I Understand Why People Are Upset That Noora Got So Much Attention This Season And Why It Seemed Unfair

I understand why people are upset that Noora got so much attention this season and why it seemed unfair to Sana that Noora was taking up so much of her story. But I think she was actually important for this season, not just because we need Noorhelm closure or because she’s one of Sana’s closest friends.  The reason why I think Julie decided to get her tangled into this Yousef situation is because she represents the cool white, Norwegian girl that Sana sometimes wishes she could be. 

Don’t get me wrong, I know Sana is proud of her heritage and she’s proud to be Muslim, but a lot POC who’ve been marginalized have at some point thought about how much easier their life would be if they were just a little blonder or a little lighter or a little skinnier. That resentment Sana builds towards Noora is not just about the kiss. It’s that Noora is this pretty, skinny, white, Norwegian girl who always seems to get what Sana thinks she can’t.

Even their first conversation about Yousef had a slightly territorial tone to it. Sana says some rude things about Muslim men who date white girls but I think what she’s really saying is, “This is where I finally feel like I’m not constantly one step below you. You have everybody else in this country you could date. Why are you doing this to me?” Elias talks about how hot Noora is, the Pepsi-Max girls talk about how they’d kick the entire girl squad out except for her because she’s so pretty, and William just immediately falls in love with her. Sana sees people fall for her, praise her, and give her the benefit of the doubt all of the time. Meanwhile, Sana has to deal with racist assholes who stare at her on buses and abuse her online.

She overhears the PM girls shit on her, and then she hears them say that they’d keep Noora on because she’s so pretty. And then she walks out to see Noora making out with Yousef right after having felt like she really connected with him. And she knows they don’t have the religion barrier that her and Yousef do. It was just another humongous white slap in the face. That’s why she breaks. That’s why she gets so angry about it, and that’s why she can’t talk about it with Noora because the issue is more than just a kiss or a hook up, it’s everything Noora represents in her mind.

That’s why Noora was important this season. That’s why the first clip we see in ep6 after Sana breaks has a long, slow-motion shot of Noora’s hair flowing freely in the wind. It’s a purposeful contrast between her hair and Sana’s hijab, between the pretty white Norwegian society Sana feels she could never truly belong to and the Muslim community she’s continually harassed for being a part of.