin. In the films opening, we
see her pulling over in her car, removing her hijab and writhing into
pair of jeans before heading off to work. Yasmin is shown changing
from her traditional Asian clothes this shows her desire to look more
westernised. She is incorporated into the western culture. Yasmin?s a
confident westernised woman working in Britain while simultaneously
trying to live within her traditional culture. In one the very first
few scenes we see Yasmin driving a Golf, gti, which is associated with
people who lead wreck less lives. To some extent the car exemplifies
Yasmin?s character. It shows her independence and freedom. Another
scene shows Yasmin driving; she can hear the voice of her religion but
is leaving it. She plays loud music and shuts out the voice of her
religion.
In the coming scenes we see her relationship with a non-Muslim known
as J...
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...ama as young Muslims were looked in a serious way on the
television. It was very impressive the way the director used a woman
at the heart of the story. The feminine view was looked at in detail,
which is not always brought forward. Yasmin is basically about a woman
wanting to mix in with both cultures but after the attacks on the
world trade center they clash and she is caught up between them.
Both brother and sister go through a process from being corrupt to
understanding the significance of their religion. The turning point of
this drama is that it is parallel between the world and the
individuals; this is shown through the structure of the drama. There
have been big changes in both Yasmin and Nasar. Yasmin at the end
returns to her religion as she finds consolation in it. Whereas Nasar
becomes a freedom fighter.