MEDIA, ISLAMOPHOBIA, AND A POST 9/11 ENVIRONMENT
Since the attacks on September 11, 2001, we have seen a tremendous amount of tokenizing of Muslims in the media. In movies or TV shows, Muslims are no longer seen as typical or "ordinary" Americans. Now, they must have so type of agenda or ulterior motive. Here, we take a closer look at two examples of media portraying Muslims as a prominent and real threat to America's safety.
HomeLand (2011-)
The show Homeland, broadcast on cable channel Showtime, portrays a bipolar Central Intelligence Officer(CIA) officer and her pursuit of a former al-Qaeda prisoner of war, whom she believes has been "turned." It is a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome.
In the show, the character of Brody, the suspected terrorist, plays to such absurd stereotypes that, as Laila Al-Arian said in her article "Homeland, TV’s Most Islamophobic Show", “only an audience conditioned by the Islamophobic, anti-Arab tropes in our media could find him consistent.”
The fact of the matter is that the show Homeland serves to perpetuate stereotypes regarding Arab-Americans and Muslims, as well as strike fear into the hearts of everyday Americans. We, as Americans, should be on watch, and be aware that every woman bearing a hijab actually is just waiting to detonate herself and inflict pain upon hopeless and innocent. To anyone who understands even the most basic level of politics and is willing to think critically about this issue, this will come off as exactly what it is, blatantly absurd.
On top of the perpetuation of negative ideas regarding today’s already slandered Muslim populations, the show presents an orientalist idea of what Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, is like. Instead of the bustling metropolitan filled with cafes and shopping malls, it portrays a backwards country, one that hasn't aged since the end of the Ottoman Empire. The streets are filled with women covering themselves for "modesty" and bearded men carrying illegally obtained rifles.
All in all, Homeland takes multiple misconceptions, pairs them up with Islamophobia, and creates a show with an alarmingly large following.
In the show, the character of Brody, the suspected terrorist, plays to such absurd stereotypes that, as Laila Al-Arian said in her article "Homeland, TV’s Most Islamophobic Show", “only an audience conditioned by the Islamophobic, anti-Arab tropes in our media could find him consistent.”
The fact of the matter is that the show Homeland serves to perpetuate stereotypes regarding Arab-Americans and Muslims, as well as strike fear into the hearts of everyday Americans. We, as Americans, should be on watch, and be aware that every woman bearing a hijab actually is just waiting to detonate herself and inflict pain upon hopeless and innocent. To anyone who understands even the most basic level of politics and is willing to think critically about this issue, this will come off as exactly what it is, blatantly absurd.
On top of the perpetuation of negative ideas regarding today’s already slandered Muslim populations, the show presents an orientalist idea of what Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, is like. Instead of the bustling metropolitan filled with cafes and shopping malls, it portrays a backwards country, one that hasn't aged since the end of the Ottoman Empire. The streets are filled with women covering themselves for "modesty" and bearded men carrying illegally obtained rifles.
All in all, Homeland takes multiple misconceptions, pairs them up with Islamophobia, and creates a show with an alarmingly large following.
Innocence of Muslims (2012)
This anti-Muslim film made waves in 2012. It portrays the apparent increase of persecutions of Coptics in Egypt as well as the lack of human rights there. Instead, what we get is a low-budget, highly Islamophobic film.
Firstly, the idea that one can replicate the skin color of a typical Arab(disclaimer: it doesn't exist) via poorly applied makeup and bad tanning products is offensive to someone of that region. And on top of that, spreading false ideas of an already extremely controversial character, the Prophet Muhammad, is uncalled for. The producer, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, clearly knew that portraying the Prophet in this light is provocative. He wanted the infamy. He wanted to enrage the Muslim world. That being said, he went for the most controversial topics. Namely, the amount of the number of wives the Prophet had, calling him "Muhammad the Bastard" and showing scenes of him performing sexual acts.
This "film" created waves all across over the Middle East, causing riots in Egypt and leading to the killing of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens in the 2012 Benghazi attacks. The residual effects of this are still felt. The Middle East has continued to be called uncivilized and animal-like. The producer of the film succeeded. He succeeded in giving the Muslim people an ever worse reputation than they already have.
Firstly, the idea that one can replicate the skin color of a typical Arab(disclaimer: it doesn't exist) via poorly applied makeup and bad tanning products is offensive to someone of that region. And on top of that, spreading false ideas of an already extremely controversial character, the Prophet Muhammad, is uncalled for. The producer, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, clearly knew that portraying the Prophet in this light is provocative. He wanted the infamy. He wanted to enrage the Muslim world. That being said, he went for the most controversial topics. Namely, the amount of the number of wives the Prophet had, calling him "Muhammad the Bastard" and showing scenes of him performing sexual acts.
This "film" created waves all across over the Middle East, causing riots in Egypt and leading to the killing of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens in the 2012 Benghazi attacks. The residual effects of this are still felt. The Middle East has continued to be called uncivilized and animal-like. The producer of the film succeeded. He succeeded in giving the Muslim people an ever worse reputation than they already have.
works cited
Al-Arian, Laila. "TV's Most Islamophobic Show." Saloncom RSS. N.p., 15 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.Anonymous. "About the Islamophobic Film : The Innocence of Muslims." Arab League. Arab League Online, 17 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
Mackey, Robert. "Obscure Film Mocking Muslim Prophet Sparks Anti-U.S. Protests in Egypt and Libya." The Lede. N.p., 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
Mackey, Robert. "Obscure Film Mocking Muslim Prophet Sparks Anti-U.S. Protests in Egypt and Libya." The Lede. N.p., 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.