The doc about the Youth Worker turned wannabe film star was interesting in many ways and worrying in others. Here we see a young man desperate to be a Hollywood star but clearly hindered by his religion. He is obviously sincere towards his community in that he is a committed youth worker and one would consider him to be an excellent role model for young Muslim boys and teenagers, except that he is all too willing to compromise his religion and culture to further his acting dream. I for one would not allow him anywhere near my kids as he is sending out totally confused messages. In one scene he is talking to a room full of young Pakistani kids and telling them to be good citizens, to listen to their parents etc., etc. and in another we see his poor mother telling us she has seen his film and that her daughter covered her eyes when the nude scenes came on. Poor woman, in punjabi we call such sons “besharam” or “batmeez” or “behidayata” meaning without shame or without decorum and misguided.

I feel sorry for the “Atta Boy” he is quite clearly a confused individual, confused about his religion and what Islam requires of him. The good thing is that he does consider himself a Muslim and he seems to think that it is a very strong part of his identity as a Pakistani but it is not as important to him as he thinks it is.

The mere fact that he starred in a film in which, he strips off and engages in inappropriate behaviour with a young lady on numerous occasions and whilst in the state of post-copulatory contemplation discusses what Islam is about and what Christianity is about is quite disgraceful. Then in the documentary he apologises if that film caused offence! If that wasn’t enough he then takes on a role playing a homosexual character in another film in which he stipulates a condition that he won’t kiss another man and then we proceed to see him engaging in a simulated “Bollywood” style screen kiss with another man.

I think he is under the impression that the ends justify the means, case in point is his attending a party where Glasgow’s most eligible bachelors are auctioned off to young ladies for a date, all for charity. In Islam the ends never justify the means, noble ends require noble means.

I can’t help wondering if this particular documentary was an attempted PR exercise for the “Atta Boy”. My sincere advice to this brother is stop putting your religion second and don’t sell your soul and your akhira [afterlife] for Hollywood which you seem intent on doing. If you are desperate to be an actor then at least don’t take any role that comes your way, especially roles that will seriously compromises you as a Muslim.

wa’as-salam

Mas’ud
www.masud.co.uk