February 29, 2008...9:56 am
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Islam On Tap
Jump to Comments
Synopsis: J.J. seems to be intimidated by Rayaan’s dating experience.
Rayyan and J.J. quarrel over ice cream and the men in her past. And Sarah runs afoul of Muslim tradition when she dusts off her tap shoes for a talent contest.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Videos courtesy of mydien
What did you think of this episode? How does it compare to the previous episode?
Are there any other topics from the episode that you want to discuss?
60 Comments
February 29, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Hmm.
I feel a little let down by that episode. Was expecting more drama and tension between Rayyan and Amaar. I hope the next episode is better.
February 29, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I love this show - having moved to the US, I was pretty bummed about missing it - until i came across this site
I agree with you Samina. It was pretty funny, but I was hoping for a bit more interaction between Amaar and Rayyan. But I did like how he was more obvious (to the audience) about his feelings
February 29, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I have noticed that they really don’t have any fundamentalist Muslims on this show?
You may say, what about Baber?
Well if he was really a fundamentalist he would have long ago beat Layla for her insolence.
Now I like Layla but I am a Westerner and I am proud that our culture cultivates such personalities like Layla’s. But looking at it from a Muslim perspective how she treats her father and other elders is unacceptable, especially for a female.
If Baber was a true fundamental Muslim the first time Layla showed any insolence she would have been taken home and smacked around by him.
February 29, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Greg, you have what I would deem to be a very warped and perverted view of what constitutes “fundamentalism” within the Muslim faith. Not everyone who adheres to orthodox Islam acts in a violent and barbaric way toward their female family embers (i.e. not every Muslim is Taliban). Since when did fundamentalism and violence have a singular definition?
As for the episode, who knew so much “comic” mileage could be gotten from the act of signing a card first?
February 29, 2008 at 3:06 pm
i just loved that episode, the part between Rayyan and her mom was so funny “i didnt say lap dancing i said tap dancing” i love Sara she is just so funny. Poor Yasir his perfect luggage got burned.
I dont really like J.J he’s cute but i want Rayyan and Amaar together, i really wonder what will happen between them next week!
February 29, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Well, there are tyrants amongst people of all worldviews, let´s face it.
And there are definitely some Pakistani, Arab, Turkish fathers who are real hell for their family. Just as some Northamerican Christian Anglo fathers are.
But, Greg, there are also quite some “fundamentalist” family heads in the Muslim world who are very proud that Prophet Muhammad hinself (s.a.s.) is reported to never ever have beaten a female family member and who are as “fundamentalist” in following that example as in how they trim their beards.
And Middle Eastern and South Asian families, no matter how patriarchal they may be, usually also have to deal with the fact that a family only then is a real working family if all members are willing to be a loving part of it. These families need every member.
In that sense, constantly pissing off ones daughter, wife, sister etc. wouldn´t make much sense even to most traditional Muslim fathers, I guess.
Still, I have to agree with you in a certain sense. The show is great but only presents one segment of the Muslim community in the West.
Everybody who ever attended a mosque does know that there are people there who are much more liberal and western than Sarah … but some people there are also much more conservative, strict, dogmatic and intolerant than Baber.
This is our reality. And we all know that this reality defines tensions in our current communities.
I´d like to see some more good puns and jokes on this existing tension in our ummah in the show. That would be nice.
The show tries to do so but in this regard sometimes appears as quite tamed down … .
February 29, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Du bai–bye!
Haha. Funny. Lame, but kinda funny. xP
I’m starting to really like Layla.
February 29, 2008 at 4:46 pm
OMG, I lol’d so hard at Baber dancing at the wedding XD
And Rayyan talking about ice cream as if it were cocaine…”It was the ’90s, everyone was doing it!”
February 29, 2008 at 5:06 pm
“It´d be shame if this DVD ended up on the internet tonight … ”
I like her, too.
February 29, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I hope there is more tension between Amar and Rayyan next episode…something has to be said!!!
Greg, I think you’ll find that muslims daughters in families that are even more ‘fundamental’ than what is depicted on the show have a similar relationship with their fathers…and they are still alive without a bruise on their body.
Back to the show…Baber dancing with all those women…classic!!! I think in the next season, they should find Baber a woman/wife, I wonder how that storyline would turn out. Lol.
