"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 as a hegemonic instrument has always been powerful in filtering the ideas of the ruling class through to audiences, especially in times of crisis. A section of society which has felt this is Muslims and Arabs, some media “demonises Islam, portraying it as a threat to western interests” [1]. This is visible in early texts such as A Son of the Sahara (1924) [2] which was described as "the strongest subconscious attack on the Arab culture of all the Arab movies of the 1920s."[3], 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)[4] which made a reference to "Libyan terrorists"[4] during a period when, 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"[5] following the Oklahoma bombings which were in fact carried out by a Christian militant, Timothy Mc Veigh. This kind of negative press, and repeated focus on the “stereotypical” Muslim extremist 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 Easterners who were associated with the faith, for example the American TV series 24[6] which many times has featured Muslims and Arabs as the main villains. Bob Purkiss, the chairmen of European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, referred to the events of 9/11 as a “detonator” [7] for anti-Islamic feeling and fueling harsher stereotypes. This trend of Muslim stereotyping has caused much controversy within society, as non-Muslim audiences have been injected with hegemonic ideologies and values and are accepting that all Muslims are terrorists sympathisers through such shows and Muslims believe that they are being incorrectly targeted because of the actions of a few, thus society seems to be living in a state of “moral panic” as described by Cohen.
Although there are harmful stereotypes of Muslims dominate within the media, I aim to prove that stereotypical views of Muslims are slowly changing. I will discuss the reasons for these stereotypes and their progression over the years. I will argue that the typical Muslim extremist stereotype, which many shows such as 24[6] present, is changing to something more moderate and understandable such as the characters of the show Sleeper Cell [8]. I will also as discuss the complete subversion of stereotypes in the comedy series The Little Mosque on the Prairie [9].
The attacks of 9/11 were not the introduction of Muslim and Arab stereotypes, the event just brought these stereotypes to the fore front. Muslim and Arab stereotypes have been evident in cinema since the 1920’s. In the early 20th century a lot of ignorance was associated with the representation of Muslims and Arabs, the ignorance was more than just the fact that no difference between the two was ever shown within Hollywood. Muslims and Arabs within early Hollywood were misrepresented; this was due to lack of knowledge of the Middle East, which was dominated by Muslims, as well as a misunderstanding of the faith which appeared “exotic” and “oppressive”. It was shown as a “backward and barbaric religion” and mostly oppressive towards women. The early roles of Muslims and Arabs within Hollywood such as Rudolph Valentino’s roles in The Sheik (1921) [10] and The son of the Sheik (1926) [11] showed these ignorant, racist stereotypes. These movies began the negative portrayals of Arabs and Muslims in Hollywood films. Both movies showed Muslims and Arabs as thieves, murderers and charlatans. The main character, Sheik Ahmed is a womanizer who is attracted to a British socialite, however instead of pursuing her decides to abduct her and take her back to his palace. This presentation of the Muslim sheikh shows the misconception that was held by many at that time, that Muslims and Arabs were cruel and forceful and definitely disrespectful to their women.
Other films which continued on these insulting stereotypes were those like Son of the Sahara (1924) [2] which Scott J. Simon referred to as "the strongest subconscious attack on the Arab culture of all the Arab movies of the 1920s."[3] The film depicted a man who was targeted and hated solely because he was of Arab origin, and was only accepted by those around him when it was revealed he was actually adopted.
From the early 20th century “Arab culture has been the most misunderstood and supplied with the worst stereotypes” [3]. Till this day these stereotypes have stuck to the region and the faith that dominates it.
Muslims and Arabs were tired of to the usual stereotype of “bombers, billionaires and belly dancers” [12] and felt a change was needed but some say that when change came, it was change for the worse. 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 it. Instead they present the audience with a two dimensional "bad guy" whose actions are supposedly a reflection of the faith he follows. This stereotype developed during the 1960’s to 1980’s when the Middle East became more prominent in international news, which lead to the West becoming more aware of Muslims and Islam through the growing global village. A country which dominated the news for several reasons was Libya and the coup it under went led by Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi.
