Out of around 1000 Hollywood films that have Arab and Muslim characters (from the year 1896 to 2000) 12 were positive depictions, 52 were even handed and the other 900 plus were negative.


This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged form the earliest days of silent film to today's biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Featuring the acclaimed author of "Reel Bad Arabs", Dr. Jack Shaheen, the film explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs and Muslims - from Bedouin bandits and submissive maidens to sinister sheikhs and gun-wielding "terrorists" - along the way offering devastating insights into the origin of these stereotypical images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today.

Dr Shaheen shows how the persistence of these images over time has served to naturalize prejudicial attitudes toward Arabs and Arab and Islamic culture, in the process reinforcing a narrow view of individual Arabs and the effects of specific US domestic and international policies on their lives. By inspiring critical thinking about the social, political, and basic human consequences of leaving these Hollywood caricatures unexamined, the film challenges viewers to recognize the urgent need for counter-narratives that do justice to the diversity and humanity of Arab people and the reality and richness of Arab history and culture.

The following is also interesting. Taken from the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, the following montage entitled ‘Planet of the Arabs’, which was inspired by Dr Shaheen’s book, collects together some of the worst spectacles of Hollywood's relentless vilification and dehumanization of Arabs and Muslims:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm1ziIxCE8M

Rambo 3 was alwright. Dam Reds

Rambo III is one of the positive ones (although Afghanis aren't Arabs) - Rambo fights with the mujaahidiin to free Afganistan from the Russians. The film ends with this:

"This film is dedicated to the gallant people of Afghanistan"

Man how times have changed!

Well Gwaan the same can really be said of blacks, chinese and any other race you care to mention really.

Farhad - you are, as usual, absolutely right!

It still amazes me when I watch American television/movies how cheap racial/ethnic/religious stereotypes are considered funny. For example, I love the Simpsons and Family Guy - but I always cringe when they go abroad. It's the same reason I don't like Borat - he's simply a cheap ill-informed stereotype of a Kazakhstani. I'd like to think it was something smarter, but I don't think it is!

Hehe funny you should mention Borat, my father is actually from Kazakhstan. And to me and him it's actually hilarious, anyone who is from Kazakhstan would immediately tell you Borat is not one. Borat is not so much laughing at Kazakh people as he is laughing at people how have a lack of knowledge of other cultures. The joke is on the westernized people who usually think they know more about the world simply out of status economically in the world.

"Borat is not so much laughing at Kazakh people as he is laughing at people who have a lack of knowledge of other cultures" - sure, this is part of it. Look at the way he exposes the ignorance of some Americans. Are you arguing that he uses an ill-informed stereotype to expose those who hold ill-informed stereotypes? The problem with that, is it assumes that people are aware of using stereotypes, or become aware by watching Borat. I'm still worried that a lot of people watch the film and have their prejudices about central asian Muslims reinforced.

btw - Sacha Baron Cohen's brother Erron brought out a great album of Middle Eastern music called 'Zohar' - mixed Arab, Muslim and Jewsih music together - very well produced

"I'm still worried that a lot of people watch the film and have their prejudices about central asian Muslims reinforced."

Well I believe that will be ultimately their loss... Personally to me I think Sacha realized that preaching about negative stereotypes and how they are bad is not as well heard as a full on satirical parody of ill informed people. Sure there will be those over who this completely flies over, but for many they will realize and start to question their views on their own.

But making fun of middle-America is kinda like shooting fish in a barrel. Furthermore, Borat just reinforces the stereotype of the ill-informed American hick!

But Gwaan it's impossible to force people to change , I mean look at Bill Hicks, it took forever for him to break state side even though he spoke sense. And before he got the chance to really say something he was gone. Same with Jimi Hendrix who became popular in Europe before the States.

People. They just ain't ready. Maybe it's education maybe it's something else. All I know is that a certain world view cannot be imprinted on a certain populace. Here's hoping to another time America will hopefully wake up like they did post Vietnam, let's see if it holds up. Something is happening I don't know what, but the process feels energetic.

somebody say "hick"....s'cuze me..
yep, sterotypes bein' the bitch that they are, you really have to blame the combination of good ol' propaganda, lack of knowlege, and just plain lazy assholism, for the state of afairs with regard to cultural perception....personally, when I thimk of Arabs, I tend to weigh their contributions past nad present, against the backdrop of the current world stage....kinda sucks that more is not done to build than to destroy, but just as the earth herself goes through natural cycles of this and or that, so goes the predictablity and manipulatility of the human bean.

whine not, empower yourself and others with the message of whatever......

I noticed something the other day watching an episode of "24". CTU (goodguys)watches Fox News while at the Arab Terrorists (badguys) hideout, they're watching CNN. Interesting.

Is it the reflector or the director?
Does it imitate us or do we imitate it?

- The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy,
"Television, the Drug of the Nation"

(And swampgirl, if it wasn't obvious from the premise and the content, the series' creator is a card-carrying Republican. I don't think "24" has any illusions that it's much more than propaganda.)

Of course hollywood depicts Arabs in a bad way.
That's how they look to the Western world.
I know that it's not a good thing, and I'm all against discriminating people, but we're talking about a region of the world, in which people live with a mentality very close to the middle ages. No wonder they get treated like shit. The countries in the middle east with good living conditions, are the exceptions, and even in those, people still act like mindless religious zealots.

Empire - from your ill-informed comments I'm guessing you've never been to the Middle East, or any Islamic country for that matter. There are no more mindless religious zealots in the Middle East than there are in America, Israel or Europe. But there are a lot of people who are very angry at US government foreign policy and the appalling treatment of the Palestinians. The Islamic world, and particularly the Middle East, has changed dramatically in the last one hundred years - and its peoples mentalities are no closer to the middle ages than any where else in the world.

Unfortunately, "Arab terrorist" is not a stereotype any more than "Black Revolutionary" or "soldier of the Provisional Irish Republican Army." And since the 1960s, the most maligned and ridiculed class of people in the US and Hollywood are White Guys.

No people are more misrepresented around the globe than the American people. We get sh;t on by many countries even as we supply with them billions in aid.

We're thought of as "cowboys" by the socialists, and they're so ignorant about it they think "cowboy" is an insult. They conveniently forget they're whining in their own tongues instead of Japanese and German because of the USA.

The UN building should be evacuated and demolished. Let the foxes and wolves bash America from the Arctic or the deserts.

That said, I liked Morgan Freeman's "Azeem" in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

What I love about quantumushroom posts:

(1) The unique comedy factor: "That said, I liked Morgan Freeman's "Azeem" in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."
(2) The history lesson: "They conveniently forget they're whining in their own tongues instead of Japanese and German because of the USA."
(3) Challenging the prevailing orthodoxy: "And since the 1960s, the most maligned and ridiculed class of people in the US and Hollywood are White Guys."
(4) They provide a carefully thought out solution to all the world's problems: "The UN building should be evacuated and demolished. Let the foxes and wolves bash America from the Arctic or the deserts."

Wow - it's all so clear now!

Without QM the sift would be a duller place!

*equality

Adding video to channels (Equality) - requested by kulpims.