Synopsis: Amaar is panicked to learn the new minister replacing Magee wants the Muslims out of his church. It’s only when Reverend Thorne learns his congregants like having the Muslims around that he backs off. Meanwhile, Rayyan would be fine with moving on after being abandoned at the altar, except for all the gossip that reminds her endlessly.
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 topics from the episode that you want to discuss?
Little Experiences ... 
Babar is great as always, but I miss Rev. Magee!
I really didn’t like this epi. I’ll give the show one more go, but it seems to have run out of steam.
I miss McGee!
I’m so glad this new season is up. I didn’t really expect Rayyan to be so choked up about the breakup… but then I’ve always been rooting for Amaar.
Really missing McGee… the new guy’s a poop.
Thanks for the post 🙂
Interesting episode, and I think I understand why they brought rev. thorn.
The point of the show is address serious issues yet in a comedic way.
I’m not going to lie I miss rev. Mcgee. :9
I hope he’s in the up coming episode1s
But I don’t see a ‘competition’ between Islam and Christianity. I mean in a western society like Canada.
The conflicts that Muslims have is in Canada is with secularism. Which is often the same conflicts that religious Christians have.
More cultural really than religious.
The point of the show is address serious issues yet in a comedic way.
I though the point of the show was to bash white people.
Wait, isn’t that the point of the whole CBC network?
I miss Rev. Macgee!!
with all due respect I want to add that I completely disagree with Gus’s statement; rather than about bashing white people, the show always seems to remind me how nice white people can be (I’m brown BTW).. despite the occasional ‘poop’ :)! and remind Muslims how much we have to improve on (think Babar…need I say more!)
Pax!
Wow, I think it is so cool that you have experienced nice white people.
We love our Brownies!
Not as much as we love black people.
http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com
But almost as much.
Would you be my Muslim friend? I have so wanted to have one? I have a gay friend. I have a Black friend. I even have an Indian friend. And I mean from the country of India I don’t mean a Native American. I would never make the mistake of calling a Native American an Indian.
But I have always wanted a Muslim friend.
Then I could go around telling people how I have a Muslim friend and how of course you aren’t a terrorist and all.
Please be my Muslim friend Farah. I am really lacking in that department.
I see you one Black friend and raise you an Albino friend… in a wheelchair.
Yeah, you can imagine the looks I get when I invite that person to one of my parties. I am the envy of all the other white people in the room.
Oh, here are some other stuff you might like.
Argh, the new rev character totally pushes my buttons! I just want to bop him upside the head!
It’s bad enough when people are ignorant, but when they should know better but have a sense of entitlement–that might be the worst…
I don’t find Thorne to be too different than Amaar.
It’s just the perspective they are showing him from.
I feel soooo bad for Rayyan. 😦 How could J.J. get engaged again so soon?! I hate JJ now and did I mention that I hate William Thorne?
I can’t wait for the next episode!!
Even though she didn’t really love JJ that much, it still hurts.
It’s terrible that JJ got engaged so soon. I was in a similar situation and it is as painful as it seems. I watched that scene this episode a couple of times. It was cathartic.
Rejection always hurts.
Even when you see it as inevitable.
But why do you think she didn’t love JJ that much? She was ready to spend her whole life with him. Yeah, maybe from the outside we thought it wouldn’t work out, but she was ready to go through with it.
You don’t do that without thinking you love the guy.
Paul: Rayyan clearly had stronger feelings for Amaar than for JJ. When Amaar asked her if she felt an immediate connection when she met JJ, she paused a bit as if she realized that she didn’t. (That was in the episode where Amaar went on the date with the blonde girl.)
salaams:
gotta give this season a chance…interesting dynamic they’re starting with…antagonistic, arrogant priest vs. Rev. Magee (who i also miss!).
but hey, it’s all fake right? stereotypes and all:
such arrogant, muslim-hating Christians don’t exist, right?
asiila
Haha I wish they didn’t exist! It would make my life so much easier!
Is it really arrogant for Thorne to point out that, well it is his church?
Is it really arrogant for him to desire to have that space back to put on youth plays and stuff?
Sure, he thinks his religion is the best, but so do the Muslims think that way about their religion.
And regardless of how similar the religions may be there are some real differences that just can’t be just wished away for the true believer. It isn’t in just the way one pronounces Amen or if they say Holy Spirit instead of Holy Ghost.
Of all of them I found Mrs. Wispinski to be the worst of the characters. She liked having the Muslims around because “it made her feel cosmopolitan”. If that’s not the definition of “bric-a-brac” racism I don’t know what is.
And “bric-a-brac” racism can have serious consequences when people ignore common sense to practice it. In this case it seemed to actually produce the most desirable results. But in one significant case in real live it is going to lead to a lot of bad things happening.
Thorne treats the Muslims as real people. Mrs Wispinski treats them like well, bric-and-brac, And no, it’s not “precious”.
I am surprised that she doesn’t compliment Amaar for how articulate he is.
We love our brownies at Mercy Anglican.
As much as I dislike Mrs Wispinski I hope they keep her on the show as a commentary on people like her.
Having your church host a Mosque is almost as good as having a black friend.
Yeah, Mrs WASPinski is a necessary part of this show. Just like I like to dislike the mayor (she reminds me of my own mayor ) I want to to see more of Mrs Wispinski.
I also hope we see more of Jane. Jane is the exact opposite of Mrs Wispinski and Zack. She seems generally interested in being Layla’s friend.
I like that about Fred as well. Yeah, he may be a “jerk” but he is an equal opportunity jerk. In the end that makes him much much better than a Mrs Wispinski.
