Saturday, March 17, 2007

TV 'Retreat' participant hits out

By Simon Greenhalgh - This is Cheshire - U.K.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
A Bowdon resident who starred in a fly on the wall three-part television documentary has hit out at the programme makers.

The final episode of The Retreat - that followed six British volunteers on a four week Sufi Islamic retreat in Spain - was shown on BBC 2 on Monday night.

Aisha Alvi, aged 31, claims the documentary's producers, Tiger Aspects, omitted vital footage.
"I felt quite intimidated at times and my biggest complaint is the way the programme has been edited," said Aisha.

"Sufism is a very mystical form of Islam and I understood from the offset that there would be certain things I wouldn't be comfortable with.

"But I was portrayed as someone who was very dogmatic and the impression given on the voice over is that I am constantly opting out.
(...)

At the beginning of Monday night's episode it wasn't clear whether Aisha would last the four weeks. But she decided to stay and saw one of her fellow participants, Pom, convert to Islam.
"Yes it was a journey for some of the others, but for me I felt disappointed by what happened.
(...)
[There is a debate at the end of this News report: click on the article's title above]

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

TV 'Retreat' participant hits out
By Simon Greenhalgh - This is Cheshire - U.K.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
A Bowdon resident who starred in a fly on the wall three-part television documentary has hit out at the programme makers.

The final episode of The Retreat - that followed six British volunteers on a four week Sufi Islamic retreat in Spain - was shown on BBC 2 on Monday night.

Aisha Alvi, aged 31, claims the documentary's producers, Tiger Aspects, omitted vital footage.
"I felt quite intimidated at times and my biggest complaint is the way the programme has been edited," said Aisha.

"Sufism is a very mystical form of Islam and I understood from the offset that there would be certain things I wouldn't be comfortable with.

"But I was portrayed as someone who was very dogmatic and the impression given on the voice over is that I am constantly opting out.
(...)

At the beginning of Monday night's episode it wasn't clear whether Aisha would last the four weeks. But she decided to stay and saw one of her fellow participants, Pom, convert to Islam.
"Yes it was a journey for some of the others, but for me I felt disappointed by what happened.
(...)
[There is a debate at the end of this News report: click on the article's title above]

No comments: