The Essay Plan..

POINTS TO DISCUSS

* define what a "Moderate Muslim" is.

Point 1 - Introduction to the show and characters. Focusing on the lead character, a Black Sunni Muslim, discussing stereotypes linked to black Muslims, mentioning the Nation of Islam & Five Percenters - how this character subverts stereotypes of not only Muslims but black Muslims.
Mention other characters who conform to the stereotyping such as Farik, and those that do not such as Zayd Abdal Malik.

Discuss a scene and how it relates to my thesis and is proving my point - (Zayd Abdal Malik preaching).

Point 2 - Social & Political Issues of the time - early 90s and the political issues - Mujahedeen - 9/11 etc. Could mention Nation of Islam etc., why Muslims have been subjected to such stereotyping, mention shows such as "24" and "Oz".

Point 3 - mention historical texts and how "Sleeper Cell" is different from them as well as how stereotyping has progressed. "A Son Of The Sahara", "Black Sunday". Why has stereotyping changed? Why were the stereotypes a certain way in the historical texts? Political & Social Issues.

Point 4 - Are stereotypes changing? Discuss controversy and backlash. "In The Name Of God" can be considered as a backlash at stereotyping as well as social attitudes towards Muslims in general, it is a joint production between America & Pakistani producers. Mention the lead character and the issues surrounding him etc. How does this film subvert stereotypes of Muslims? Lead character, his brother who rejects an extremist approach to Islam, main female character who eventually makes a school in Afghanistan.

Point 5 - Muslim Women stereotypes are subverted within this film - political/social issues.

Point 6 - channel 4 show "Britz" can be considered to enforce stereotypes further. Either an extremist or a "modern" Muslim provides an ultimatum for young British Muslims. Political/Social issues, Muslim youth turning more to Islam, surveys which show that Muslim youth believe they are being targeted/stereotyped etc.

Point 7 - Stereotypes are changing. Mention Darywn and Alim from the "Sleeper Cell". Moderate Muslims. "Sands of Passion" - how stereotypes of Muslims are now being mocked - shows a changing attitude towards Muslims.

Point 8 - "A Little Mosque on the Prairie" - Made by a Muslim woman. Proves my theory that Muslim stereotypes are changing, slowly. Overview of the show.
Characters such as Rayan - hijab wearing, feminist doctor, Babar - strict and religious but clearly the show is mocking the stereotype and it’s used for humour.

Conclusion - how Muslim roles within TV and film have progressed from the early 1920's till now. Sum up the reasons for the change in stereotyping.









PLAN

- Original stereotypes rooted from ignorance. People were unaware of Islam and its followers and the Middle East in general. Historical texts – “A Son of the Sahara” etc.

- Developments in the Middle East and the world in general lead to more knowledge of Islam; however the stereotype of terrorists began due to on going crises. Historical texts – “Back to the Future” etc.

- 9/11 occurred at which point pretty much all Muslims within the media where made to seem as terrorists. Actions of a few led to a harsh stereotype, once again ignorance led to people believing this to be a part of religion. Texts – “24” etc.

- Some texts began getting produced which showed terrorists yet introduced the “moderate Muslim”. It also provided the audience with reasons for the terrorist acts taking place as well as showing that it is only a few that support it and the majority of the followers of Islam condone such acts. Texts – “Sleeper Cell”, “Britz”, "In The Name of God" etc.

- The stereotypical Muslim is slowing beginning to change. A Muslim is no longer a “terrorist” or a religious fanatic. As more Muslims come into the media they are using there position to change the stereotype and some are completely subverting it and mocking the stereotypes associated with Islam and making a joke out of it for example Zarqa Nawaz who wrote “A Little Mosque on the Prairie”.