Asiila: I’m afraid they do, at least in some areas of the world. I live in the American south, where opinions of Muslims are very poor among conservative Christians.
Interesting episode. Rev. McGee will be sorely missed. His friendship with Amaar showed what interfaith dialogue can be — now I suppose we’ll see what it more often is.
I was thinking that Amaar gave the compass to Rayyan, but I suppose Baber giving it is more funny.
Baber may have given the gift but perhaps Layla picked it out.
I’m convinced it was Baber who picked it out. He was also the one who pointed out that the ring J.J. had given her wasn’t like her at all. And he seemed to know the relationship wouldn’t last.
Asiila: I’m afraid they do, at least in some areas of the world. I live in the American south, where opinions of Muslims are very poor among conservative Christians.
Perhaps some of it has to do with them crashing things into buildings and cutting off heads.
Now I am not saying that they wouldn’t be against the Muslims regardless since they aren’t Christians, but they would put them in the same category they put all non-believers.
The problem is that while as a religion there is some good aspects to Islam, Islam isn’t merely a religion. It’s a whole social structure with it’s own laws (sharia law) and such.
Perhaps you can say that’s not the fault of Islam but the cultures that practice the religion but since Islam is intertwined into these cultures it’s an hard sell. And, I am sorry and I know I will upset people here but Islam taken as written has some pretty negative stuff associated with it. Perhaps the same could be said for the Old Testament but it is just so glaring in Islam.
After all, come an older man marrying a six year old, perhaps that’s how they “did it back in the day” but still seems pretty low. At least in the Bible even with some of the most honoured leaders, like specifically David, the Bible was honest enough to say he wasn’t perfect. We are free to criticize that whole Bathsheba affair. In fact the Bible encourages such a critical interpretation. It is written from the perspective that David was wrong with all of that.
You may be critical that we deified our prophet, but while you didn’t deify yours you all but did by making him unassailable. David wasn’t unassailable and yeah David isn’t the central figure to our religion and indeed that’s the point.
The difference between our central unassailable figure and yours is that while some might see ours in a political light, that really wasn’t his primary intent. He was all about personal salvation. Whereas your prophet, your central figure was a violent conquerer. And indeed there are many warlike quotes from your main “life manual”. You may find some in ours too but not as frequently
Now you may say that there’s a difference between how Islam was developed and how it is currently practiced and perhaps I will give you some of that. I will grant you that it might not be Islam but instead the cultures that Islam is being practiced fine point as it is. But when you see bad stuff happening in Islam’s name all the time it’s hard not to have a poor opinion of it. Sure you could say people justify bad things with religion all the time and that Christians do it too, but not our leaders for the most part, not in the modern day. Yeah, mention the Crusades if you must but that happened a very very long time ago and we even apologized for it. When has Islam apologized for anything?
I miss Rev. McGee too, but I definitely see the expanded story possibilities introduced with Rev. Thorne’s arrival.
The only thing I didn’t like about this show is whatever the heck they did to Sarah’s hair!!!
I am kind of disappointed here that no one except Nahida has criticized Amaar on the advice he gave Mrs Wispinski regarding her husband not going to church.
http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/DESMOINES-IA/WHO-AM/robert spencer 0909 podcast.mp3
Interesting Radio Program
Last link didn’t work.
Click here or on my name for the radio program
“Our churches have become more interested in becoming popular than really having an impact on transforming what evil lies within the human heart. And therefore since we don’t see that with our own culture anymore, we are having a hard time seeing critically what’s happening in another one.”
HA! Ha ha ha….
Do I even need to say anything…? They DO see the “evil” in other cultures–and it’s BECAUSE they don’t see it in their own. You get see to how evil some of the culture here is and suddenly several aspects of foreign culture don’t seem so evil.
I love how they think they’re absolutely innocent. Political figures who have claimed to have the strongest family values have been caught in the most scandals. Churches have already tried having an impact on transforming what evil lies within the human heart. We all know how that turned out…
This is also after accusing Islam of being a “system.” But apparently it’s okay if the churches are a system. Because we “live in a phony would with the separation of church and state.” And it would be SO much better if the government were run by the church!
I didn’t even listen passed that. I don’t care if you call Islam a political and social system–it is. But to deny that Christianity or any other systematic religion can be used by corrupted people to have the same horrid affects is (there’s no better word for it) stupid. And to simplify it to such an extent is just as stupid.
Not going to waste my time with this woman again. Beth goes with Gary and AJ.
But to deny that Christianity or any other systematic religion can be used by corrupted people to have the same horrid affects is (there’s no better word for it) stupid. And to simplify it to such an extent is just as stupid.
Sure it can be used I would even say it has been used by corrupted people in the past (like say the middle ages).
Islam is being used like in now, currently, not 400 or 500 years ago and isn’t is being used more relevant than can be used or even has been used?
Paul, I thought it was clear that the problem I had was that in content Deace and Spenser were implying–actually it wasn’t even an implication, they came right out and said it–that Christianity was the “good” system (the one that can transform what evil lies in the human heart) and that Islam is a system of that evil. They took this to the present. OF COURSE I’m going to point out that Christianity can be used to be just as corrupt! It DOESN’T MATTER WHEN it was. The point is it has the same ability. This is because the Deance (who apparently is a total kissup) and Spenser (who thinks Islam and Muslims are the same thing) are blaming the actual religion, and not the people attempting to follow–or use–it.
Paul, the head of both church and state in the UK is the Queen; Anglicanism is the state religion. The Vatican is also a theocracy. Equally, in some southern States, evangelical Christianity is the de facto state religion, despite de jure secularism. Christianity is still used as a combined state-religion in the modern world. It’s not a relic of medievalism.
