Sleeper Cell
Any time that the entertainment industry tries to tackle the issue of Islamic terrorism, I cringe. It usually goes one of two ways: a politically correct interpretation where the script bends over backwards trying to keep groups like CAIR from being offended, or it goes the other way and portrays a simplified “white guys vs. Muslim-looking guys” struggle. Showtime’s new miniseries Sleeper Cell is a breath of fresh air.
The show is well scripted, with many twists and turns, so I don’t want to give anything away. I’ll just make some general comments. The major theme of the show (four episodes out of ten have aired) is the answer to the question “what is the greater Jihad?” The answer is that the greater Jihad (struggle) is not about Muslims against infidels, but that it exists within one’s heart. It becomes clear in Sleeper Cell that there are two conflicts, one between Islamic extremism and the infidels, and one between Islamic extremism and Islam itself. In a powerful series of scenes, one of the terrorists is confronted with verses from the Qur’an which, try as he might to twist them out of context, he cannot refute… verses that condemn him for his actions. You can see his internal Jihad as his hatred does battle with what he knows to be true.
The show seems to be getting very little press, which is a shame… it’s the best take on the issue that I’ve seen yet.
