The Real Housewives of ISIS (and Hitler)

From The New York Post

“The Real Housewives of ISIS” is everything reality fans might expect — jihadi brides deciding what to wear to a beheading, counting the number dead husbands and griping that their suicide vests are too matchy-matchy.

But not everyone is laughing at the new satirical skit, featured on the BBC’s “Revolting” comedy show, which set off a social media firestorm after it was debuted this week with some branding it “tasteless” and “offensive.”

[I’ll point out that it’s no worse than the British sitcom “Heil Honey, I’m Home” – featuring the characters Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun – https://youtu.be/qWjCkcAmzDc?t=51]

The Real Housewives of ISIS sketch — which focuses on four British wives of Islamic State militants wearing black hijabs who were lured by ISIS extremists — parodies Bravo’s popular reality TV series “The Real Housewives” in the US.

In the opening of the two-minute skit set in war-torn Syria, one of the women complains: “It’s only three days till the beheading, and I’ve got no idea what I’m going to wear!”

Another mentions that she’s been widowed five times, then corrects herself and says six.

At one point the women discuss their outfits and two of them turn up wearing matching suicide vests.

“Ta-da! What do you think? Ahmed surprised with me it yesterday!” says one as her friend posts a photo of her wearing the bomber vest on Instagram.

In a preview to next week’s episode, one woman says that her husband Ali bought her a new chain “which is 8-foot-long” as she is chained to the oven. “So I can almost get outside which is great!” she says.

Some blasted the mock reality show as being in poor taste.

“Not funny at all. With everything going on in the world, I’m sure those who have been effected by Isis, or been victims of them, or the relatives of those killed in terrorists attacks, won’t be laughing,” Anna Butcher wrote on the BBC’s Facebook page in the comments section of the clip.

Jenny Baird commented: “Terrible!! Am I the only one who thinks this is very bad and tasteless!!!”

“Disgraceful and distasteful. The BBC is normalizing Islamophobia through comedy. It’s also normalizing destruction of war torn Syria,” Al Baker said.

Other reactions ranged in the opposite direction.

“This is pure comedy gold!” said Andrew McDonagh.

Facebook user Keith Phillips said, “Brilliant! Britain got through two world wars and numerous other tragic events by making inappropriate jokes about them, that’s how we deal with things and it’s our prerogative. The ridiculous deserves to be ridiculed, good on the BBC!”

BBC declined to comment to the AFP on the skit, but Jolyon Rubinstein, the co-creator of the “Revolting” show which satirizes current affairs, posted on Twitter: “Why shouldn’t we mock female jihadists?”