Furthermore, Islam exists in many countries where it is not so used: Turkey (a functioning and modernising democracy, pushing and working hard for EU membership), Indonesia (the Muslim nation with the largest population in the world), Iraq and Pakistan, just for some examples (and no, prior to the coalition invasion, Iraq was not a theocracy; it was a secular dictatorship, a product not of Islam, but of imperialism). India has the fifth largest population of Muslims in the world, and it’s the world’s largest democracy!
So Nahida is right. You are oversimplifying.
Sorry that quote was
“we live in a phony world with the separation of church and state.”
past that*
They DO see the “evil” in other cultures–and it’s BECAUSE they don’t see it in their own. You get see to how evil some of the culture here is and suddenly several aspects of foreign culture don’t seem so evil.
(I’d like to clarify that by no means was I saying one is better than the other. They both suck. And they both have characteristics that are awesome. That guy was so biased I had to take the other extreme.)
Although I don’t exactly agree with everything that Steve Deace and Robert Spencer said on that radio program I do think idea that Islam is “more than a religion” is something important to keep in mind.
It’s not the “religion part” that most people have a problem with. It’s the other stuff.
That said I doubt Robert Spencer is going to be on LMOTP any time soon.
Thanks Beth for posting that link. It gives one lots to think about.
Steve, do you know what religion the majority of Turks follow? And do you know what system of government exists in Turkey, and for how long it has existed?
Quit with this bollocks that Islam is “more than a religion” in a way that Christianity isn’t.
You know if they were white Mormons instead of in Mrs Wispinski’s words “little brown Muslims” Rev. Thorne would have booted them out on their white butts so fast it would have made their heads spin.
It sure looks like Racism worked in their favor this time.
By the way, thanks Steve for pointing me towards this web site.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com
I haven’t stopped laughing since I read some of what’s posted there.
White People do suck… (well it’s a certain TYPE of white person they are satirizing there. The Mrs WASPinski type of white person).
Some people get confused a little by the name because it isn’t as specific as perhaps it should be. But anyone who has ever attended an university in America know who the site is targeting,
Mind you it’s not only the United States university subculture that is being mocked though that seems to be it’s spiritual center. It’s where it’s most prominent. Also major urban centers through the United States, especially cities like Seattle, Portland Ore, and San Francisco. But you can find such white people everywhere unfortuntately.
Including Mrs WASPinski and possibly Zack WHITEman.
This show COULD become funny if it starts mocking white people.
Not all white people. Not so called “hicks”. That has been done to death and doesn’t come off as funny. Just as more of the same.
It would be great though to have a show attacking the smug whites out there. Perhaps that would be a better title than just “White People”. Smug white people. Or posers.
It would be funny because such white people haven’t been attacked much in the past (probably because most television show writers are indeed “white” themselves and therefore it would be satirizing themselves) . It would fill a unserved market.
One of the best shows that Little Mosque did was when Layla went to the Natural food store and found out what a dick-weed the owner and his son was.
Perhaps that’s the direction of the show.
Yeah, this web site is funny. It’s about time people start satirizing these people.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com
You might have something here.
Could you just see Zack ask Layla if she wanted to play “Candyland?” (#102 Children’s Games as Adults).
An “um… no… ” the way she would say it would be so funny.
Done well, Zack trying to get Layla to “be his Muslim friend” could be funny.
It all matters WHICH white people the show attacks.
The last thing we need is another show promoting the Leftist viewpoint.
I do think we are on the cusp though of a trend of satire that attacks “these types of white people” being popular and if LMOTP can jump on board to that it can be successful.
Even “white” people would find it funny. Reading through the site one of the “stuff white people like” seem to like is going on the “stuff white people like” blog and post “this is sooo true” and “I am sooo white” (yes with at least 3 or more o’s at the end). I don’t believe they realize the total contempt the rest of us have for them. Yeah, it’s satire but we really, really to hate them.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com
Yeah, I am white but I fall into the category of “wrong kind of white person”. And of course one of the “snuff white people like” is to bash the “wrong kind of white people”. It is about time they get bashed in return.
And yeah, it is good for ratings because adding in minorities and “the wrong type of white people” we out number them. AND of course THEY themselves seem to like being bashed themselves.
Bashing “hicks” on the other hand has just become meanspirited and cliche. It’s just not trendy anymore.
Paul, I thought it was clear that the problem I had was that in content Deace and Spenser were implying–actually it wasn’t even an implication, they came right out and said it–that Christianity was the “good” system (the one that can transform what evil lies in the human heart) and that Islam is a system of that evil. They took this to the present. OF COURSE I’m going to point out that Christianity can be used to be just as corrupt! It DOESN’T MATTER WHEN it was. The point is it has the same ability. *This is because the Deance (who apparently is a total kissup) and Spenser (who thinks Islam and Muslims are the same thing) are blaming the actual religion, and not the people attempting to follow–or use–it.
*I meant that’s why this is the point, not that’s why it has this ability.
The religion is the same, the people and events are different. And since they’re blaming the religion instead of differentiating it from its people, it’s fair play to say Christianity can be used for purposes just as evil. Time is not a factor in their own game if they choose to blame the religion itself.
….Italics were supposed to end after the first paragraph….
You are so right.
Attacking Fred or Joe, or even Rev Thorne (depending on how you attack him) has been done to death. You do offend the people who the writers are aiming the stereotype at.
But if you attack “White People” in the sense that blog does you don’t only bring in a group of people who rightly feels attacked and marginalized but you also maintain the “white people” who can go Twitter after the show “that is soo me…” and “I am soo white”.