February 29, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I agree there should have been more interaction with Rayaan and Amaar, but at the same time it was nice to see more interaction with J.J. I sort of like him as a character.
So, Baber has a fun side?
February 29, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Really missed the Rayyan/Amaar interaction in this episode. Did they even talk? That said, it looks like we’ll be getting enough of that in next week’s episode. What does everyone think of the preview (posted on the show’s CBC website)?
Also find that I cannot warm up to J.J. His joke at the beginning of the episode about no wife of his working was not even remotely funny. In fact, I thought that whole intro just showcased the lack of chemistry, not to mention understanding, between Rayyan and J.J. That said, it’s possible that a large part of my dislike for him is the unfortunate vest. Eww.
Loved, loved, loved the clip of Baber dancing. Classic. I also just really like seeing Baber and Layla interacting. I think the show does a good job of showing the father-daughter relationship (with Rayyan and Yasir being the other example) and going against some of the stereotypes many North Americans have concerning how females are treated in the home. It’s certainly been true of the relationships my Muslim girlfriends have with their fathers.
Was so, so happy to see Fatima with more than one or two lines! She and Layla both wonderful characters who have been sadly underutilised.
February 29, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Good series of episodes but it still annoys me that Rayaan hangs out with guys ( ie Amaar and JJ) and is flirty and stuff and that they only bother with the chaperone thing if its actually a “date”. Muslim girls dont just hang out with guys all the time, they have girl friends. The writers of the show need to introduce a female character who can be Rayaan’s friend because, aside from the muslim thing, that girl has problems if her only friends are her mom and Fatima…
February 29, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Actually Nissy, I think they do, even though there are certainly times they shouldn’t be.
Rayyan does need a girlfriend, but for now I think the writer is just trying to be accurate.
February 29, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Besides, what are we blaming Rayyan for? What the heck does J.J. think he’s doing?
March 1, 2008 at 12:30 am
I agree with Claire about JJ’s vest. Good to see in this episode that he actually has a personality, though.
Loved Rayyan’s pink flowered scarf!
Loved Babur’s dance scene. That was classic!
March 1, 2008 at 1:44 am
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4433470111291964578
March 1, 2008 at 3:15 am
Matt, we all already know about it and it is evil. There´s not much more to say about it. What do you try to prove?
Peace to you, obviously your troubled heart really needs some.
(”And the servants of the Beneficent God are they who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: Peace.” Holy Quran, Surah 25, Verse 63)
March 1, 2008 at 4:10 am
Rayyan missed out the fireman when she mentioned her past boyfriends.
And she really does need a girlfriend, I remember in the last season in the barrier episode, she had one there but she was only in for the last few minutes of the episode. Maybe they should bring her back.
March 1, 2008 at 8:44 am
Yeah, there were other women her age in the barrier episode, but they have all appeared to have vanished. ._.
March 1, 2008 at 10:25 am
Well, sitcoms always have this problem that they always somehow have to narrow the social frame in which individuals act. Just watch any random show … does it really present the social life of a human being?
Rayyan needs a girlfriend; perfectly agreed. It is so surreal that there never appears any.
On the other hand I like it that she is so cool about the gender segregation stuff. Like a real Muslim feminist. Less of the paranoia.
I mean, she does nothing that is against Quran and Sunnah in any way.
And given the fact that she once was “less devout” when still in school it seems just normal to me that she would be used to interact with men in the same way as any other average young Canadian woman.
March 1, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Rayyan said that no one says “schedule” the way that JJ said it.
I thought that’s how they talked in Canada. Just like for them the last letter in the alphabet is “Zed” instead of “Zee” and like they say Can’t not like “cant” but like “caunt”
March 1, 2008 at 3:50 pm
It’s impossible to show reality 100% in a half hour sitcom. Introduce it, certainly, but there just isn’t enough time for more than that and a plot. Hopefully, this will inspire more people to read up on some of the interesting things touched on her.
That said, there is something about JJ I don’t really like but I can’t put my finger on it.
March 1, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Anne, I think it may be that he’s really insecure.
March 2, 2008 at 12:52 am
When Rayyan and JJ went and got some ice cream there was no chaperone around.
Why?
I thought that they couldn’t be in public together without a chaperone.
