Did anyone else get annoyed by the "mashallah" they were putting in all over the movie just to make it sound more arabic?
I know arabs say it alot, but come on! Ive got alot of arabic peaking friends, but none of them say it that much. And so fake. Any arabic speaking people here who can tell if it sounds realistic or not?
Why do you ask since you have drawn your own conclusion?
Some people have a habit of repeating a phrase over and over. Whether it's "what the *beep*", "in my opinion", "that's what I'm saying", or "right?", they seem to insert it regularly in whatever they are saying.
By the way the word is a phrase that means "Whatever Allah (God) wills". And because of that, some people might be offended by its use in this film.
"I'd never ask you to trust me. It's the cry of a guilty soul."
It made sense to me. Usually, it was said before cutting off Martijn's fingers. Fishborn was suppose to be playing an extremist who you could argue should be (or believes he is) very devout. It's not uncommon for a Muslim to say bismillah (in the name of God), inshallah (God willing), mashallah (it's God's will), or alhumdu allah (thank God) frequently. It is part of their belief to keep God in their minds for everything they do.
My friends say bismillah before they drive and eat (and sometimes before pouring water down the sink or turning in homework), inshallah when they're making plans or wanting something to happen, mashallah when they compliment each other, and alhumdu allah when things go their way. A lot of the time these things are said under their breath so sometimes you may not realize they are saying it at all.
Anyway, in the movie I'm assuming the characters would use mashallah before cutting off the fingers as to take the blame away from them and claim that if God didn't want your fingers cut off they wouldn't be.
Without going into much detail and explanations... I'm just going the say the following: The usage of mashallah and inshallah in this particular film were quite akwardly placed given the context(s) and situation(s). I say this after having travelled, lived in various muslim and non-muslim countries and being one myself.
shareI found it superficial and Islamophobic to be honest. I am a Leftist myself and I think for the thousand s of films made against Islamic or Arab cultures, how many have been made about white Christian crimes and atrocities for centuries?
sharehow many have been made about white Christian crimes and atrocities for centuries?
My Arab friends say 'mashallah' as an exclamation, like 'Good Lord!' but in a good way.
It made Ahmad sound sarcastic whenever he said it, as if he was jokingly pretending to be shocked by Martijn's statements.
I don't think it's particularly 'Muslim', I'm sure Christian and Jewish Arabs would also say it.
To answer your original question... It didn't annoy me. It was a good clue for the end :)
Also I hear plenty of Arabs say it. Muslims from other countries seem to pronounce it more clearly, like 'masha-Allah', whereas Arabs usually shorten it to 'mashallah'.