'My Brother, The Islamist'-BBC iPlayer

There's been quite a bit of discussion online about a programme which was recently shown on BBC in the UK called "My Brother, the Islamist." I have watched parts of the programme on BBC iplayer and found it to be less sensationalist than I had expected.

The film is basically an account of the filmmaker's attempt to rekindle his relatinship with his stepbrother,Richard (now Salahuddin) who has coverted to Islam and who, at the time of making the film, had been Muslim for just 6 months. Salahuddin differs from the average convert in that he is involved with what, to most in the Muslim community, is a fringe political group/outfit known as Islam4UK who are headed by Anjem Chaudhury and are best known for stunts which, to many Muslims, have only served to harden attitudes to the Muslim community in the UK.

The film maker appeared to be frustrated by his inabilty to form any real connection with his stepbrother but I would caution against entirely writing off the possibilty of any type of meaningful relationship or in viewing the current modus operandi of Salahuddin(Richard)as being set in stone. It's understandable why one, particularly outside of Islam, might see the sitauation as such-Saahuddin, inspite of being a very new covert,speaks with what appears great authority on issues as they relate to Islam- but to more seasoned Muslims, and indeed any Muslim outside of the rather exclusivist Islam4UK,some of Saahuddin's assertions would provoke bemusement and possibly derision. For example, Salahauddin states that he cannot shake his stepbrother's hand as he(the stepbrother) is a non-Muslim. There is certanly no hadith or indeed any scholarly consensus recommeding that Muslims shake anyone's hand with anything but the right hand.

It was actually a sympathetic portrayal and I really found myself warming to some of the young lads, both converts and born Muslims, featured. The humour lay in their attempts to cover up their uncertainty about being at the flag burning demo with bravado and sloganeering. Although, very assured, they are, as evidenced by the pamphlets they read(all Wahabbi/Salafi published literature)at the very early stages of learning. I think that what the programme documented, perhaps unwittingly,was simply some of the psychological processes and behaviours that are the mainstay of any conversion to Islam (albeit with some additional features deriving from this particular group being part of a fringe sector of the Muslim community).

Another point of note is that, although, the Islamist group is seen as anti-Western. Traditional Muslims consider that change comes only when you change yourself. The thinking of some Islamists-that change can be brought about through protests, violence (although I don't think this group are violent)-is derived from a Western world view.

Perhaps as Salahauddin does engage with the Quran and hadith literature hi and books of Islamic jurisprudence of his accord he will be in a position to critique the readings of ahadith and Islamic literature that Anjem Chaudhury is directing his students towards. This might in turn lead to his attaching himself to the wider Muslim community and open him up to a much wider range of scholarship.

The video below details attempts, by one Luton-based Muslim group identifying with the Salafi movement,to challenge al-Muhajiroun which was, at one point, led by the same Anjem Chadhury who was featured in 'My Brother, The Islamist'