In many Hollywood films, Muslim men are portrayed as villains who are a threat to the national security of the United States. These films also portray Muslim women as submissive to their husbands and victims of these hostile and aggressive environments. What film lovers often overlook are the scenes where these films are taking place. The scenery provides information about the time, place, and most importantly how it portrays the living conditions. What is it like to live in a Muslim country? To Westerners, the Muslim world is a strange and often misunderstood place. The living conditions in the Muslim world are portrayed by Hollywood films as primitive. It is true that some Muslims may fit the stereotyped description; however, the majority of Muslims are just like everyone else who want to live in a safe, peaceful, and equal society.
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Many Westerners assume the living conditions of Muslims without visiting a Muslim country or getting to know a Muslim individual. A research conducted by Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR) in 2006 reveals that 68% of American public has an assumption that Muslims live in isolated “desert” areas where they ride camels as their main transportation. They perceive and develop this notion at an early age watching Disney movies such as Aladdin, one of the most favored children’s movies, to learn what the Middle East is like. Throughout the movie, it associates certain stereotypes of living conditions of Muslims. The movie starts with the song “Arabian Nights.”
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"Oh I come from a land a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam Where it's flat and immense And the heat is intense It's barbaric, but hey, it's home" As one can see, this song paints a mental picture of the Muslim world. It stereotypes the living conditions as a hot desert place with camels, and it describes the setting as barbaric and hostile. In addition, the street rats dashing though the marketplace emphasize the poor and filthy conditions that Muslim communities are in. |
There is a perception among American public that Islam opposes technological and scientific advancements. Hollywood does not skip this opportunity and takes advantage of these unreliable assumptions. For example, in Sex in the City 2, the scene where the ladies are crossing the desert with camels, Charlotte receives a cell-phone perception, loses it, and complains. This shows to viewers that Muslims live in conditions where they are out of touch from the rest of the world and lag behind in technology.
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A society’s standard of living increases with the rise of technology. Just like many other stereotypes of Muslim countries, this notion of lagging behind technological advancement is a false assumption. According to the Economist, a recent survey by Ipsos, a market-research firm, found that "rich Muslim-majority countries boast some of world’s highest rates of smartphone penetration, with the United Arab Emirates ahead at 61%. But even in poorer Muslim lands adoption is respectable: 26% in Egypt, not much below Germany’s 29%. More than a third of people in the Middle East now use the internet, slightly above the world average."
Another film that misrepresents Muslims is The Kingdom (2007). When Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman) asks Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper) "What is it like there?" (@ 1:06) Sykes replies "It is bit like Mars." This scene suggests to viewers that Saudi Arabia, an Islamic theocratic monarchy, is an oppressive country where its citizens live with constant fear of death and a hostile environment. |
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Works Cited
The online ummah. August, 2012. The Economist. http://www.economist.com/node/21560541.
Picture at the top: http://media.gadventures.com/media-server/dynamic/admin/trip-banners/north-africa-middle- east/morocco/DCHM/DCHM-camel-riding.jpg
The online ummah. August, 2012. The Economist. http://www.economist.com/node/21560541.
Picture at the top: http://media.gadventures.com/media-server/dynamic/admin/trip-banners/north-africa-middle- east/morocco/DCHM/DCHM-camel-riding.jpg