People are being problematic on goodreads again: Four Eids and a Funeral Review

[@sevikasstar]

as a queer person who used to follow Islam (now not anymore because the community was really horrible to me and all the other queer muslims I knew), I have many thoughts about some of the criticism muslims make about this book. first of all, there are definitely many aspects of the religion that are beautiful, otherwise I wouldnt have followed it. but there were also things that just made everything exhausting, with the biggest problem being the community. I‘ve done a lot of research about queerness in Islam and to sum it up, some people interpret things differently (and not just the topic of queerness) - some people believe queerness is a sin, some do not. Muslims all over the world live their faith differently. the author is allowed to write their religious characters however they want to (we literally see the things that are happening in the book also happening in the real world). I understand where the criticism is coming from but religion and religious beliefs are ALSO allowed to be criticised, such as why queerness is seen as a sin and if a religion can be fair if its against queer (or also other) people. queer muslims are also allowed to have representation..queerness isnt a western thing, queer people have always existed, everywhere and they are allowed to be represented in books, wether its a religious book or not. religion doesnt justify homophobia and people's homophobia shouldnt be excused by religious rules.

[@sunshineeee]

Not totally specific to the video, but: The same way we shouldn’t write off poorly written children’s books as being “fine bc they’re for kids”, we have to stop accepting shitty and non-thought out stories just bc they’re romance or a less dramatic genre.

[@zaaa-lq7kb]

I agree, I read this book and the writing was so cringe, like the way it was structured was unique in a silly way

[@ashcraft555]

I love 10 Things I Hate About You, but I'm very confused why they went with that for the movie poster inspiration instead of - you know - Four Weddings and a Funeral.

[@itscjrodgers]

I was an army kid who had a lot of friends move away and losing contact is so easy, even with a landline. It literally could have been as easy as Said forgot to call once or twice and the school only allows calls at a certain time after classes let out and Tiwa couldn't call the school phones bc the phone number leads to the school office or something. Phones aren't always the solution to distance after all!

[@Evelyn_Okay]

This is why I stopped learning to write a novel by reading other novels. Conflicts with consequences matter. Characters can't grow when the author holds their hand through the plot. Also, 10/10 Chekhov's Gun mention

[@Cutestdisaster3]

I feel like a good chunk of people are ignoring the fact that one of the authors identifies as a queer Muslim 😭 People are allowed to think this book is icky for its Muslim representation but its made by a muslim soo I hate the policing of how one must pratice their belief but anyways the book itself sounds a bit lackluster other than this controversy

[@equinoxcrow]

Wait, what about email? A community center would have computers, and so do school libraries. Covid didn't eat those things.

[@ellealine4159]

Ugh i wrote a lenghty review that disappeared and I'm too lazy to type it out again. Basically no religion is a monolith, everyone has their own interpretation and just like there are christians that accept homosexuality there can be muslims accepting homosexuality. Also you were very cordial and sensibile when you said youe opinion, never claiming authority on the topic.

[@bethanypollard6940]

Why are people so mad in the comments? All she did was talk about why the plot didn’t work for her and how you shouldn’t be shitty to queer people regardless of your religion lol

[@sherlockholmes4059]

Adiba‘s books are so celebrated in the queer reading space and I kinda got every book she ever wrote on my wishlists. And I didn’t even know this was part of her books too. I can’t 😂. I will read it to form my own opinion and I will get her other works soon too. ( a little bit also just to spite this horrible people)

[@whiteraven562]

It's hilarious that someone would complain about this book having lesbians in it when the movie the title is parodying (4 Weddings and a funeral) has a gay couple!

[@jostinaluver]

Because it's being promoted as a Muslim romance and queerness is considered against the faith

[@hatchetfieldharpie3276]

@@jostinaluverdifferent people believe different things within any given religion. Considering the book was written by Muslims, I think we should be able to see that. Besides, religion isn’t an excuse for bigotry. Religious rights should be protected and respected, and so too should the rights and existence of gay people, including gay religious people

[@michellexbeauty9832]

@@jostinaluverthe thing is… nuances in life exist. Gay Muslims exist. Why can’t they write it in a book?

[@UnfriendlyBlackExMuslimHottie]

@@michellexbeauty9832 gay Muslims exist in the closet. Once they're out they get yeeted off buildings. Please get out of your Western bubble

[@jostinaluver]

@@michellexbeauty9832 Queerness is against their religion. There are definitely gay Muslims that exist but they are not accepted by mainstream practitioners.