March 2, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Like Albert, I’m also really confused by the chaperone issue. When do you need to have a chaperone around? Is it just when it’s a formal ‘date’?
And here’s a random question that’s been bothering me for a while: Rayyan didn’t start wearing the hijab until a few years ago. Therefore, her graduation pictures, school pictures, etc. would be without the hijab. Would it be proper to display these photos in the house, where visitors can see them, or should only pictures of her with her hijab on or of her as a child be displayed?
March 2, 2008 at 1:33 pm
The chaperone thing:
It is said in Muslim tradition that a man and a nonrelated woman should not be alone as a couple, otherwise the devil would be the third attendant of the meeting.
“Being alone” means “really alone”; noone is supposed to be around, the couple is secluded from the gazes of others.
I once knew a conservative unmarried Muslim couple who followed this rule by meeting in a room. They were alone in the room but they purposely left the door open and other people could see them from outside (inclduing me).
According to many scholars this does indeed suffice.
Taking walks in public is totally permissible. Being in public means that any other person could see them any time. They are not secluded.
March 2, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I once knew a conservative unmarried Muslim couple who followed this rule by meeting in a room. They were alone in the room but they purposely left the door open and other people could see them from outside (including me).
Actually the way things are in the modern American workplace that should be a general practice for everyone, not just Muslims.
Billy Graham, the famous Christian preacher had a strict policy for himself as well as any one in his organization. He always kept his door open when his secretary was in the office.
Billy Graham made sure he was NEVER alone with another woman who wasn’t his wife. He also had people search the hotel rooms before he would go in there. One time, a naked woman was found in his room! I guess they where trying to set him up.
And to this day,whereas other TV Preachers have been caught in all these sexual scandals, Billy Graham has never yielded to such temptations.
So it isn’t only with Muslims that this is an issue.
I do think it would be hard for Rayyan and Amaar to remain friends if she got married. I mean even if there wasn’t an attraction between the two of them.
Here is a discussion about can husbands have female friends. It comes from a Christian perspective I believe but it shows that this isn’t only an issue in the Muslim community.
The answer to the question was in general, no.
http://forums.bayword.com/m_3053004/tm.htm
March 2, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Rayyan and JJ needed a chaperone to go to the movies yet that is a very public place.
So how come they needed a chaperone for that?
March 2, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Because the movies are dark. I’m assuming they needed someone to sit between them.
March 2, 2008 at 3:10 pm
They didn’t need a chaperone to get ice cream yet it was made clear that when they went to the movies they did need one. What was the differences
March 2, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Ok, that makes sense.
How about Claire’s other question?
March 2, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Claire:
It really depends on the person. A lot of women I know don’t feel comfortable with it. But some of them are alright, because their hair has changed since they first wore the hijab, so the pictures are not an accurate image of what their hair looks like. Some of them also feel that it’s okay because the picture is from the past, and it’s only part of what people merely remember.
March 2, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Thanks for the answers Nahida and Naina!
March 3, 2008 at 2:43 am
Well from the previews of the next episode we can see the Amaar has finally realised!!!! Thank god for that!!
But is it too late?
March 3, 2008 at 10:17 am
I’m glad they didn’t mention Jeff the fireman. I thought they would, and I’m glad they didn’t. The fireman episode was really stupid and deserves to be left in the past. I thought everyone in there was making such a big deal about nothing, like when they said she “broke up” with him. You need to actually have a relationship with someone to break up with them. She invited him over for dinner (with her parents at home) once, and he didn’t even stay long. Bottom line, nothing happened.
Yeah, Alex, that’s definitely a good practice for anyone, not just Muslims. Anyone who cares about their reputation, or who could get sued. Especially people in positions of authority.
Poor Yasir! That was funny, though. Although if there is one more scene anytime soon of Muslims having problems with airports/planes/etc, it may be overdoing it.
I think Amaar needs to move out of the church attic if he wants ANYONE to marry him, not just Rayyan!
March 3, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I had my suitcase physically searched during my last airplane trip.
And I am white.
We are all being searched. But I hope that anyone going to a Muslim country be he or she white or whatever is looked at much more carefully when traveling to and from a Muslim country.