An event which was highly associated with Libya at the time was the Lockerbie bombing of 1988, which was widely regarded as an assault on a symbol of the United States, and with 189 of the victims being Americans, it stood as the deadliest terrorist attack against the United States until the September 11, 2001 attacks. Such events led to the “terrorist” stereotype beginning within Hollywood and media in general. The Hollywood movie Back to the Future [4] made references to “Libyan Terrorists” [4] which showed that international news was making an impact on Hollywood and was producing stereotypes for Hollywood to follow.
However the defining event in international news which fuelled and set in stone the “terrorist” stereotype was the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. The event led to simplistic stereotypes which showed Muslims as “homogenised as backwards, irrational, unchanging, fundamentalists, misogynists, threatening and manipulative in the use of their faith for political and personal gain” [1].A study sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations showed that “one in four Americans still hold stereotypes of Muslims” [13] as being extreme in their views or as terrorist sympathizers or even terrorists themselves. These events “turned American Muslims from ordinary citizens into objects of suspicion and discrimination overnight. Not only the Muslims but their faith itself came under attack and distrust.”[14] Despite the fact that “as a community they [Muslims] overwhelmingly reject Islamic extremism.”[15]
Shows which fuelled such stereotypes were American TV series such as 24 [6], an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series. The show which is centered on the fictional Los Angeles branch of the U.S. government Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU), shows the lead character Jack Bauer carrying out different types of tasks related to the CTU. Many of the “enemies” in the show have been Muslim and traditionally of Middle Eastern origin. Shows such as these which are highly patriotic set up Muslims as the “common enemy” [16] and reinforces the stereotype further.
As the “terrorist” stereotype developed and people began to accept it a Muslim backlash occurred. Media texts began getting produced which although showed terrorists aimed to show their reasons for such acts and introduced “liberal Muslims” who were the true followers of Islam and condemned terrorism.
The film Khuda Ki Liye (2007) [17] [translated as “In God’s Name”]
The film is a collaboration between the Pakistani, Indian and US film industries. The movie revolves around two musical brothers, Mansoor and Sarmad. One brother falls into an extremist group and the other goes to Chicago to study music, then falls victim to racial profiling, and is arrested solely because a drunken man referred to him as a “terrorist”.It shows the inhumane treatment he faces in prison which eventually led to his becoming mentally unstable. His brother is shown to befriend a young man who introduces him to a more extreme approach to Islam which leads him to travel to Afghanistan to fight “jihad”. However he soon realises that what he and his new friends are doing is wrong and returns to Pakistan to his old liberal life.
The movie raised many crucial issues such as religious extremism and racial profiling which has been on a rise since 9/11 especially in America. An example occurred shortly after 9/11 when:
“On August 14, a group of Muslim-Americans were detained for hours at New York’s Kennedy Airport when they came back to the United States from trips abroad. About 200 passengers of Arab, Muslim or South Asian backgrounds were plucked from the baggage area, held six hours without food or water by Customs and Border Protection agents and questioned about their views of Iraq.”[14]
The movie’s deep message was best summed up by Mansoor, the arrested brother:
"I can’t hate all Americans because some of them have done injustices to me, in the same way the police cannot hate all Muslims because some of them attacked their country."[17]
Where he clearly discussed the movie’s underlying message, that the actions of a few do not reflect a whole religion, in the same way a terrorist cannot attack innocent people because of the actions of their leaders.
Another show which explored the lives of Muslims after the events of 9/11 was the British show Britz [18] shown on the terrestrial British channel, channel 4.
