Row as Channel 4 ‘browns up’ a white woman to look Muslim
CHANNEL 4 has been accused of shocking misjudgement after dressing up a white woman as a Pakistani Muslim for a ‘deeply offensive’ social experiment.
Critics said that, rather than fostering more understanding, the controversial documentary instead provoked Islamophobia.
My Week As A Muslim saw NHS worker Katie Freeman wear a prosthetic face mask, dark make-up, brown contact lenses and a hijab to integrate with a Muslim family.
Miss Freeman, who had previously voiced strong anti-Islamic prejudices, lived for a week with Saima Alvi, a Muslim teacher and mother of five from Altrincham, near Manchester.
The resulting programme, screened on Monday night, has deeply offended several Muslim groups, particularly through the decision to use ‘brownfacing’ – making Miss Freeman’s skin darker when there are many lightskinned Muslims.
Baroness Warsi, a Yorkshire-born Muslim and former co-chairman of the Tory Party, tweeted: ‘So I waited until the end of #MyWeekAsAMuslim just in case it got better. Sadly on many levels @Channel4 got this one horribly wrong.
‘Brave of Saima and Katie to do this – well done for attempting to challenge stereotypes. Sadly @ Channel4 let you both down.’
The Muslim Council of Britain said: ‘The use of brownface and blackface has a long racist history and it is not surprising that it has caused deep offence amongst some communities. Had we been consulted, we would not have advised this approach. We do, however, laud the apparent goals of the documentary – to better understand the reality of Islamophobia which has become socially accepted across broader society.’
Yesterday, healthcare assistant Miss Freeman, 43, conceded that she ‘knew it would be controversial’ when she was told that she would be in disguise. She told ITV’s This Morning: ‘I knew people wouldn’t understand why we did that but for me to truly immerse myself into the community I had to be [unrecognisable].’
Host Ben Shephard said he had found that aspect of the programme ‘uncomfortable’, and asked Mrs Alvi, 49, if she thought it was ‘justified’. She replied: ‘Possibly it wasn’t ideal. But radical methods sometimes have to be used to get out a message.’
The programme, made by The Garden – the production company behind Channel 4 series Extremely British Muslims and Channel 5 documentary 100% British – drew an angry response from some of its 1.2million viewers.
One wrote on social media: ‘The whole program is just wrong. Just ask a Muslim their thoughts.’
However, others praised the show for successfully addressing Miss Freeman’s prejudices and those of the audience.
At the beginning of the documentary, Miss Freeman, who was previously a ‘ban the burka’ campaigner, said of Muslims that ‘you see them and think they’re going to blow something up’.
She also criticised Mrs Alvi, saying that she does not dress ‘typically British’ – prompting accusations of ignorance from viewers.
However, Miss Freeman was later shown praying in a mosque and reacting with shock when she was subjected to Islamophobic abuse when walking past her local pub. Ultimately, she appeared to have moderated her views.
Fozia Khan, executive producer of the documentary, said: ‘The programme allowed Katie to meaningfully walk in the shoes of someone from a different background and to experience what it is like to be part of the British Pakistani Muslim community.’