The white people really are so stupid as not to realize that yeah, we do have actual contempt for them.
Sarah, Mayor Ann Popowicz, Zach Whitman (he is to make his first appearance in the third episode of this season) Mrs Wispinski, Tree, and even Rev Thorne to some extent can be used to make fun of White people. And they could add in some other “white people” to make fun of the stereotype.
But they should move away from making fun of Fred and Joe and making fun of Thorne’s Christianity will get them nowhere (though they can make fun of his love for classical music #108 Appearing to Enjoy Classical Music).
Exploiting the below list could produce episodes that practically write themselves. Or I should say white themselves.
We are really on a cusp of a trend here. If the show catches on to this then they could really ride this wave.
Although perhaps a lot of this could be better addressed if they gave Layla her own show about her going off to college and having to associate with white people like the other students and professors.
I mean sure you could do it with her still in Mercy but since the spiritual center of these people, their Mecca, is the university setting it would be easier to do it there.
It could be a case where the sequel becomes more popular than the original show.
We could call it “Our Muslim Friend” because one of the common themes of the show could be how people want to be friends with her just so they can go around telling people about having a Muslim Friend.
The first episode of the series of course has to be about her meeting everyone and such but I was thinking for the second episode one of her Professors invites her to a dinner party and parades her around as “my Muslim student”. Just think of all the sarcastic things she could say at the party.
Okay, the title needs working on but I think the premise would work very well.
You really could wrap a LMOTP episode or at least I mean one part of a LMOTP episode (as you have surely noticed most episodes have two story lines like this one being both about Rayyan returning her gifts and Rev Thorne settling in) on most of these concepts.
Like they could have an episode where Yasir throws out Sarah’s sea salt (#119) and she grieves over it. Yasir didn’t realize how important it was to her since she has never used it. But she remembers how she bought it in Paris. Funny line “that sea salt is older than Rayyan”. Also Sarah’s Sea Salt is kind of a tongue twister so when Yasir explains to Amaar that “Sarah is sad about her sea salt” he could repeat it by saying “Sarah is sad about sea salt”. Yeah, I told Sarah I was sorry about her sea salt but she is still sad”.
Baber could come in. Oh you are doing tongue twisters? How about Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers?
Yasir could buy her some new Sea Salt but that just makes her mad because “you bought it in Mercy”. And of course Sea Salt bought in Mercy can’t be good because it is so easy to get.
Amaar: You said to Sarah that you were sorry about her sea salt but she is still sad.
Yasir: Stop it. You are giving me a headache.
OMG: Sea Salt…
That is soooo me!!!!!
I am soooo white!!!!
Rayyan: But Mom, you never use Sea Salt…
Sarah: That’s not the point. You just don’t understand…
Rayyan: Well I can just go to the co-op and pick some up.
Sarah: NO! It’s not the same if you buy it from a local grocery.
It is pathetic when the fiction that a show’s fan makes about a show turns out to be better than the actual program.
I still like an idea that someone had here to have Fred put Fatima up for Mayor against Mayor Popowicz.
She obviously got elected in the 1990s when “white people liked female politicians” and I think it would be funny if Fred used the fact that “Fatima is the hat trick of modern politics (black, Muslim and a woman) to have Mayor Popowicz’s supporters turn against her and then have Mayor Popowicz try to get the “wrong kind of white people” to get to support her and failing to do so because she really doesn’t get “the wrong kind of white people” and her attempting to “act like one of them” actually just offends people like Joe.
I remember Mrs Clinton in the south once trying to sound “like them”. It was funny and very offensive to the people she was trying to be like.
Those who live by the sword dies by the sword. It would be fun to see long time supporters of Popowicz abandon her because “well being a woman isn’t enough any more”.
Baber is upset when Yasir helps the Rev(my new nickname for Thorne) set up a microbrewery to raise extra funds for the church.
What other episodes can you think of using “stuff white people like”?
Does anyone know why there is a new Reverend? what happened to Mcgee? They never mentioned why Mcgee left and that left me confused the whol time, If someone knows the answer please fill me in. Me and my whole family love this show and have been following it since the first episode and really grew to like Reverend Mcgee. Also I feel really bad for Rayyaan and was totally shocked when JJ got married again! How could he? I also couldn’t believe Babar gave her that gift! can’t wait for the next episode, and Somebody! please tell e why Reverend Mcgee left!
Show has been steadily going down in the ratings and the writers thought they can reverse this by bringing in an reverend who was hostile to the Muslims.
They call this putting an “edge” into the show.
They think bashing Christians (or I really should say Bashing Christians MORE) will be the key to turning this show around in the ratings.
I find it so interesting how Corner Gas can still turn in a consistent rating around 14 but in the last two seasons of LMOTP they haven’t been able to break in to the top 30.
http://www.tv-eh.com/category/little-mosque-on-the-prairie/
Here’s a story about last year’s ratings.
It seems like they have been losing about 200,000 viewers a year.
http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20090415/cbcratings.html
Meanwhile, Little Mosque ended its season on a high note with 830,000 viewers on March 23, though the Regina-based sitcom is losing steam on the whole, averaging around 600,000 viewers for its third season. That’s down roughly 200,000 from last year.
http://www.thestar.com/article/701819
Sep 28, 2009 04:30 AM
Raju Mudhar
Let’s just say the irony was not lost on me. When assigned to interview Brandon Firla, the newest addition to Little Mosque on the Prairie, I balked. You see, I’m not sure if you can tell from the accent of my writing (or my name or the accompanying logo), but being of South Asian ancestry – or brown as I usually put it – I found it a little weird to be profiling the new white guy on Canada’s most successful mainstream brown show ever.
