The BBC hit show “Bodyguard” has been a topic of conversation all over social media, from hailing it as one of the BBC’s best shows to calling it out for Islamophobia. The show follows an ex veteran who is assigned to protect the Home Secretary, Julia Montague, who is then assassinated.

Over 10.5 million people viewed the final in a six part series of BBC drama, the extended 75 minute special is currently the most watched drama of the year.

Many have been sharing their thoughts on the drama and highlighted the misrepresentation of Muslim women through it, going as far to suggest it was fuelling Islamophobia.

https://twitter.com/AntonioAakeel/status/1044012984975134726

BBC, Newsbeat “No, she wasn’t the oppressed wife driven to carry a suicide vest on a packed train as we thought. In fact, she said she was a jihadi – and seemed intent causing mass carnage herself.” 

https://twitter.com/Rosielizabeth92/status/1043976577413976065

The documentary is also reported to fail the The Riz Test.

According to The Riz Test, there are 5 key things you need to look out for when watching a movie/documentaary to make it a candidate for poor representation:

Is the character in the film or tv show you’re watching is:

1. Talking about, the victim of, or the perpetrator of Islamist terrorism?

2. Presented as irrationally angry?

3. Presented as superstitious, culturally backwards or anti-modern?

4. Presented as a threat to a Western way of life?

5. If the character is..

a) Male, is he presented as misogynistic? b) Female, is she presented as oppressed by her male counterparts?

This initiative is here to tackle the misrepresentation of Muslims in film & TV, it’s inspired by @rizmc after his speech on representation at the House of Commons 👏🏾

Find them @theriztest pic.twitter.com/ly4H4Jlxqp

— A M A L I A H (@Amaliah_Tweets) August 15, 2018

Apart from the terrible portrayal of a Muslim woman, did anyone else find #Bodyguard awfully unrealistic and well sometimes somewhat comedic?

— Akeela Ahmed MBE (@AkeelaAhmed) September 23, 2018

The worst thing about Twitter this morning is all the spoiler tweets about #Bodyguard (haven’t watched last 1 yet). The hero of the day/genius better be the Muslim woman; otherwise I’m really going to be pissed off with all the stereotypes about her @BBC

— Dr Zubaida Haque (@Zubhaque) September 24, 2018

https://twitter.com/Ayisha_Malik/status/1044161669151289344

The disgraceful and dangerous portrayal of Muslim women as manipulative terrorists in BBC's #Bodyguard should not go unchallenged. It is lazy representations like this which create and sustain Islamophobic violence against Muslim women.#bodyguard

— Michael Mumisa (@MichaelMumisa) September 23, 2018

https://twitter.com/zahinkingahmed/status/1044123072675160064

Er, no. He opened with the stereotype of a Muslim woman cast as oppressed, brainwashed victim, and closed with a stereotype of a Muslim woman as a terrorist. His 'genius' was managing to wrap both stereotypes into one character thereby entrenching both. #Bodyguard https://t.co/ZyQPyvzqzE

— Shelina Janmohamed (@loveinheadscarf) September 24, 2018

https://twitter.com/katie2106/status/1043969428659085312

https://twitter.com/D_Parkinson21/status/1043971684909371397

https://twitter.com/nathanlean/status/1040363500416184322

The Bodyguard ending was disappointing. It was almost as if someone in the BBC office said “women can build bombs too ya know” and so they had to spin some equality stuff into it #Bodygaurd

— Amber, Elden Lord (@achxse2000) September 23, 2018

Heartened to read all the tweets about the #Bodyguard finale & people rightly calling out the writer & the BBC for the lazy & frankly offensive narrative that it was the fault of the Muslim terrorist all along. This surely fails @theriztest all day long.

— Shibbir Ahmed (@Shibbir1) September 23, 2018