It shows the story of brother and sister, Sohail and Nasima. Sohail is a law undergraduate student who signs up with MI5 and, eager to play a part in protecting British security, begins an investigation into a terrorist cell. His sister Nasima is a medical student in Leeds who becomes increasingly alienated and angered by Britain's foreign and domestic policy after witnessing at first hand the relentless targeting of her Muslim neighbours and peers which results in the suicide of her best friend who was arrested for the actions of her brother. The series ends in Sohail trying to prevent a terrorist attack in London which is to be carried out by his sister, Nasima. Although we do not see whether she detonates the bomb we are shown instead her suicide video and hear her chilling message:
"You are not innocent, OK? As long as you keep electing this government . . . as long as you sit on your hands while they pass these laws which you know are wrong, you are not innocent!"[18]
The show gained both praise and criticism from audiences; the good was that it tried to explain reasoning behind such acts as well as the difficult lives Muslims have faced since 9/11 and more recently 7/7. However some have argued that it was seen as giving young British Muslims an ultimatum with its demanding tagline “Whose Side are you on?” implying that all Muslims have to choose between terrorism or spying on their people, without any middle ground. This was an echo of Bush’s speech to the United Nations in 2001, when he declared “you're either with us or against us”. Britain seemed to be adopting an interrogation style and providing only two options for Britain’s young Muslims. However it did attempt to reflect growing feelings within the British Muslim community. As “81% of British Muslims think the War on Terror is a war on Islam. 91% think the War on Terror has increased the threat of terrorism in Britain.” [19] Although it can be said the typical terrorist stereotype was undermined by this show, it did not provide an alternative moderate Muslim only the “Muslim by name” character of Sohail.
However the American TV series The Sleeper Cell [8] provides an insight into 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 liberal 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 liberal and follow the true principles of the faith.
The series battles to prove the point that "It’s not the religion that causes you fear and disturbance rather it’s the misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Islam"[8].
The Sleeper Cell [8] introduces a Black Muslim protagonist which is highly unusual of American shows; this alone shows a progression from usual stereotypes not only by having a Muslim lead but a Black Muslim which alone carries its own misconceptions.
There is a misconception surrounding Black Muslims, especially in America, as many of them convert during time spent in prison and are usually given a more radical approach to the religion therefore are seen as detached and unaware of “true” Islam. Another reason for Black Muslims being stereotyped is that many converted during the time when organisations such as the Nation of Islam and Five Per-centers were growing and both these organisations were seen as putting race before religion and were introduced at a time when characters such as Malcolm X where making a stand. These organisations provided religion as well as a reason to fight for equality. Their religion was seen as distant from “true” Islam and therefore never accepted. This is shown through the lead Darwyn Al-Hakim who is seen by characters such as Bobby Habib and Cristian as unreliable solely because he is a Black Muslim when in reality he is the only one of them who knows true Islam and is actually a Sunni by birth not conversion.
"No offence, all right? But, you know, most Arabs don’t think American Blacks are real Muslims" (Bobby Habib - Sleeper Cell) [8]
Sleeper Cell [8] still however, backs the Black Muslim stereotype through the character of the prison librarian who brings Darwyn to the cell however it later subverts the stereotype by showing Darywn, the Black Muslim fighting in the true name of Islam by defeating these terrorists who have a distorted view of his religion. Other characters who conform to stereotypes are Farik Al Faris who is a typical “Muslim extremist”. He heads the cell and recruits vulnerable Muslims by telling them they should be fighting jihad.
Another stereotype which is subverted is the religious preacher stereotype through the character of Zayd Abdal Malik, who is an Islamic teacher. The media portrays any religious Muslim as agreeing with terrorism, which can be understandable with well known preachers, such Abu Hamza al-Masri being often shown within the news. However this show introduces a character who informs other characters, as well as the audience, of Islam’s true beliefs over such works. During a sermon he delivers the message that:
“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 civilians. Something the prophet would never have condoned - sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.”[8]
Zayd is eventually killed by a member of the cell, we see that he dies a martyr as he recites a crucial Islamic prayer before dying, which none of the members of the cell do, showing that Zayd is a symbol of “true” Islam unlike the self styled jihadists who are “trying to transform Islam to serve their political agenda” [8]
The stereotypical Muslim then is beginning to slowly change. Although many roles of Muslims in Hollywood and Television are that of terrorists, the introduction of the liberal Muslim is beginning.
