Jemima, Imran and the British media

No excuse really for not blogging for so long...unless you count Court 1 at Wimbledon as a genuine excuse! I've spent the whole day trying to construct a reading list for my next thesis- a starting point, rather than a reading list would perhaps be a better term. Anyway, this exercise actually revealed a number of excellent sources on South Asian history, along with a number of other disturbing ones. I won't catalogue these now, but shall go on to say something about this news item that has been bothering me for a while. On the face of it, Jemima and Imran's divorce is a matter fit for tabloids. However, read that article carefully and you will see all the racist bias of the British media being revealed. The stereotype of Islam, and by extension Pakistan being an oppressor is being bandied about. From what little I know of the country, Jemima would hardly have lived without an air conditioner (!) unless Imran is peculiarly miserly. High society in the subcontinent lives in lavish luxury that most people in the developing world will only be able to dream of. So my guess is that Jemima probably lived in a huge house, with servants at her disposal, every amenity she wanted, and simply got bored because she missed her London life. Fair enough, marriages have broken up for lesser reasons, but to villify an entire country, it's culture and by implication it's religion because this marriage didn't last, is utter rubbish. Somehow the whole notion that Jemima has been 'released' (as if it is not marriage that is a bondage, but marrying into a Muslim family that is), is quite repugnant. All thoughts on the matter would be very welcome.