There’s no arguing that Mosque is most definitely that. (It returns tonight on CBC at 8:30 p.m.) Seen in over 80 territories around the world, it enters its fourth season as one of the kindest representations of Muslims to ever be broadcast. It also comes at a time when South Asian characters have reached the same token status in ensemble casts on U.S. network shows previously enjoyed by the black friend (in the ’70s) or the requisite gay sidekick from the past decade.
Right now, Danny Pudi’s Abed is the funniest thing about Community, while Kunal Nayyer’s Raj on The Big Bang Theory is a hoot. There was Kal Penn’s run on House and, kicking off this recent wave, Sendhil Ramamurthy’s Mohinder on Heroes and Naveen Andrews’ Sayid on Lost.
Sure, some portrayals (even on Mosque) are more stereotypical than others, but overall, I think it’s a very good thing. Really, it only makes good business sense, particularly in ensemble casts, because of demographics alone. To update what the mighty Apu from The Simpsons once said: “There are only one billion of us.”
Despite all that, Firla really does add something new to Mosque. While the show retains all of its earnest charms – Amaar is still the Ross Geller of imams, Baber is still the amusing nut who reminds you of your kooky uncle and Sitara Hewitt’s Rayyan remains, well, hot – it’s Firla’s Rev. William Thorne who adds a much-needed dose of conflict to the series.
Playing the new Anglican priest who arrives in Mercy, he’s an ambitious, BlackBerry-wielding man of the cloth who sees this stop in Podunk as purgatory. He also can’t believe that his house of God somehow shares its space with a mosque. Honestly, being the Thorne in the side of the mosque lets the series mine the territory that many of us assumed it would when it launched.
Firla, a fixture on Toronto’s comedy scene, deserves to be better known. I became a fan when I caught his Rumoli Bros. bit at the Spiegeltent at Harbourfront a few years ago. Partnered with his real-life brother, the pair rock a new school vaudeville schtick that is funnier than it has any right to be. He’s also put on stage shows Sarsical and An Inconvenient Musical, and guested on many shows. He’s likely best known as Clark Claxton from Showcase’s Billable Hours.
His role as Thorne walks a very careful line; while he’s being set up as the bad guy of sorts, he remains likeable and credible.
“I like to say he’s spiritually insane. He’s as much of a mad man as Baber is on the Muslim side and Amaar is caught in the middle running the madhouse,” says Firla, about his character. “I mean he’s the villain, but we tread that line because he can’t be unlikeable. I thought of him as a mix of Basil Fawlty and Groucho Marx, with a little bit of Mel Gibson in there, you know, for the insanity.”
Filming for the season ended a few weeks ago and it’s obvious that he enjoyed his run on the series.
“It’s kind of a special show. There’s nothing like it out there. I think this show probably represents Canada better than any other show out there, because of the issues of diversity, racially and religiously.”
Because of his character, he says he purposely didn’t look up too much information on Islam, but he did pick up some knowledge.
“I did find one really great quote from the Qur’an. It’s `He deserves paradise who makes his companion laugh.’ I kind of like that one, considering the comedy angle.”
Despite his role as the new bad guy on the show, Mosque fans should enjoy his addition, no matter what team he preaches for.
Raju Mudhar is a Star entertainment reporter.
It is obvious that I will not last out the season.
When I first started watching the show I thought I would insult it a bit, and then the show would get me so angry that I would stop watching…
But that’s not what happened. I gradually liked the show. The characters grew on me. I even liked (and yeah respected even) Baber.
But it looks like its back to the heavy conflict again. I don’t know if I would have stuck around much in season two if every episode was like that Gay Wedding one in season one but that’s where the show is headed.
If you like attacking whites (and I mean the wrong kind of whites, unlike what that blog does) I guess you are going to have quite a fun season ahead of you. As for me… I can only take so much of “hick bashing”. Especially with the recession effecting them so much it’s like hitting an puppy who had already been hit by a car. It’s hitting someone when they are down I mean.
It will be interesting to see if there is much of a ratings spike. From the way the ratings has been I see support for the theory that turning this show into “all in the family” will bring ratings success. I don’t like that but I do see support in that theory in that the first season was the one with the highest ratings and that was the season with the most white bashing in it.
Honestly, being the Thorne in the side of the mosque lets the series mine the territory that many of us assumed it would when it launched.
He’s disappointed that the show hasn’t bashed white people (the “wrong type of white people”) and Christianity more.
He was disappointed that the show hasn’t been more like its critics feared it would be.
Get ready for some full scale Christian bashing this season.
It may increase the ratings, perhaps. But I am doubting it. I think this is a case where the numbers misleads. I think especially in this environment Christian bashing and general small town hick bashing will not play well.
But perhaps I am wrong. The ratings for the last three years makes a pretty strong case that I am.
After reading this review I don’t think I even want to see next weeks show. It is obvious that the attacks on Thorne is just going to get worse.
So, according to this show it’s okay for an Imam to tell a Christian that not going to church is okay.
Uh, sure Thorne had no reason to be upset about that. He was being a big meany to get upset about it.
What happened to Sarah’s hair? It looks like an accident with the lawn mower .
I miss McGee too but Rev Thorne is not too bad, he just has a different kind of wit in comparison to McGee. “Now when would be a good time to drop by and remind him of the imminent peril to his mortal soul?”
I missed Baber and Yaser’s one liners. “No….I’m the liar, you’re the coward.”
Look I can understand what Amaar was saying.
