Britz: The heartbreak, the anger, the attempt at understanding

When I was very young, one of my earliest memories was of hearing the whispers in my family concerning relatives who were fighting the communists in Hungary. My grandparents were concerned, certainly. These were people they had known before they came to America. My mother, who tried so hard to fit in, was concerned but more for her parents than for people she did not know. As for me,  who did not speak Hungarian and was only a small child, I could only listen to the whispers and worry. But it did affect me. Later in life, I became for a time an ardent anti-communist, reacting to politics I had barely understood.

Perhaps something about that early memory makes Britz resonate so much with me. Because the family shown in the drama also came to the West to find a better life. But Britain, which has always had a more open door policy toward people from what were once their colonies, has a much larger Arab population and saw 9/11 as more of a threat than we Americans did. As a result, the anti-terrorism laws that country passed were much harsher than our own. After the London bombings of July 2005, when it was discovered that the bombers were not aliens but rather people born and raised in Britain, the British people began to ask how their own country had bred terrorists. Britz, created by a filmmaker who is himself a second generation British citizen, aims to give one answer to that question.

Sohail, the brother, decides that “intelligent Muslims are what [Britain] needs” and joins the secret service. He does this even though he tells others he works with that “I am well aware of the causes of terrorism” – meaning, of course, the anti-terrorist laws themselves make many ripe for a radical message

Nasima, the sister, is also well aware of the cultural restraints of being female and Muslim. Hers should have been an easy choice – turn your back on your culture, westernize and use your intelligence to become successful. But though she is well along on that road, she becomes increasingly radicalized by the actions of her government toward her friends. Watching her take this path was difficult, and I question its realism, or at least the length of this segment. It could have easily been twice as long and likely more effective at explaining how she became so misled.

When this drama aired in Britain, it produced  a lot of strong feelings. Muslims questioned why is was made by someone who was not Muslim.  Some British thought it glorified terrorism. (You can read the director’s full interview here.) But there were also many who agreed with the message of the drama’s creator — that dialogue rather than repression is the way to find peace. It is ironic that, as I post this, I am listening to a new report about the terrorist attacks in India. And so the cycle goes on and on and on.

Here’s a chance to post your own thoughts about the drama. Take a moment and share them.