Hollywood: Password for Islamophobia

Arab stereotypes in Hollywood films, especially after the 9/11 attacks, explain the main reasons why Islamophobia has recently escalated around the world, particularly in the West. Two decades after 9/11, this hatred has gone from harassment and bullying Muslims to murders committed inside mosques, as occurred in New Zealand in 2019.

The funny thing is that over the past 20 years, three U.S. presidents have tried to negotiate a reconciliation with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Several days ago, President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of American troops, to take place in September. Meanwhile, the presence of the American coalition forces is gradually decreasing in Iraq, where the invasion was extremely costly to the United States.

An American book entitled “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People” exposes the reality of how the film industry in Hollwood distorts Arabic images. The book was published in 2001, and its author, Jack Shaheen, who is of Arabic origin, was born in Pennsylvania to Christian immigrant parents from Lebanon.

Shaheen says that hundreds of Islamophobic crimes, crimes that doubled after 9/11, were caused by the spread of these stereotypes in Western cinema. Commenting on the purpose of the book when it was published, Shaheen said that when you defame a people, innocent men, women and children suffer, adding that the Nazis’ defamation of Jews through movies and other propaganda paved the way for the Holocaust.

In the conclusion of the book, Shaheen says that Arabs appear as backward and threatening when viewed through Hollywood’s distorted lens. His lectures at the University of Illinois were mostly about how to overcome prejudice and stereotypes, and were also a way for Shaheen to encourage and invite Arab Americans to enter the field of journalism, and practice media-oriented professions.

Right after the book’s publication, the film critic Richard Schickel commented in Time magazine that, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, Hollywood turned to attacking Arabs by recasting them as villains.

One of the Hollywood films that greatly exaggerated the character of Arabs was “Arabian Nights,” which portrayed Harun al-Rashid in a backward, lustful setting. The movie “Rules of Engagement,” set in Yemen, also associates Arabs with barbarism. Few films, such as “Kingdom of Heaven,” show a positive image of Arabs and Muslims.

Despite Hollywood’s hateful attacks, its international artists defend Muslims and Islam. George Clooney, for example, supports many pro-Muslim causes.

In a bold speech he delivered in response to people who attacked Islam on a popular TV show, American actor and director Ben Affleck noted that Muslims killed by Americans outnumber westerners killed by Muslims.

Shaheen has fulfilled his original purpose. In 2017, an American Muslim won an Oscar for the fist time in history, when Mahershala Ali won an Academy Award as best supporting actor in the movie “Moonlight.” In addition to the success of Muslims in conquering the American film industry and achieving great fame in Hollywood, these actors are also talented and handsome, including the German-Egyptian actor, Omar Metwally.