Voices from the Mosque, published in the volume Decade
Alecky Blythe
WHO Teenage Muslim.
TO WHOM The audience (see note on ‘Direct audience address’ in the introduction).
WHERE A London mosque.
WHEN Post-11th September 2001.
WHAT HAS JUST HAPPENED The play is made up of four short monologues in which three Muslim men talk about the aftereffects of 9/11. The script has been created from real-life interviews, which were then edited. The play is one of twenty that make up a larger performance piece called Decade.
WHAT TO CONSIDER
• | In the original production, the text was fed to the actors through earphones. They did not learn their lines, but repeated exactly what they heard using the same intonation and hesitation, including coughs and any stutters. |
• | Take this as a note to keep your performance very real and spontaneous. |
WHAT HE WANTS
• | To explain that Islam is a peaceful religion. |
• | To show that not all Muslims are terrorists. |
• | To defend himself against discrimination. |
KEYWORDS discrimination Islam non-Muslim terrorist invade rapes kill/kills defending home terrorises peace intimidated love life jeopardise
Teenage Muslim
We weren’t seen like that before s’like there was no discrimination ya know, way before (Beat.) two thousand and one ya know. Since then it’s like when you hear Islam – or a non-Muslim would hear Islam will think terrorist straight away and a terrorist is a person that comes to invade your land, takes over, ya know, rapes your women, kills your people. That’s what a terrorist is basically that terrorises your whole – area right? – And Muslims are not terrorists. We’re not terrorists ya know. They’re going to kill the brothers and sisters in Iraq an that yeah basically they’re defending their home. The word Islam means peace and it’s a peaceful religion – it’s very beautiful. (Beat.)
I go on the-on the train, people are watching me. They’re – especially if I’m wearing that long dress. I’ve ’ad to tell people ‘what the fuck you lookin at?’ literally because it intimidated me. I am a human bein – (Beat.) ya know. Peo – I’ve been intimidated by people where they’ve been looking at me like – ‘Terrorist’ ya know, people holding onto their bags ya know. I-I don’t like these things. I might be on the train – It doesn’t mean every person wearing that long dress that goes on the train is a bomber. Ya know what I’m tryin a say? I’m against these things. I – Ya know I actually love my life more than anything. I love my life, I’m not going to jeopardise my life for anybody else. Unless it’s do with my mum, my sister, my family only. Nobody else – no one is worth it ya know. But – a lot of discrimination has been happening (Beat.) in England (Beat.) towards Muslims – definitely – a hundred per cent. 