I just wonder if someone says one can still be a good Muslim without going to the Mosque if Amaar would approve of that. And if he would if that would accurately reflect the position a Muslim Imam would have on that issue.
Another case of being able to attack the Christian position without even presenting the Muslim position which in that case I would have thought would be similar.
For example when they showed how Christians were dealing with the gay issue but they haven’t had a situation with a gay member of the Mosque.
The hypocrisy here is just so glaring. But I fear we can expect more of it as the “attack Christianity” season four continues.
Personally, I think yes you can still be a good Muslim if you attend the Mosque and I also believe you can be a good christian if you don’t attend church.
I also don’t think Amaar would approve or disapprove. I’m pretty sure he would leave it to the individuals preference.
LOL the “gay issue”….
The “gay issue” should be easy. For both religions. They’re not getting married religiously.
This shouldn’t really be limiting in any way. They can still get it done legally. No one should be going out of their way to dictate the personal lives of people. There are other, bigger and better things to do.
I agree when I first saw Sarah’s hair I thought it was a horrible accident. But I’ve gotten used to it and might even like it…. kind of.
The Rev reminds me of Baber. I’ll eventually like him too.
It should be easy.
But it isn’t.
Traditionally that was the the Christian position. It still is with what I would call “True Christianity”.
Look there’s a reason why the so called “mainline” Christian denominations are on the decline while you see a rise in the Evangelicals.
Anglicans in particular has caved on the issue of homosexuality. Well at least half of them. It is causing a split within the church.
But please understand this didn’t happen overnight. I am not justifying what happened. It’s kind of what Deace said about the church being so concerned about being “popular” it forgot about standing up for what’s right and wrong.
I do wonder if Islam will go the same way as Christianity in the regards to caving to homosexuality (understanding though there are some branches of Christianity that never has been compromised in such a way). If it does happen I am not saying it’s going to happen next week or even next year. I am talking about at least a generation or so.
The Left isn’t the friend of Islam. Oh, they might act like they are but they just see you as a way to attack Christianity.
I don’t think you will like the Rev.
The actor himself describes himself as “the bad guy”.
I don’t know how the actor who plays Baber
“thinks about Baber” or if that is even how actors work, but I have a sense that to play the character he has a basic respect for his character.
But the actor who plays Fred doesn’t and it reflects on his performance.
There’s a difference between having and ability to laugh at ones characters excesses and to have contempt for one’s character. I think the guy who plays Thorne really has no understanding, appreciation, or respect for his character and that probably means that he will be unable to portray him as anything other than a “mustache twirler”.
Or perhaps you will see in the Rev something that even the actor who plays him doesn’t see. I believe viewers have that ability at times .
But I believe that Rev. Thorne is just going to get more stereotypically worse over the season. I don’t know if he is going to go as far as to attempt to molest Rayyan, but he isn’t going to be another Baber.
Remember the “purpose” of Baber is supposed to be someone you first don’t like but you warm up to especially because of his love for his daughter (Muslim men aren’t supposed to love their daughter well not in a way we westerners love our children). So he is supposed to be fighting a stereotype whereas Thorne is supposed to re-enforce one.
Am I right in assuming that you mistyped what you typed.
Did you really mean to type you can still be a good Muslim if you DON’T attend Mosque?
Yeah you are right that was a typo. It should have read:
“Personally, I think yes you can still be a good Muslim if you don’t attend the Mosque and I also believe you can be a good christian if you don’t attend church.
I also don’t think Amaar would approve or disapprove. I’m pretty sure he would leave it to the individuals preference.”
rayan and ammar need to get married already
I miss Rev. Magee! hope this season gets better. BTW I like Rayyan’s weeding dress can anyone tell me where can I find such dresses for my weeding???
Please can anyone help?
(Muslim men aren’t supposed to love their daughter well not in a way we westerners love our children).
Steve, where on earth are you getting this?! Love between a parent and child universal. The only thing that differs is the expression of it.
And the Right is just as bad as the Left.
is universal*
I was talking about the stereotype.
The stereotype of the Muslim Male who would kill a sister or a daughter for “dishonoring them”.
Sorry, but we westerners have a hard time understanding such “love”.
And the Right is just as bad as the Left.
Perhaps they are.
But not on the things that effect you on a daily basis.
Someday you might understand that.
Well obviously Baber isn’t the stereotype.
He is the challenge to that stereotype. A conservative Muslim who actually loves his daughter.
You said they’re not *supposed* to–as if it were a law of the religion or something.
I meant, that’s the stereotype.
Well stop perpetuating a racist stereotype, ffs.
But not on the things that effect you on a daily basis.
No, having to dodge the Campus Crusade for Christ doesn’t affect me on a daily basis at all….*
I don’t like either extreme. And I won’t “understand that someday.”
*insert sarcasm here
No, having to dodge the Campus Crusade for Christ doesn’t affect me on a daily basis at all….*
What’s worse?
That?
Or having to walk down a “Folsom Street Fair” event.
One’s kind of annoying. The other extremely offensive.
Don’t think the increasing degeneration of Western Society isn’t going to effect you someday. It will.
Degeneration?
There’s a time to be liberal and a time to be conservative.
Or having to walk down a “Folsom Street Fair” event.
Oh please. History has proven it can get just as horrific on the other side. At least no one’s dying in flames.
I remember seeing people die in flames.
And, no I don’t think it was Bush or the Israelis who placed explosives in the buildings.
Didn’t think you for a Truther, Nahida.
LOL Is that as far back as you can go?
Although I suppose my eyes would be burning.