The short comedy series Sands of Passion: An Al Qaeda Soap Opera [20] takes the offensive stereotypes that all Muslims are terrorists, homophobic, anti-Semitic and oppressive to their woman and mocks them one by one. The mini series shows characters such as a young boy who continuously disappoints his parents by still not having blown up any buildings and a man who has a liver “converted” before a transplant as it previously belonged to a Jewish man.
Another comedy series which does not show any signs of terrorism at all but is based around a small town and its mosque is the Canadian TV series A Little Mosque on the Prairie [9] by Zarqa Nawaz, who set up a her own production company, FUNdamentalist Films, as "putting the 'fun' back into fundamentalism” which has produced many short films, screenplays and the feature length film “Me and the Mosque”. She takes a comedic approach to her work and she describes it as a "new genre of film", a cross between a terrorist flick and a comedy: "I call it a 'terrordy.'" [21]
Her comedy series A Little Mosque on the Prairie [9] focuses on the Muslim population of the fictional rural prairie town of Mercy, Saskatchewan, Canada. The cast include a liberal imam who once was a lawyer, a conservative Nigerian woman, Baber an economics professor who is the most conservative of them all and Rayan a doctor, who follows Islamic feminism, keeps the sartorial hijab, and takes her religion very seriously. The comedy does not carry standard stereotypes such as broken accents, lack of understanding of the west or typical Muslim perceptions that they are all un-accepting of ideas other than their own, to gain humour and the show does not accept traditional stereotypes such as an oppressed woman, fanatical men and so on, but tries to change them with a hijab wearing doctor and a Muslim business woman, neither dependent on men.
The show steps away from terrorism altogether to show its audience that Muslims and terrorists do not go hand in hand. The show does not rely on mocking already made stereotypes but instead introduces “normal” characters and “normal” comedic situations; the only difference is that these characters happen to be Muslim. This shows that stereotyping of Muslims has come along way since the early 20’s and even the events of 9/11. As more Muslims come into media more texts are being produced to show the true face of Islam and its followers.
In conclusion the stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs have shown development since the early 20th century. A section of society that has always been presented as “the Other” whether it be because of ignorance in the early 1920s or due to international events such as those in the 1980s and most notably the events of 9/11 which gave rise to derogatory stereotyping, the Muslim stereotype has developed and is now slowly beginning to change. Muslims are now finally getting the opportunity to show the western media and its audience the reality of their people through shows such as Sleeper Cell [8] and Khuda Ki Liye [17] and has been given the opportunity to throw away these stereotypes altogether which is illustrated in the comedy series A Little Mosque on the Prairie [9].
Bibliography
Books/Newspapers
[3] – “Arabs in Hollywood: An Undeserved Image", Scott J. Simon
[5] – Today front cover June 1995
[12] - "100 Years of Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim stereotyping" by Mazin B. Qumsiyeh
[21] – Telegraph 24/05/2002
Internet
[1] – Elizabeth Poole article - http://www.al-bab.com/media/articles/poole0005.htm
[14] - http://www.milligazette.com/dailyupdate/2006/20060909_america_muslims_terrorism.htm
[15] - http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-05/2007-05-22-voa73.cfm?CFID=265779835&CFTOKEN=80355027
[16] - http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=26145
[23] - http://www.alternet.org/movies/15348/
Reports/Studies
[7] - European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia Report
[13] - Council on American-Islamic Relations Study
[19] - The 1990 Trust, 'Muslim views: Foreign Policy and its Effects' (Oct 2006).
Film/TV
[2] – Son of the Sahara (1924)
[4] - Back To the Future (1985)
[6] – 24 American TV Series
[8] – Sleeper Cell
[10] - “The Sheik” (1921)
[11] - “The son of the Sheik” (1926)
[17] - “Khuda Ki Liye” (2007)
[18] – Britz (2007)
[20] - Sands of Passion: An Al Qaeda Soap Opera (2007)
[9] - A Little Mosque on the Prairie (2007)
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 as a hegemonic instrument has always been powerful in filtering the ideas of the ruling class through to audiences, especially in times of crisis. A section of society which has felt this is Muslims and Arabs, some media “demonises Islam, portraying it as a threat to western interests” [1]. This is visible in early texts such as A Son of the Sahara (1924) [2] which was described as "the strongest subconscious attack on the Arab culture of all the Arab movies of the 1920s."[3], 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)[4] which made a reference to "Libyan terrorists"[4] during a period when, 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"[5] following the Oklahoma bombings which were in fact carried out by a Christian militant, Timothy Mc Veigh. This kind of negative press, and repeated focus on the “stereotypical” Muslim extremist 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 Easterners who were associated with the faith, for example the American TV series 24[6] which many times has featured Muslims and Arabs as the main villains. Bob Purkiss, the chairmen of European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, referred to the events of 9/11 as a “detonator” [7] for anti-Islamic feeling and fueling harsher stereotypes. This trend of Muslim stereotyping has caused much controversy within society, as non-Muslim audiences have been injected with hegemonic ideologies and values and are accepting that all Muslims are terrorists sympathisers through such shows and Muslims believe that they are being incorrectly targeted because of the actions of a few, thus society seems to be living in a state of “moral panic” as described by Cohen.
Although there are harmful stereotypes of Muslims dominate within the media, I aim to prove that stereotypical views of Muslims are slowly changing. I will discuss the reasons for these stereotypes and their progression over the years. I will argue that the typical Muslim extremist stereotype, which many shows such as 24[6] present, is changing to something more moderate and understandable such as the characters of the show Sleeper Cell [8]. I will also as discuss the complete subversion of stereotypes in the comedy series The Little Mosque on the Prairie [9].
The attacks of 9/11 were not the introduction of Muslim and Arab stereotypes, the event just brought these stereotypes to the fore front. Muslim and Arab stereotypes have been evident in cinema since the 1920’s. In the early 20th century a lot of ignorance was associated with the representation of Muslims and Arabs, the ignorance was more than just the fact that no difference between the two was ever shown within Hollywood. Muslims and Arabs within early Hollywood were misrepresented; this was due to lack of knowledge of the Middle East, which was dominated by Muslims, as well as a misunderstanding of the faith which appeared “exotic” and “oppressive”. It was shown as a “backward and barbaric religion” and mostly oppressive towards women. The early roles of Muslims and Arabs within Hollywood such as Rudolph Valentino’s roles in The Sheik (1921) [10] and The son of the Sheik (1926) [11] showed these ignorant, racist stereotypes. These movies began the negative portrayals of Arabs and Muslims in Hollywood films. Both movies showed Muslims and Arabs as thieves, murderers and charlatans. The main character, Sheik Ahmed is a womanizer who is attracted to a British socialite, however instead of pursuing her decides to abduct her and take her back to his palace. This presentation of the Muslim sheikh shows the misconception that was held by many at that time, that Muslims and Arabs were cruel and forceful and definitely disrespectful to their women.
Other films which continued on these insulting stereotypes were those like Son of the Sahara (1924) [2] which Scott J. Simon referred to as "the strongest subconscious attack on the Arab culture of all the Arab movies of the 1920s."[3] The film depicted a man who was targeted and hated solely because he was of Arab origin, and was only accepted by those around him when it was revealed he was actually adopted.
From the early 20th century “Arab culture has been the most misunderstood and supplied with the worst stereotypes” [3]. Till this day these stereotypes have stuck to the region and the faith that dominates it.
Muslims and Arabs were tired of to the usual stereotype of “bombers, billionaires and belly dancers” [12] and felt a change was needed but some say that when change came, it was change for the worse. 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 it. Instead they present the audience with a two dimensional "bad guy" whose actions are supposedly a reflection of the faith he follows. This stereotype developed during the 1960’s to 1980’s when the Middle East became more prominent in international news, which lead to the West becoming more aware of Muslims and Islam through the growing global village. A country which dominated the news for several reasons was Libya and the coup it under went led by Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi.
An event which was highly associated with Libya at the time was the Lockerbie bombing of 1988, which was widely regarded as an assault on a symbol of the United States, and with 189 of the victims being Americans, it stood as the deadliest terrorist attack against the United States until the September 11, 2001 attacks. Such events led to the “terrorist” stereotype beginning within Hollywood and media in general. The Hollywood movie Back to the Future [4] made references to “Libyan Terrorists” [4] which showed that international news was making an impact on Hollywood and was producing stereotypes for Hollywood to follow.
However the defining event in international news which fuelled and set in stone the “terrorist” stereotype was the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. The event led to simplistic stereotypes which showed Muslims as “homogenised as backwards, irrational, unchanging, fundamentalists, misogynists, threatening and manipulative in the use of their faith for political and personal gain” [1].A study sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations showed that “one in four Americans still hold stereotypes of Muslims” [13] as being extreme in their views or as terrorist sympathizers or even terrorists themselves. These events “turned American Muslims from ordinary citizens into objects of suspicion and discrimination overnight. Not only the Muslims but their faith itself came under attack and distrust.”[14] Despite the fact that “as a community they [Muslims] overwhelmingly reject Islamic extremism.”[15]
Shows which fuelled such stereotypes were American TV series such as 24 [6], an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series. The show which is centered on the fictional Los Angeles branch of the U.S. government Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU), shows the lead character Jack Bauer carrying out different types of tasks related to the CTU. Many of the “enemies” in the show have been Muslim and traditionally of Middle Eastern origin. Shows such as these which are highly patriotic set up Muslims as the “common enemy” [16] and reinforces the stereotype further.
As the “terrorist” stereotype developed and people began to accept it a Muslim backlash occurred. Media texts began getting produced which although showed terrorists aimed to show their reasons for such acts and introduced “liberal Muslims” who were the true followers of Islam and condemned terrorism.
The film Khuda Ki Liye (2007) [17] [translated as “In God’s Name”]
The film is a collaboration between the Pakistani, Indian and US film industries. The movie revolves around two musical brothers, Mansoor and Sarmad. One brother falls into an extremist group and the other goes to Chicago to study music, then falls victim to racial profiling, and is arrested solely because a drunken man referred to him as a “terrorist”.It shows the inhumane treatment he faces in prison which eventually led to his becoming mentally unstable. His brother is shown to befriend a young man who introduces him to a more extreme approach to Islam which leads him to travel to Afghanistan to fight “jihad”. However he soon realises that what he and his new friends are doing is wrong and returns to Pakistan to his old liberal life.
The movie raised many crucial issues such as religious extremism and racial profiling which has been on a rise since 9/11 especially in America. An example occurred shortly after 9/11 when:
“On August 14, a group of Muslim-Americans were detained for hours at New York’s Kennedy Airport when they came back to the United States from trips abroad. About 200 passengers of Arab, Muslim or South Asian backgrounds were plucked from the baggage area, held six hours without food or water by Customs and Border Protection agents and questioned about their views of Iraq.”[14]
The movie’s deep message was best summed up by Mansoor, the arrested brother:
"I can’t hate all Americans because some of them have done injustices to me, in the same way the police cannot hate all Muslims because some of them attacked their country."[17]
Where he clearly discussed the movie’s underlying message, that the actions of a few do not reflect a whole religion, in the same way a terrorist cannot attack innocent people because of the actions of their leaders.
Another show which explored the lives of Muslims after the events of 9/11 was the British show Britz [18] shown on the terrestrial British channel, channel 4.
It shows the story of brother and sister, Sohail and Nasima. Sohail is a law undergraduate student who signs up with MI5 and, eager to play a part in protecting British security, begins an investigation into a terrorist cell. His sister Nasima is a medical student in Leeds who becomes increasingly alienated and angered by Britain's foreign and domestic policy after witnessing at first hand the relentless targeting of her Muslim neighbours and peers which results in the suicide of her best friend who was arrested for the actions of her brother. The series ends in Sohail trying to prevent a terrorist attack in London which is to be carried out by his sister, Nasima. Although we do not see whether she detonates the bomb we are shown instead her suicide video and hear her chilling message:
"You are not innocent, OK? As long as you keep electing this government . . . as long as you sit on your hands while they pass these laws which you know are wrong, you are not innocent!"[18]
The show gained both praise and criticism from audiences; the good was that it tried to explain reasoning behind such acts as well as the difficult lives Muslims have faced since 9/11 and more recently 7/7. However some have argued that it was seen as giving young British Muslims an ultimatum with its demanding tagline “Whose Side are you on?” implying that all Muslims have to choose between terrorism or spying on their people, without any middle ground. This was an echo of Bush’s speech to the United Nations in 2001, when he declared “you're either with us or against us”. Britain seemed to be adopting an interrogation style and providing only two options for Britain’s young Muslims. However it did attempt to reflect growing feelings within the British Muslim community. As “81% of British Muslims think the War on Terror is a war on Islam. 91% think the War on Terror has increased the threat of terrorism in Britain.” [19] Although it can be said the typical terrorist stereotype was undermined by this show, it did not provide an alternative moderate Muslim only the “Muslim by name” character of Sohail.
However the American TV series The Sleeper Cell [8] provides an insight into 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 liberal 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 liberal and follow the true principles of the faith.
The series battles to prove the point that "It’s not the religion that causes you fear and disturbance rather it’s the misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Islam"[8].
The Sleeper Cell [8] introduces a Black Muslim protagonist which is highly unusual of American shows; this alone shows a progression from usual stereotypes not only by having a Muslim lead but a Black Muslim which alone carries its own misconceptions.
There is a misconception surrounding Black Muslims, especially in America, as many of them convert during time spent in prison and are usually given a more radical approach to the religion therefore are seen as detached and unaware of “true” Islam. Another reason for Black Muslims being stereotyped is that many converted during the time when organisations such as the Nation of Islam and Five Per-centers were growing and both these organisations were seen as putting race before religion and were introduced at a time when characters such as Malcolm X where making a stand. These organisations provided religion as well as a reason to fight for equality. Their religion was seen as distant from “true” Islam and therefore never accepted. This is shown through the lead Darwyn Al-Hakim who is seen by characters such as Bobby Habib and Cristian as unreliable solely because he is a Black Muslim when in reality he is the only one of them who knows true Islam and is actually a Sunni by birth not conversion.
"No offence, all right? But, you know, most Arabs don’t think American Blacks are real Muslims" (Bobby Habib - Sleeper Cell) [8]
Sleeper Cell [8] still however, backs the Black Muslim stereotype through the character of the prison librarian who brings Darwyn to the cell however it later subverts the stereotype by showing Darywn, the Black Muslim fighting in the true name of Islam by defeating these terrorists who have a distorted view of his religion. Other characters who conform to stereotypes are Farik Al Faris who is a typical “Muslim extremist”. He heads the cell and recruits vulnerable Muslims by telling them they should be fighting jihad.
Another stereotype which is subverted is the religious preacher stereotype through the character of Zayd Abdal Malik, who is an Islamic teacher. The media portrays any religious Muslim as agreeing with terrorism, which can be understandable with well known preachers, such Abu Hamza al-Masri being often shown within the news. However this show introduces a character who informs other characters, as well as the audience, of Islam’s true beliefs over such works. During a sermon he delivers the message that:
“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 civilians. Something the prophet would never have condoned - sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.”[8]
Zayd is eventually killed by a member of the cell, we see that he dies a martyr as he recites a crucial Islamic prayer before dying, which none of the members of the cell do, showing that Zayd is a symbol of “true” Islam unlike the self styled jihadists who are “trying to transform Islam to serve their political agenda” [8]
The stereotypical Muslim then is beginning to slowly change. Although many roles of Muslims in Hollywood and Television are that of terrorists, the introduction of the liberal Muslim is beginning.