Historical Texts

Black Sunday (1977)

PLOT:

Michael Lander (Dern) is an American blimp pilot deranged by years of torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, a failed marriage, and a bitter court martial. He longs to commit suicide and take as many people as possible with him, so he conspires with an operative (Keller) from a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September to launch a massive suicide bombing on American soil. Lander plans to detonate a flechette-based bomb, housed on the underside of a blimp, over a football stadium during the Super Bowl. American and Israeli intelligence agencies, led by Mossad agent David Kabakov (Shaw) and FBI agent Sam Corley (Weaver), race to prevent the catastrophe. To add further intrigue and a pall of doom, the President of the United States attends the Super Bowl despite the pleas of Kabakov and Corley.

A Son of the Sahara (1924)

PLOT:

By 1924, sheik pictures were old hat, but director Edwin Carewe tried to add a little spice to this one by filming it on-location in the Sahara Desert. When Cassim's father is killed during an attack on a French fort, the boy (George Chebat) swears vengeance on Colonel Barbier (Montagu Love). He grows up to become known as Pierre Lamont (played by Bert Lytell), a polished young man with European manners. He falls in love with Barbara (Claire Windsor), who rejects him when she learns he is an Arab. Cassim discovers that Barbara is Barbier's daughter, so he carries out his oath by kidnapping the two of them, and their friend, Captain Duval (Walter McGrail). He sells Barbara as a slave, but then bids on her himself. When she refuses to marry him, he swears he will take her anyway. Duval escapes and fetches the French troops while Cassim finally admits that he loves Barbara too much to harm her. In the ensuing battle, Duval is mortally wounded, but before he dies, he hands Barbara a letter from Cassim's mother, explaining that he is not an Arab at all -- both of his parents were French. Cassim is pardoned, and he and Barbara are united.

"Instead of letting Islam transform us some Muslims are trying to transform Islam to serve their political agenda. They are using "Islam" to kill murder, innocent people"

Zayd Abdal Malik - Sleeper Cell

How has the role of the stereotypical Muslim changed especially after the events of 9/11?

Focusing on "The Sleeper Cell"

The media has always been a powerful device in providing media organisations with a source to filter their ideas through to the audiences, especially in times of crisis. A section of society which has felt this is Muslims and Arabs. This is visible in early texts such as A Son Of The Sahara (1924) which was described as "the strongest subconscious attack on the Arab culture of all the Arab movies of the 1920s."[1] , a time when there was a lack of understanding of the middle east and the Muslim faith that dominated the region. These types of attacks progressed into later decades and other films such as "Back To The Future (1985)" which made a reference to "Libyan terrorists" during a period where, the North African Muslim country, Libya was distancing itself from the West and was accused of state sponsored terrorist acts. This type of attack was not only in movies but also in the news, for example in 1995 the front cover of a British newspaper displayed a picture of a fireman carrying a dead baby with the headline reading "In the Name of Islam" following the Oklahoma bombings which were infact carried out by a Christian militant, Timothy Mc Veigh. This type of stereotyping was further fuelled by the attacks of September 11th, 2001, which lead to an increase in programming against the Muslim faith as well as Middle Easterns who were highly associated with the faith, for example the American TV series "24" which many times has feautured Muslims and Arabs as the main villians. This trend of Muslim stereotyping has caused much controversy within society as audiences have began to accept that all Muslims are terrorists sympathisers through such shows and Muslims believe they are being incorrectly targetted because of the actions of a few.

Not many programs show Muslims who are not associated with terrorism and when they are shown as terrorists there is no attempt to try and explain the reasons behind the terrorism instead they present the audience with the "bad guy" whose actions are supposedly a reflection of the faith he follows.

The American TV series "The Sleeper Cell" provides an insight in to a working terrorist sleeper cell also presenting reasons for such extreme behaviour and providing alternative moderate Muslims who are rarely shown within the media, with a lead Black Sunni Muslim, a moderate Muslim who is the head of intelligence in the government as well as Muslim women, who are often associated with stereotypes of there own, who are moderate and follow the true principles of the faith.