Still, your point was that it would affect me on a daily basis. And I don’t have to see that everyday. As a matter of fact, I’ve never had to.
The Left Represents everything that Islam is against.
The only thing Islam has in common with the Left is hating America and Christianity.
Now, I don’t think you hate America do you?
So, why do you support the Left then? You are supporting the destruction of the country you currently live in.
The only thing Islam has in common with the Left is hating America and Christianity.
I actually found this offensive in multiple ways.
So, end of conversation.
Oh oh oh! Let me do it for you Nahida.
Stuff Nahida and Islam has in common with the Left:
Known fact: She’s a feminist. Every chauvinistic man who’s ever claimed that women shouldn’t vote because they seem “frail and uncertain” (bs) has been on the Right.
She’s mentioned before that she’s a vegetarian. Inferred: I take it that she’s very concerned for the treatment of animals. Anyone who’s ever ignored this for the benefit of industry has been on the Right.
If those behind the Salem Witch Trials were alive (this is probably where burning people down in flames comes from) they would probably be on the Right. Bush might have not placed explosives in the buildings (as far as we know) but he went along with methods of interrogation involving violence.
Everyone who’s ever compared something innocently annoying like the Campus Crusade for Christ with the Folsom Street Fair has been on the Right. The REAL Leftist equivalent would be annoying atheists who claim they’ve abandoned religion and yet PREACH about how ignorant everyone else is.
Anyone who’s ever claimed she’s an English Supremist because she doesn’t know Spanish despite the fact that she knows TWO OTHER LANGUAGES (*cough*) which would cancel out the accusation (because English Supremists wouldn’t bother to learn ANY foreign language)…. has been Steve, because such illogical conclusions despite contrary evidence has been most evident in the Right (for example, the Birthers)
Though she disagrees with abortion in general, she has been very passionate about making exceptions in cases of rape. Anyone who’s denied a woman even this has been on the Right.
As a Muslim woman, she views through her religion homosexuality as a sin, but she also sees that forcing the same on others who have not consented to the religion’s version of the social contract is similar to forced conversion, which is also discouraged. Islamic law is for MUSLIMS to follow. In this respect she is tolerant of homosexuality… but not in her backyard–or rather, her mosque’s backyard. Anyone who’s wanted to prevent gay marriage legally as well as religiously has been on the Right.
Anyone who’s said Islam hates America and Christianity has been on the Right.
Still, she’s insisted here that there is a time to be Liberal and a time to be Conservative, acknowledging that for every flaw on the Right there is an equivalent on the Left. You can’t come to the conclusion that she is a Leftist. Rather she seems more of a complicated, rather moderate woman.
But anyone so far who’s had the “If you’re not one of us you’re one of them” mentality has been on the Right as far as this forum is concerned.
So naturally, she leans very much toward the other, Liberal end to make points against this.
She is an extreme America hater.
And a liberal.
With the problem that she is also a Muslim which means that although she is sympathetic to the Left she can’t go along with their decadence.
She gets around it though by thinking she can personally isolate herself from their decadence. Perhaps she can, but only for so long.
Someday something will hit her. Someday, perhaps it will be in her child’s education (although like every hypocritical liberal she will probably go private education so she will be insulated there) perhaps somewhere else it will hit her. But then it will be too late.
I have to think that there will be a day when the Left will turn against the Muslim. They just have to.
It’s happened before. With the issue of smoking. It was first the liberal position that there should be smoking lounges in the High School (I am talking way back in the 1980s). And then when the boomers got on a health kick they wanted smoking banned everywhere.
I can’t see them tolerating Muslim too much longer. I give it 10 years and then they will start their attack. But right now I guess the fact that they see Islam as anti Christian it makes it cool. And they don’t feel threatened since Islam is mostly isolated to ethnic communities and tends not to spread into the mainstream. At least not yet.
Another think you will see is a fractioning of Islam to Liberal Islam and traditional Islam. Just like what you see with Christianity. You will have gay Muslims (well you kind of do already but I mean as a movement). You will have gay Muslim weddings. Not in my lifetime perhaps but soon after (probably within 50 years or so).
http://www.queertheory.com/cultures/ethnics/queer_muslims.htm
Wow, 50 years might be an over estimate.
The Left is doing quite a number on Islam in regards to this issue right now.
Maybe I should say within 25 years.
Christianity used to be strongly anti-gay too don’t forget. Some denominations still are.
So don’t be arrogant enough to think that the Left can’t do to Islam what it did to Christianity.
I still give it 25 years though. At least. After all it took generations for the Left to weaken Christianity like it did. I do think Nahida will see it in her lifetime though. Perhaps I won’t but she will. There will still be a segment of Islam that would be against homosexuality, but just like with Christianity, there will be even gay Imams some day.
There are already openly gay Imams across the globe. I guess your research doesn’t stretch that far. Infact, if you had actually watched some of the links you posted you would have already known that.
I am quite surprised indeed.
And from what I can tell this guy hasn’t been killed yet.
“there will be even gay Imams some day.”
I should say PUBLICLY Gay Imams.
Understand I am talking about 25 to 50 years from now.
There are already openly gay Imams across the globe. I guess your research doesn’t stretch that far. Infact, if you had actually watched some of the links you posted you would have already known that.
It’s already happening I guess.
The Left will degenerate anything.
Don’t think it won’t effect you Nahida. Don’t think you are immune.
Sorry I posted them out of sequence.
I posted that episode again just for people who might not know what we are talking about.
When asked about the issue Amaar gave a dismissive “we don’t have to worry about such stuff in our religion”.
But as my other posts show, you obviously do.
Point is the show never challenges the Muslims.