The short comedy series Sands of Passion: An Al Qaeda Soap Opera [20] takes the offensive stereotypes that all Muslims are terrorists, homophobic, anti-Semitic and oppressive to their woman and mocks them one by one. The mini series shows characters such as a young boy who continuously disappoints his parents by still not having blown up any buildings and a man who has a liver “converted” before a transplant as it previously belonged to a Jewish man.
Another comedy series which does not show any signs of terrorism at all but is based around a small town and its mosque is the Canadian TV series A Little Mosque on the Prairie [9] by Zarqa Nawaz, who set up a her own production company, FUNdamentalist Films, as "putting the 'fun' back into fundamentalism” which has produced many short films, screenplays and the feature length film “Me and the Mosque”. She takes a comedic approach to her work and she describes it as a "new genre of film", a cross between a terrorist flick and a comedy: "I call it a 'terrordy.'" [21]
Her comedy series A Little Mosque on the Prairie [9] focuses on the Muslim population of the fictional rural prairie town of Mercy, Saskatchewan, Canada. The cast include a liberal imam who once was a lawyer, a conservative Nigerian woman, Baber an economics professor who is the most conservative of them all and Rayan a doctor, who follows Islamic feminism, keeps the sartorial hijab, and takes her religion very seriously. The comedy does not carry standard stereotypes such as broken accents, lack of understanding of the west or typical Muslim perceptions that they are all un-accepting of ideas other than their own, to gain humour and the show does not accept traditional stereotypes such as an oppressed woman, fanatical men and so on, but tries to change them with a hijab wearing doctor and a Muslim business woman, neither dependent on men.
The show steps away from terrorism altogether to show its audience that Muslims and terrorists do not go hand in hand. The show does not rely on mocking already made stereotypes but instead introduces “normal” characters and “normal” comedic situations; the only difference is that these characters happen to be Muslim. This shows that stereotyping of Muslims has come along way since the early 20’s and even the events of 9/11. As more Muslims come into media more texts are being produced to show the true face of Islam and its followers.
In conclusion the stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs have shown development since the early 20th century. A section of society that has always been presented as “the Other” whether it be because of ignorance in the early 1920s or due to international events such as those in the 1980s and most notably the events of 9/11 which gave rise to derogatory stereotyping, the Muslim stereotype has developed and is now slowly beginning to change. Muslims are now finally getting the opportunity to show the western media and its audience the reality of their people through shows such as Sleeper Cell [8] and Khuda Ki Liye [17] and has been given the opportunity to throw away these stereotypes altogether which is illustrated in the comedy series A Little Mosque on the Prairie [9].
Bibliography
Books/Newspapers
[3] – “Arabs in Hollywood: An Undeserved Image", Scott J. Simon
[5] – Today front cover June 1995
[12] - "100 Years of Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim stereotyping" by Mazin B. Qumsiyeh
[21] – Telegraph 24/05/2002
Internet
[1] – Elizabeth Poole article - http://www.al-bab.com/media/articles/poole0005.htm
[14] - http://www.milligazette.com/dailyupdate/2006/20060909_america_muslims_terrorism.htm
[15] - http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-05/2007-05-22-voa73.cfm?CFID=265779835&CFTOKEN=80355027
[16] - http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=26145
[23] - http://www.alternet.org/movies/15348/
Reports/Studies
[7] - European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia Report
[13] - Council on American-Islamic Relations Study
[19] - The 1990 Trust, 'Muslim views: Foreign Policy and its Effects' (Oct 2006).
Film/TV
[2] – Son of the Sahara (1924)
[4] - Back To the Future (1985)
[6] – 24 American TV Series
[8] – Sleeper Cell
[10] - “The Sheik” (1921)
[11] - “The son of the Sheik” (1926)
[17] - “Khuda Ki Liye” (2007)
[18] – Britz (2007)
[20] - Sands of Passion: An Al Qaeda Soap Opera (2007)
[9] - A Little Mosque on the Prairie (2007)
