'Britz' Is Half Good, Half Stereotype

I just got done watching this movie on BBC America called "Britz." It's about a Muslim brother and sister living in the UK and how they deal with the ensuing identity crisis in completely different ways.

The brother, Sahail, becomes a member of Britain's MI5, which is the British CIA. Of course, this invariably involves him spying on his old Muslim friends who are all suspected of being involved in nefarious Muslim-related activities. I thought his episode was by far superior than the sister's because Sahail's character was fleshed out and dynamic. There's a scene where he talks about how much he owes to the UK, his freedom and whatnot, which I found particularly endearing.

The sister (I've forgotten her name) is just a walking cliche. She hates England and goes to Pakistan to train at some al-Qaeda camp and ends up blowing herself up at the base of some iconic London building to mark the sixth anniversary of 9/11. I didn't empathize with the sister at all (although that's to be expected I guess). I thought she was acting like a jaded cry baby (just put on "Nevermind" and smoke weed like everyone else in the West!) and the boilerplate at the end? Bitch, please. You don't want to get me started on the "rationale" for why al-Qaeda blows shit up and kills people (who are mostly Muslim, by the way). And I couldn't shake the absurdity of listening to this clearly British girl speak in a thick British accent while condeming Britain (OK, that italics probably wasn't necessary). I know Europe does immigration differently than we do and, if the facts flashed at the end of the movie are correct, perhaps they should change course.

If you get the chance to see "Britz," just watch the episode with Sahail. His character does more for the image of Muslims in the eyes of us infidels than the sister, who merely encapsulates every stereotype we have of the crazy assholes who blow themselves up out of a sense of exaggerated injustice. And the ending is just pathetic.