What I mean in the following sense. We are supposed to think badly of Thorne for being upset that someone (especially an Imam) told one of his parishioners that he didn’t have to go to church. But we are not faced with say Rev. Magee telling one of the Muslims they don’t have to go to Mosque.
Similarly we are faced with the situation where the Christian parishioners (well actually it’s just Joe that is shown opposing it) faced with having a gay marriage performed by their pastor but we are not faced with the gay issue being faced by the Muslims having one of their members be gay.
So, it is obvious that this show is DESIGNED to attack Christianity while at the same time not present situations where the Muslims would have to be presented in a negative light (negative to the Left’s viewpoint that is).
You are all about the conspiracy theories.
If you listen carefully, you will notice he actually says “Have patience Mrs Wispinski, at the end of the day, what’s important is not whether he goes to church, what’s important is his soul. He’s a good man.”
So in your opinion, if I attended church every day without fail but was a serial killing drug dealer, I am more christian than someone who spends their time doing work helping those in need etc but doesn’t attend church?
Actually, I kind of agreed with Amaar, but I am a Christian. I would feel wrong saying that about a Muslim not going to Mosque. It’s not my religion. It’s not my place. Amaar’s best answer would probably have been no answer given he is not of her religion.
But it wasn’t so much in what was said, but in how the show set up the situation. It was really a no win situation from the Christian perspective.
You can imagine the situation set up differently but the point is that the situation wasn’t set up differently. That’s where the bias comes it. That is how it was Designed to be Anti-Christian.
Also I posted this episode because from what I have read the writers of this program want to go back to the “edginess” of season one. This was season one in all it’s edginess.
They think that returning to having the show have an “edge” is going to increase the ratings of the show.
I guess we shall see.
Samina, talk to me when Amaar tells a Muslim that it’s okay that he doesn’t go to Mosque.
But that situation is never presented is it?
To be honest, I’d rather not talk to you at all. I guess I was just bored so thought I’d entertain your consiracy theories for a while.
Ok, so Amaar hasn’t told anyone it is ok not to go to mosque, that’s doesn’t mean he wouldn’t. The advice he gave to Mrs Wispinski wasn’t just specific to her, I’m pretty sure it he meant it universally. Looking at it from a different perspective he has never gone around telling people it is essential they attend mosque. He has tried to attract people to the mosque but not forced or guilted anyone into doing so.
You need to sit back, breathe in and out, and just relax and watch the show.
Also, try to remember this one very useful piece of advice.
“It is just a TV show!”
I doubt you will have an episode with Amaar telling Muslims it’s okay not to go to Mosque. That situation would never be presented.
And that’s the point.
Oh, it doesn’t matter if I’m not immune to it, since I hate America so much. *
“She is an extreme America hater.
And a liberal.”
In your mindset, that’s a bit redundant isn’t it?
(Can we please stop talking about me in the third person? I’m right here.)
Isolate myself from their decadence? If feminism (which is a large part of Islam) and treating animals kindly (another large part) is decadence then I’ve been rolling around in it.
But of course you’ll ignore all of lils’s (thanks by the way) points. And instead run off like madness with the only one you could argue with. Typical.
On the other hand–when I went to France within our travel group were various women from different parts of the mid US who had views that were extremely conservative.
In their lifestyles, they were extremely promiscuous. And they gossiped. As frequently as they would breathe. My friends (most of whom were moderate to liberal) were absolutely in shock.
There’s your decadence. It’s also present in jerkfaces who believe women shouldn’t vote.
God gave me the right to vote. For anyone to even bring up the possibility of that being taken away–that’s as offensive as the Folsom Street Fair. As a matter of fact, I’d rather walk through that than have my God given rights taken away from me. I can’t even explain how much that disgusts me.
Here it’s a slander to say a woman isn’t fit to vote. In Islam it is a treason.
*sarcasm
“She is an extreme America hater.
And a liberal.”
… that’s a bit redundant isn’t it?
Yeah, you are right. It goes along with being liberal doesn’t it.
And yeah, conservatives don’t love their pets right?
We like animals.
We just don’t want to give them all lawyers.
And when has anyone seriously talked about removing a woman’s right to vote? Although you can kind of trace America’s decline to that but still I can’t bring myself to do that.
By the way, is there such a thing as a Woman Imam? I would think not but I was surprised to find out about the gay Imam so, I thought perhaps…
Yes there is, although not many.
There seems to be more gay Imams than woman Imams.
Wow, indeed there is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_as_imams#Mixed-gender_congregations
Islam is going through quite a transformation isn’t it. Pretty soon it is going to be just like Christianity with gay weddings and all other kinds of “progressive” stuff.
“A Jihad for Love” came out in early 2007 yet Parvez Sharma is still alive?
What’s up with you Muslims? You have really not lived up to your image of late.
Parvez Sharma
“And yeah, conservatives don’t love their pets right?”
I’m not talking about at home.
“And when has anyone seriously talked about removing a woman’s right to vote?”
It’s been done. And written about.
We never believe in unnecessary cruelty of animals.
But yeah we believe in animal testing sure.
And hunting.
As for women voting no serious effort is under way from our side to restrict their vote. In fact a woman might be our nominee for President.
THIS POST WAS HIJACKED BE STEVE
anyway, how are ammar and rayan gonna get together? will the rest of the crew set it up or what?
if i were ammar, i would have stepped up right after he flaked.
i know he is doing some extra dhikring and rakaats not to fantasize about rayan’s hair after getting that one brief peek lol
hi,nice jeans in your post,I love thatgoodjeans,I need to find one for me,bill