March 4, 2008 at 4:44 am
MUSICALCHEF, you read my mind! I was thinking how he was going to have a wife in there! I feel bad for him because Yasir did mislead him when he advertised the post. If you remember back to the first episode he had a huge pay cut. Still I rate him for having the courage to give up a well paid job to become an Imam MashAllah.
That is also why Yasir is swaying towards J.J. because he is rich. That was the reason behind the suggestion, he ticks all the boxes plus he is rich. Amaar lives in the church attic and has little income.
All that aside i do still think Yasir’s intentions for his daughter are a little selfish. He thinks he is doing it for her but he is really doing it for himself.
Anyhow, Amaar better show some courage this week or I will be very annoyed!
March 4, 2008 at 6:16 am
I think, for the last several episodes, Yasir’s actions have been slightly out-of-character (aside from the fascination with J.J.’s family’s money - that’s very in-character). But trying to marry Rayyan off? He goes from being incredibily anxious about her dating, not wanting to let men near her, to throwing her at one. Right…I just think this whole plot turn has happened too quickly, with too little rationale for the motivations of all the characters.
As for Amaar, I agree. It’s time for him to man up and take a few chances. I can’t wait for tomorrow night. I’m also banking on some resolution, since Canadian programming is not usually big on season-ending cliffhangers. We’ll see.
March 4, 2008 at 7:10 am
That’s a relief to hear Claire! I really, really don’t like cliffhangers. I hope it ends in an answer! But I’m also doubting it because the actress who plays Rayyan (Sitara Hewitt) said that there would be drama in Rayyan’s love life in season 3…But that could be marriage drama right?
March 4, 2008 at 7:27 am
If the next episode ends in a cliffhanger, how long will we have to wait for the next season?
That would be frustrating!!!
March 4, 2008 at 10:11 am
I assume Season Three will start next fall, so probably around October. That would be a long, long wait if they leave us with a cliffhanger.
*fingers fervently crossed that this won’t happen*
When did Sitara say that about season three? Is a transcript or a clip available online? I’d love to see it. As for the concept of drama, I hope it’s a wedding. I’m not sure I could take another new love interest or the continuation of J.J. into next season.
March 4, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I don’t think I can handle a cliff hanger either, but I think I may have seen the ending. I does end in a cliff hanger. They just want people to tune in again next season.
If i am right then it will end with Rayaan telling Amaar J.J. proposed and Amaar asking what she responded and it ends before Rayaan gives an answer. Too much drama for my weak little heart….
March 4, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I hope it doesn’t end that way! That clip is from the CBC’s ad for this week’s episode. They wouldn’t tease us with that if they weren’t go to resolve it.
At least I hope they wouldn’t.
March 4, 2008 at 2:23 pm
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4561090291581225744
March 4, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Here’s the clip Claire. =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVuKw1yVQHI
March 4, 2008 at 4:08 pm
She says it at the very end.
March 4, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Nevermind, I just watched it again and realized she was talking about SEASON TWO.
Sorry. =.=
March 4, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I thought it sounded like the clip about season two! Good to know.
March 5, 2008 at 5:52 am
Love this show, and like most ppl I really wanted this episode to have a rayyan/amaar thing going on, y’know. I really hope she doesn’t get w/ J.J….but aside from that, funny as always! Can’t wait ’til episode 20.
March 6, 2008 at 8:30 am
So, is there definitely going to be a season 3?
March 6, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Episode 20 has been Uploaded.
+ comments has been disabled so u guys can write ur review etc.. in here
March 6, 2008 at 5:46 pm
They left episode 20 at a cliffhanger! There’d BETTER be a season 3.
March 6, 2008 at 5:49 pm
i only see part 2 and 3…
can’t find part 1
March 6, 2008 at 6:46 pm
ah now i see! thank you sooooo much for uploading these episodes!!
March 6, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I can’t find episode 20?
March 6, 2008 at 8:17 pm
It’s right here Sam.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MydienMusic
Happy watching =)
March 6, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Thanks soo much Nahida!!
March 6, 2008 at 8:41 pm
::sigh:: i am so into this show… i want to know what happens. i swear if rayaan doesnt take amaar, i gladly will.
salaams all
March 6, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I can’t believe it ended like that. So now we’re just supposed to wait till October?! That is so long from now!
Leave a Reply