A PROVOCATIVE comedy at the National Theatre – England People Very Nice - has been labeled “racist” for its portrayal of young East End Muslims men as Bin Laden admirers or drug dealers or muggers, plus a mad mullah ranting about how women must be subservient to men.
But award-winning dramatist Richard Bean’s play about successive waves of immigration to the East End of London has a robust pop at other groups too – like incestuous, pig-breeding, drunken Irishmen, snooty Frenchmen, and farcical Jewish anarchists.
The poster for Bean's provocative play
Now Nicholas Hytner, the National’s director who is also directing the play, will have to explain why he chose to stage it to a delegation of writers and community activists from the East End meeting him next Friday to protest against what they regard as a caricature of Britain’s racial history, according to the Guardian.
Hussain Ismail, a playwright from Bethnal Green who demanded the meeting with Hytner said:
The National represents modern Britain, and in particular London, and I don’t see how Muslims can identify with the National Theatre when it puts on this kind of racist work. I have been going to the National for 20 years, but I don’t see how I can identify with a place that stages what I see as a personal attack on me and the community I belong to.
I’ve been telling everybody I know to go and see it, so they can see how bad it is, unfortunately, and to see what the level of debate is around multiculturalism at our national theatre.
He added:
It is offensive towards ethnic minorities. It is particularly offensive towards the Irish and Bangladeshis. Those involved in staging this production need to explain themselves and be brought to account.
Bean’s comedy, set around the Brick Lane area of east London, spans more than three centuries, from the arrival of Huguenot weavers to successive influxes of Irish, eastern European Jews and Bangladeshi Muslims. Each wave is greeted with hostility and suspicion with locals, only to integrate to such an extent that they themselves take a similar attitude to the next wave of newcomers.
Bean told the Guardian:
The British don’t know how to talk about [immigration]. You go to a dinner party and raise the subject of immigration, and you’re the rightwing loony. But we should talk about it, because this is what our nation does: we develop and change partly because of the different types of immigration we’ve had.
You can read the reaction of people who have seen it here.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
February 14th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Just seen on the news that anti-terrorist police are searching five houses in Burnley and have made a number of arrests. I bet it’s those bloody Dutch Freedom Party fanatics again.
At least we have concerned citizens, like Hussain Ishmail from Bethnal Green, who are willing to censor our cultural activities. I like his idea of telling everybody to view the so-called offensive production so as to judge for themselves.
There is a certain book, and a short film based upon that book, that could do with similar public scrutiny.
February 15th, 2009 at 8:54 am
The Taliban and people of that ilk ban entertainment of any kind in the countries where they hold sway. Presumbly, that will be the case in certain parts of the UK within the next few years. They’ve already made a good start, the BBC no longer is allowed to link terrorism and islam and with so many muslim employees, any observations on islamofacists must be positive before they are mentioned. The government refuse entry to the country to anyone who even whispers the smallest criticism of the death cult. Ho Hum.
February 15th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Never mind the Taliban banning entertainment – the BBC haven’t entertained me for a long time!
All that f*cking ball room dancing and ice skating and musical garbage!
February 15th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
If people have no sense of humour, perhaps they’re not ideally placed to criticise a comedy? This may be a lousy play, or it may be brilliant; if it’s lousy it’ll sink on its own. But no, the self-appointed multi-culti elite have to decide for us. I notice that the term ‘community activists’ is used. That’s alwaya a danger sign. Unelected, unaccountable and probably dishing out taxpayers’ money to their cousins.
February 16th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Free speech in the UK? Only when it is what our lords and masters agree is free speech. I heard a Lib Dem saying that free speech is fine but not if it encourages riots or terrorists. But who decides? Quis custodiat etc……………………….
Tony Blair had plenty of free speech when he was lying to us? And, while I am having a rant, what was Obama doing by inviting the
Roman Catholic supporting, faith school encouraging, creationist agreeing Blair as the first (allegedly) European politician to meet him. I hope I am wrong but that gave me a bad feeling about Obama. Is he, like Blair, all mouth?
Tell me it ain’t so!
February 25th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
So sick of beginning to feel like the “minority” in my own country as well as a prisoner. Gradually having my rights eroded away and if not by legitimate political process, then by unelected guardians of sub-cultures who feel it their duty and mission to impose upon the free thinking and expressing members of this country their will and morality. I reserve the right to express myself in any way of my choosing unless it is outright abuse and can instantly be construed as such. Free country….. not any more alas…… Alas allah !