The ladies of MMW and I deconstruct M.I.A.’s newest music video:

Fatemeh: This song is bad-ass and I’m going to be listening to it non-stop for the next week.

BUT YEAH. It’s cool that M.I.A. is showcasing a prominent and prevalent Khaleej pastime (this is all over YouTube in Arabic), but is obviously exploiting it while using dancers in niqabs and the “locals” as props. Plus, I think the shots of burning detritus and huge-ass pipes just shore up the idea that the desert is nothing but and these places have nothing better going for them. I’d react more favorably to see this set in a Dubai roadway with lit-up palm trees and the Burj in the background.

Check out the entire discussion at Muslimah Media Watch!