Following the terror that occurred last week, I've seen so many despicable comments on the internet and on television that demonize Islam, Muslims, and the "liberals" that "defend Islam." When I was in college, I chose to conduct research on the roots of Xenophobia and Islamophobia in the United States. Since it's long, I've broken the research into five parts. I'm not a sociologist, nor am I a researcher. I hope you enjoy. I'll include my sources as well.
Now that I have examined the development of Xenophobia in America and given some examples of it, I can move on to the specific type of discrimination I wish to focus on. The focus of this essay is the discrimination against Muslims and how Islam is demonized within our society. Stereotypes of both Islam as a faith and Muslims existed in small doses before the terror attacks; however, most of these portrayals were left to entertainment media, such as television shows and movies. For one, there was no real distinction between being Muslim and being Arab. The definition of an Arab is one who identifies with specific ethnic groups based on either cultural similarities or the linguistic similarities found in speaking Arabic. Not all Arabs are Muslim, and not all Muslims are Arabs. However, these representations often failed to differentiate between the two. In the recipe for the development of Hollywood characters, there are certain prototypes that the perceived Muslim had to possess.
One stereotype of the Muslim Arab is the man who is looking to cause mischief and violence, or to engage in a bloody battle for their beliefs. This man needs a more intelligent and skilled leader, or savior, to lead him into battle. This can be found in movies like "Lawrence of Arabia." Another stereotype of Muslim Arabs are the wealthy businessmen that provide some sort of comedic relief to the audience. For women, most fall into the stereotype of being mysterious and enchanting. The topic is explored in the book and documentary titled Reel Bad Arabs. An article discussing the documentary, the author writes, “…premiere of the new documentary "Reel Bad Arabs," which makes the case that Hollywood is obsessed with ‘the three Bs’ -- belly dancers, billionaire sheiks and bombers -- in a largely unchallenged vilification of Middle Easterners here and abroad” (Booth)
For more analysis on the subject, I wish to focus on "Aladdin." Aladdin is a movie that was released by Walt Disney pictures in 1992. It received mostly positive reviews from critics, and was the highest grossing film of that year. It was inspired by the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp that was found in the book One Thousand and One Nights; it was seen as an Arab folktale. In the current generation, it is one of the most popular examples of Arabs in film. It begins with a song that lends to the mystique and exotic aura of the Middle East and Arabia. The lyrics read as so; “Oh, I come from a land, 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.” As a young child being introduced to this “faraway place,” or even an adult, the actual lyrics probably do not stand out as much as one would think. However, because it is a movie that was presented to the general public as being family-oriented and heavily marketed towards a younger demographic, it is disturbing that a lyric so blatantly racist would be allowed to open the movie. While the song is a more blatant example of stereotyping within the media, there are other more subtle examples found within the films. For one, the appearance of the protagonist, Aladdin, is given a more Western-friendly, Anglicized look. His skin is paler, and he speaks with an American accent. His voice is clear and charming. This is a contrast to other characters in the movie, whom are given overly dramatic facial features that border on disgusting, dark skinned, have thick accents, and are cast as the villains. The King is seen as being a bumbling fool in a lavish palace, and is inept at understanding many concepts. When the Princess Jasmine steals an apple, she is threatened by a merchant who warns that thieves get their hands cut off. She is fearful, until Aladdin comes to her rescue. Could Aladdin be put into the role of the “White Savior”, who must save the Kingdom from the evil plan of Jafar, who wishes to overthrow the rule by using violence? Another example of the good versus evil theme is when Aladdin is turned into Prince Ali Ababwa. When he enters the palace, he has a conversation with the antagonist, Jafar. Aladdin is wearing an all white outfit, while Jafar is dressed in all black. Is this a play on white being “pure and good,” while black is seen as the color of evil?
To conclude this section, I want to tie all of my arguments together. There is a tendency that individuals have to differentiate between what they view as familiar to themselves and what is “other”. There is a tendency within our culture to accept what we perceive to be familiar, whether that is ideology, ethnicity, language or physical appearance. If an individual does not register as being paramount to us, we categorize them as “other”. The religion of Islam, along with its followers, and all of those who subscribe themselves to Arab culture, have been viewed as not being a part of our great American narrative. Our perception of Islam, Muslims and Arabs that has been translated through the media has been one of romance, mystique, comedy and a heightened sense of terror. The power that the media has on influencing the perceptions and opinions of the public will be discussed in the latter part of the paper. For now, one can venture to claim that it has been more negative than positive. “My conclusion is that in dramas, Muslims are not recognized on American television as citizens of their own country, but instead are portrayed as dangerous immigrants with a religion that is both alien and wicked” (Amir Hussain, 56).