[@annieeeeeeee1234]

We need to stop normalizing homophobia in any shape or form. There is nothing that justifies being homophobic. Real gay people come before any religious practice ever.

[@AllisonMiller30]

I don’t know the age of the authors, but from your review, it sounds like they’re in their late fifties or just twenty something women who are really into nostalgia, and not even the good nostalgia. It’s giving “how do you do, fellow kids?”

[@meozones]

A little unrelated, but I definitely recommend the film 10 things I hate about you, it's one of my favourite romcoms!

[@missliv.404]

Not realizing that something references something else but being like "wow this has xy ebergy" without connecting a single dot is so me

[@jostinaluver]

Like you said you're not Muslim so you can't speak on it. Dating in general is Haram in some Islam practices. Not saying it's correct but that would be something interesting for these authors to have a discussion about in their stories.

[@arcane9205]

Yeah, like she's defending a concept she has openly said she's not knowledgeable on within this very video and criticizing actual Muslim readers for picking out flaws that they themselves see in the books that she simply can't see because she's not looking at things the same way they are

[@hatchetfieldharpie3276]

I’d be fascinated to hear a discussion around different practices within Islam and how the authors’ lived experiences shaped their writing of them

[@sabiha.sayeed]

As a Muslim, I think she (the OP who made this video) offers very valid criticism. I agree with her. Lots of Muslims date. It's very common in a lot of countries actually. Literature doesn't have to be this preachy guideline about how people should lead their lives to the T. If you want that, read the Qu'ran, not a romance book lol. Literature is about exploring ideas and sharing different experiences.

[@arcane9205]

@sabiha.sayeed it being common doesn't mean it's right

[@kayri687]

hahah very cute ending to your vid! always love to hear your reviews!

[@sincerelykiwii]

I was interested in this video because I used to be Muslim, and I kept seeing this book every time I went to the library (which is rare because I never see the same books twice there). I read the synopsis in the book, but I wasn't really drawn to it, so this video is really convenient for me. I wanted a quick way to see what I missed, but apparently, it wasn't much 😭

[@justwonder1404]

As one of the more conservative Muslims, I'd be more annoyed by all the plotholes and undeveloped storylines you mentioned than anything else. This is probably the laziest miscommunication trope I've heard about.

[@Diana-mu7pc]

My poor girl Mrs. Barnes x(

[@sabiha.sayeed]

I'm so glad I decided to skip on this book lol. These are huge pet peeves of mine, too!

[@angelaholmes8888]

10 things I hate about you is a good film it's a modern take on Shakespeare's taming of the shrew

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@arcane9205]

Respectfully, as a non-muslim, you really have no right to tell muslims that they are wrong for considering homosexuality a sin and bad representation of their religion. In their religion, homosexuality is considered a sin. So if they read a book looking for good representation for Muslims and come across a gay person, then it's perfectly reasonable for them to list that as a con in a review. It's pretty clear with an Islam and the Quran that homosexuality is a sin, so whether the authors are Muslim as they say or not, they are objectively incorrect to portray homosexuality in an Islamic lens as perfectly fine and acceptable. Muslims are allowed to get upset when they feel that their religion is being misrepresented, and I think it's not really your place to criticize them or that as an outsider of the religion looking in.

[@hatchetfieldharpie3276]

People can and are both gay and Muslim. Muslims aren’t a monolith. Shockingly there is incredible diversity of both identity and thought among the followers of one of the largest religions in the world. Not to mention, religion isn’t a valid excuse for bigotry. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and more have all had people use religious arguments to prop up, but that doesn’t make it right. And it’s not very kind towards religion to tie bigotry to it in such a way

[@chxilya]

Respectfully, no religion is an excuse to be homophobic. And you completely ignored all the queer Muslims.

[@arcane9205]

@@chxilya According to the Quran a "queer Muslim" is commiting haram. It makes it very clear that that's wrong.

[@arcane9205]

@@hatchetfieldharpie3276 the Quran forbids homosexuality, point blank period.

[@michellexbeauty9832]

@@arcane9205okay. And gay people are going to exist whether it’s haram or not. Why can’t a gay Muslim write about gay people? It’s haram, sure whatever. But suddenly things that are considered “bad” (to some) can’t be written about? If literature were to be policed by that mindset? The censorship would be insane. This is a fictional book. Being a gay Muslim in, what you’re clearly describing, a largely unaccepting community is hard. Let them have some romantic escapism. If the book isn’t for you, then it’s not for you. It’s not fair to be so harsh on it because you personally disagree with beliefs.