Islamic Representation In Popular Culture

Representations of Islam, especially in the Western world, have spread negative images of the religion such as in American mass media, Hollywood movies, or news outlets. These biased attitudes are deep-rooted in histories of colonialism and Orientalism. Orientalism is a way of seeing that imagines, emphasizes, exaggerates and distorts differences of Arab peoples and cultures as compared to that of Europe and the U.S. It often involves seeing Arab culture as exotic, backward, uncivilized, and at times dangerous. Portrayals of Muslims in American popular culture spread misconceptions about the religion throughout the world. The stereotypes associated with Muslims include terrorism, fundamentalism, and extremism. These stereotypes then encapsulate the impressions that people may have of Islam and Muslims and makes it difficult for them to view the religion as anything but the violent extreme religion it is portrayed as.







After the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York by the Al-Qaeda terrorist group, negative images of Muslims have been drastically negatively impacted. Islam became synonymous to violence, fundamentalism, and terrorism. American mass media has misinformed the masses on the ideologies of the Islamic religion.

With the role of technology constantly growing in society, it is easy for mass media to infiltrate peoples' thoughts and manipulate them. It is able to persuade public opinions and instill feelings of hatred, fear, and aggression against Muslims. The stereotyping of Muslims in popular culture increases fears of Islam and gradually allows for public consent to racialized violence such as military intervention of the US governments in Muslim countries. There is a strong relation between American mass media and American politics.



Negative Representations and Stereotypes


Stereotypes have negative consequences for society as they affect both those being stereotyped as well as those who believe and apply the stereotypes. The stereotyped groups are implicated as their entire race, sex, nation, religion, etc. is being negatively viewed and marginalized. Those accepting and relaying stereotypes are misguided and misinformed about the world around them. Rather than experiencing before defining, stereotypes enable people to have pictures and preconceived notions in their heads before experiencing anything for themselves.

Stereotypes cause groups being stereotyped to suffer from oppression, lack of access to education and employment opportunities, discrimination, and racial violence. This results in the groups developing low self-esteem, depression, and other negative effects on their mental health.

The roots of stereotypical representation of Muslims in Hollywood date back to European Orientalist traditions of colonialism.

Since the advent of Islam, western attitudes towards Islam were negative as they were viewed as a threat to Christianity. They came to be perceived as enemies and were on the receiving end of hostility and racial hierarchies that placed them in vulnerable positions. These views were emphasized after the 9/11 attacks that began a series of negative representations of Muslims as 'the enemy'.

The pressing issue of Islamophobia is a direct result of misinterpretation and stereotyping at the hands of American media. Recurring images of violent Muslims, oppressed women, terrorism and fundamentalism instill and reinforce incorrect ideas placed in the minds of the population. Race and gender stereotypes are often discussed, but it is important to bring forth the discussion on religious stereotyping as well. More often than not, movies and TV shows will exaggerate Islamophobic stereotypes and highlight misinterpretations to reproduce violent images of Islam that cater to the US government and American politics. Specifically Arab Muslims are demonized in American pop culture and victims of racist stereotyping and anti-Arab prejudice. Muslim characters on TV and in movies in Hollywood as usually:

- Instigators of terrorism or associated with it

- Presented as culturally 'backwards'

- A threat to Western ways of life

- Misogynistic males and oppressed females





Examples of Arab-Muslim Stereotypes in TV and Film

The 2013 Super Bowl Coca-Cola advertisement portrayed Arabs in the desert riding camels- an extremely outdated representation of the population. Other examples include Arab villains and terrorists in Hollywood films such as the film,"True Lies" (1994) featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a spy for a fictional Arab terrorist group.

Or in the Disney film, "Aladdin", where the theme song 'Arabian Nights' includes the lines, "From a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam, where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face. It's barbaric, but hey! It's home." This paints Arabs as sinister and barbaric people. The film also includes Arab villains with stereotypical Arab long noses. When they are not being represented as terrorists, Arab-Muslims will usually be portrayed as crazy rich, oil sheiks with strange accents and backward customs.



Arab-Muslim women are specifically at the receiving end of stereotyping and misrepresentation in Hollywood. The sexualization of Muslim women as belly-dancers, harem girls, silent shrouded in veils plays into the stereotype of a submissive, exotic and sexually available Muslim woman. The opposite representation includes a fully covered, culturally backward, and oppressed woman.


Having these representations, especially in Disney movies aimed at younger audiences, instills these misrepresentations in the minds of mass populations from a young age and reinforces racist religious stereotypes in their thoughts that can then be expressed in the form of hate crimes, discrimination, and overall exclusion of Muslim and rejection of Islam.

Implications

As an Arab-Muslim woman, I do find it problematic to see these misrepresentation in popular culture and media as it reflects badly on both myself and my background. Moving to Vancouver from Bahrain, I was expecting to be on the end of some stereotyping given the portrayal of Muslims in the mass media. Although on the whole my experiences have been positive, some people have been misinformed on my religious background and culture and have made some uneducated remarks that reinforce the present stereotypes. 
I believe that one step towards the right direction to eradicate these misrepresntations should be to educate the masses and re-align Western views on Islam.



Works Cited


“Arab-Americans Protest 'True Lies'.” New York Times, 16 July 1994.



Scheinin, Richard. “‘Aladdin’ Politically Correct? Arabs, Muslims Say No Way ⁠— Criticisms That Kid Movie Is Racist Takes Disney by Surprise.” Entertainment & the Arts, Seattle Times, 14 Feb. 1994, 12:00 a.m.



“Veils, Harems & Belly Dancers.” Reclaiming Our Identity: Dismantling Arab Stereotypes, Arab American National Museum, 2011.