Yacoubian Building Analysis

The “Yacoubian Building” revolves around the lives of tenants who face misfortune after misfortune. The film examines the worst of Egypt. The decline of Egypt mirrors that of the tenants, ending up in a storm of hate, drunkenness and subjugation. The tenants’ problems seem to revolve around the misuse of religion. The film warns Egyptians, how religion is more than just a nametag and how misguided and corruptible people are without it. A major issue in Egyptian society is the representation and lack of respect for women. The “Yacoubian Building” reflects on the stories of women, both poor and rich, and how they have subjugated to disrespect and sexual harassment. Workers are forced to acknowledge that harassment is inevitable and another part …show more content…
Taha’s journey takes a sharp twist from being a police hopeful to a self-proclaimed Jihadist. Taha starts out helping his dad as a janitor. After he is rejected to join the police academy, Taha decides to go on to university. While at the university he meets a new friend. The man claims that Taha should join him in Friday prayer at a mosque far away from home. The man asserts that the long journey to the mosque will enhance the power of Taha’s prayers. Taha is later inspired by the radical Imam of the mosque and preaches his message of a future, Islamic Egypt. The film’s portrayal of the fundamentalist movement is solid but there are some misconceptions. The film nails the concept of the fundamentalist movement that it is more of a political than a religious movement. This is highlighted by the Imam’s declaration that he doesn’t want a democratic Egypt but an Islamic one. Furthermore, the film shows the target of the fundamentalist movement, poor youth. Poor youth are disillusioned, want change and feel hopeless. Organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood address these fears and worries by promising reform, and a new more equitable and more Islamic state. Lastly, fundamentalists exercise a perversion of Islam. The man who invites Taha to the mosque uses a rather idiotic rationale, the further away the mosque the more powerful the prayer. However, the film has a major flaw. Taha is arrested and later abused because his participation in anti-government demonstrations. Taha later joins an Islamist training camp and goes on a mission to exact revenge on the police officer that interrogated him. The film attempts to assert justification for Taha’s crimes and eventual murder of the police officer. However, such an attempt is disturbing since there is a clear definition of who is the lesser of two evils: the police