Representations of terrorism and ethnicity in Spooks

How terrorism is portrayed?
Key scenes:
Ahmed Shoots MI5 agent Butterfly:

Here the terrorist are portrayed as extremely threatening and this is obvious from the costume as one of them is wearing a black balaclava and gloves and the other one holds a gun. Ahmed shoots without thinking twice which shows that they have no sympathy for their enemy. Here terrorist are portrayed as very powerful with the authority to shoot as and when they like. They do not give people a second chance. This scene also shows the cunning ways of the terrorist who gives money to the agent before taking it away and shooting him.

When Danny and Fiona are held hostage:

Here the Terrorists are portrayed as great patriots of their own country but revengeful towards others, especially Britain. Again the terrorist is shown to be cunning whilst momentarily pretending to co-operate. He then aggressively handles Fiona whilst placing her in front of the camera, whilst the other terrorist gets out a knife on Danny. Here they are conveyed to be extremely frightening and dangerous, capable of committing any crime. Their violent nature is evident through the dialogue when Ahmed says ‘or I will cut his throat’ and ‘burned alive’.

Ahmed shoots Danny:

The evil amongst the terrorist is portrayed through this scene where Adam is forced to choose who should be killed, his wife or colleague making all three innocent characters suffer. It is emphasised by Danny short speech where he is portrayed to be an almost divine character which Ahmed then shoots. This shows the terrorists to be full of anger and unsympathetic.

Ahmed is represented in a negative way, Fiona and Danny positively. How are binary opposites conveyed to the audience?
The binary opposite of good versus evil is portrayed through the different characters, action and dialogue. From the start we can see that whilst Fiona and Danny are sitting down, handcuffed to the chair, the terrorists surrounding are always standing up, ready to trigger their guns. Here we see the vulnerability of the MI5 agents as opposed to the threatening and intimidating terrorists. Danny and Fiona are both made to seem victims of the criminal and we can see this from the sweat and blood of their face as the terrorists act aggressively towards them. Their dialogue also emphasises the difference between the terrorists and agents as whilst Ahmed is often heard saying evil things such as ‘when you’re son is older he’ll be able to watch images on you on the internet burning’, Danny on the other hand says ‘Acts of hatred also produce acts of love’

What role does camerawork and editing play in underlining these representations? What techniques are used to engage the audience?
From the beginning the camera and editing make the audience suspicious and Ahmed and Khatera as it uses CUs of Khatera putting an ear piece in her ear revealing very little about them. On the other hand there are mainly MSs of Fiona and Adam to so we are able to see that they are two ordinary people living in a normal house doing normal things. Here, cross cutting is used to highlight the two situations as linked but quite opposite.

After Fiona and Danny get captured there is a high angle LS of the room to put things into perspective for the audience so they are aware of where Fiona and Danny are sitting as the victims in relation to Ahmed and the other terrorists that stand surrounding them. The camera then uses mainly CUs to show the expressions on the characters faces so we are able to see that whilst Ahmed always speaks with confidence, Fiona gulps and looks away and Danny sighs. The camera distances help us feel much closer victims and empathize with their situation. There are also pan shots of Ahmed as he walks around the room asserting authority. The camera is always moving to make things seem realistic to the audience as if they are present in the scene. Handheld camera is also used during the violent scenes so the audience can in a way experience the violence rather than just watch it as an observer, again involving them.

The editing is generally medium paced but at times seems to be quite quick in order to get the audience on edge. The camera is constantly cutting from Ahmed to Fiona to Danny as they speak or react. The camera rarely shows us the three of them in one frame communicating but uses a sequence of lots of CUs instead. There are some really quick cuts for a harsher effect for example when Ahmed places the photo of Agent Butterfly on the table, there’s CU shot almost immediately followed by an ECU shot of the photo which comes as a shock to the audience. It emphasises the aggressiveness of the terrorists. During violent scenes the camera also cuts to CUs for effect for example when Danny punches one of the guards, the quick cuts showing the detail engages the audience with the violence. The quick cuts make the scenes seem really action packed for example when Danny and Fiona are running out of the building, the audience is deceived into thinking a lot more is going on due to the quick cuts from a CU of the door handle, to a CU of their feet to a CU of the phone dropping etc.

Shot reverse shot is used when Ahmed holds a gun at Fiona’s head to show his cruelty and Danny’s panicked expression. This continuous cross-cutting for a few seconds get the audience anxious as to what will happen next. Will Ahmed shoot Fiona? Will Danny continue to run away? Will they suddenly be saved? Here the editing, which although is quick, gives the audience a chance to become curious and start to question things engaging them with the situation.

After Danny is killed, there is a LS of Fiona in the room alone made to look vulnerable and weak and the audience really sympathise with her character as a victim.

What view of terrorism emerges from these scenes?
This episode obviously portrays a very negative view of Terrorism. It is seen to an act of cruelty towards people who are innocent as well as those who work for the betterment of society. Terrorism is viewed as an act of revenge and a war between two countries and two religions as Ahmed says ‘They’ve destroyed our world. Now we’re ready to destroy theirs’.

Danny sums up what terrorism represents when he says that they are those who have ‘lost their humanity and now have no kindness or pity left’ and this view is highlighted throughout the episode.

What do you understand by Arab, Islamic, Muslim and Middle-Eastern?
Although all these terms are linked an Arab or Middle-Eastern is describing what part of the world a person originates from, whilst Islamic or Muslim represents their religious identity and beliefs. People from Saudi Arabia or the Middle-East generally tend to follow the religion of Islam.

What are the same categories for describing British people?
It is hard to categorize British people as Britain is so multicultural. The main terms used are probably English, Scottish or Welsh. You can also get British Americans and British Asians.

What do you know about Al Qaeda?
Al Qaeda is an international Islamic extremist group which I have really only been aware of since the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers. They are involved in many terrorist activities which sometimes involve suicide bombers and usually target Western countries.

Look at the representation of Ahmed and Khatera. How far does the drama position audiences to equate ‘Muslim’ with terrorism?
The drama does not directly equate ‘Muslim’ with terrorism however indirectly they have made many links between the two. For example, the terrorists, Ahmed and Khatera are Muslim themselves, which is obvious from their names. They are from Iraq which is an Islamic country. The ‘Al Qaeda’ are mentioned which is an Islamic terrorist group although Fiona herself, as a British person, says ‘I am being held by a group of fighters’. Therefore the religion itself is not mentioned. Khatera also mentions how she is part of this because her family was killed by the British and therefore it’s not a form of religious practice but an act of revenge. The story had to be presented extremely carefully so that it wouldn’t offend anyone in the Muslim community and therefore religion cannot really be mentioned.

Think of the other characters from British ethnic minorities in the drama. What is their significance?
I think the other characters are extremely significant especially Zafar’s character who is an Asian himself, as this portrays a more positive view of Asians as to the image given by Ahmed. In this episode he is extremely helpful and friendly which shows that the drama does not intend to represent Asians as ‘evil’, but just the terrorists. I would say the Hero of this episode is definitely Danny, who is not the typical white English man, but instead a black man. This is extremely significant as they have also presented a positive image of black people by portraying Danny as brave, likable, and extremely humane. Here the drama shows that being British does not symbolize a white community but a multicultural one where people from different backgrounds have different virtues and qualities that add to the betterment of society.