Yasmin question

Does the opening of Yasmin offer a positive or negative representation of British Muslims?

The opening offers both a positive and negative representation of British Muslims. The positive representations are they aren't seen as the stereotypical East (which is heavily portrayed as terrorist) They are in-fact represented as religious and calm an example of them being calm is when the two mechanics/shop owners found graffiti on their shutters, they didn't respond violently or show any aggression, instead they just continued with their jobs and cleaned it off. Another example of calmness is when the main protagonist (or hero according to Propp) is stopped and checked by police, it may show the police as being slightly racist for stopping the muslim women but she was use to it and stayed calm and was prepared to show the necessary documents.
The negative side is shown with the man who woke up looking quite scruffy and dangerous, he also was seen as acting uncivilised and uneducated as he uses his finger to eat food out of a jar and ends up cooking outside the front of his house using a home made stove on the floor (which shows he's possibly quite poor), he also shows aggression when telling a young boy to get lost in a harsh tone. The main protagonist/hero was portrayed negative when she seems to having to apply the Fanon 'White Mask' theory, it's usually applied to black people but this theory seems to fit with Yasmin the British Muslim, she would usually be representing herself as a Muslim women around the Muslim community and her family but when away from them she tends to have a westernised lifestyle, she eats meat while prayers are read from the Mosque, she drives a western car listening to western music and dressed like a stereotypical english women, she also went to a pub which isn't supported by her religion and the pub was full of white males who all gave her dirty looks. Yasmin is portrayed as unfaithful to her religion and family.

To what extent does the opening of Yasmin reinforce or challenge Said’s theory of Orientalism – that the west is superior to the exotic or dangerous east?

To some extent it defiantly shows the west have some power as the police had the power to stop and check. But the west are actually portrayed as the opposite of what Said's theory of Orientalism would state, the west is seen as being dangerous e.g. the racist graffiti, the cops stop and check and the pub customers giving dirty looks to the protagonist/hero. While the East aren't shown as dangerous, the only person shown as being dangerous from the East is the man with the homemade cooker.