The Blue Prison
A Critique of the Hollywood Movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
This post is not to encourage watching movies or consuming haram media in any way, shape, or form. This is simply to report on the insidious nature of sociocultural engineering happening in the West against Islam, subliminally, through the use of popular media.
Though not an Islamic perspective, this article covers some of the more glaring Orientalist narratives presented in the film. The article itself is written from a feminist angle, but doesn’t really go into any super feminist theories or directions.
The Review
At one point in the film, Kim Baker (Tina Fey’s character) has to wear a burqa, and her Afghan guide comments, "You are in the blue prison, now."
This is something that is fascinating and kind of hilarious in a sad way. Prisoners are the ones who are prevented from doing what they like, they are the restrained party. In what ways was Baker restrained while wearing her burqa? Rather, she had more freedom than the men and was able to sneak a camera into a place where a man wouldn’t be able to do so since, in her own words, while wearing the burqa, "no one looks at [her]."
The burqa does not prevent her from transacting, socializing, reading, or doing anything anyone else can do. All it prevents is the gaze of others. Men are the ones imprisoned by the burqa because they are the ones prevented from seeing the woman within. For many non-believing men, they have been socialized to feel they have an inherent right to see women’s bodies. They feel the prison of the burqa which chains away that presumed "right" and so fight hard to remove it. As for the non-believing women, they, like Baker, wish to display themselves and "be seen." They can do as they wish but the hypocrisy lies in claiming this to be a feminist issue or that justice is in a woman revealing her body. In reality, this is just a voyeuristic preference they have in their hearts, which they want to make acceptable so as to remove the natural element of shame.
Narrated Abu Masud ‘Uqba: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "One of the sayings of the prophets which the people have got, is. ‘If you do not feel ashamed, then do whatever you like."