Muslim Representation in American Films Research Paper

Art is expressed through a variety of visual, audial, and mixed media. Across the history of humanity, different artistic formats took the leading position, as conditioned by the evolution of science, technology, and philosophy. More specifically, art is capable of influencing a broad audience through intricate plots that depict profound themes. Ahmed says that “If art can teach us how to love, art indeed can teach us how to hate” (qtd in Weaver 1). In this regard, this is a tool that can both nurture positive values and contribute to the formation of misconceptions and stereotypes. “Screenings, that are based on a certain perspective, have an impact on the assessment and attempt to understand other cultures” (Sutkute 25). With the development of technological media, art has become more common as today, people can enjoy a great variety of it out of the comfort of their homes.

Therefore, the amount of artistically consumed information and symbolic messages has been on a stable increase recently. The leading form of art of the 21st century is cinema, and the social philosophy of today is largely affected by the messages it broadcasts to millions of viewers across the globe. This way, films often contain “biased information that inevitably becomes incorporated into ‘general knowledge’” (Sutkute 26). The American movie industry tends to rely on the negative and inaccurate representation of Muslim people.

For centuries, the West has been hardly familiar with the Muslim civilization and its traditions. This gap, combined with the lack of objective information, has caused multiple stereotypes and prejudices that are often harmful to the correct and “realistic perception of the East” (Sutkute 26). In the age of globalization, the worldwide exchange of talent and knowledge has been on a stable increase. Thus, a significant Muslim population has emerged in most developed societies of the West, and the West more likely created “the contradiction between two worlds” (Sutkute 27). The film industry cannot disregard this group, including its members, for new pieces of cinematographic art. However, the industry exhibits a strong inclination toward a stereotypical perception of the Muslim population. More specifically, it negatively depicts these people, which aligns with obsolete prejudices.

The issue with the cultural stereotypes that are promoted by movies and other media lies in the fact that these misconceptions become engraved in the cultural code of the viewers. Through this process, a particular social construct emerges that embodies the flawed perception of a group, race, or ethnicity that is nurtured by stereotypical media. This phenomenon is investigated at length by Sutkute and referred to as “the Imaginary Muslim community” (Sutkute 35). This term highlights the artificial nature of such representation that has little or no relation to the actual situation. To substantiate the discussion, Sutkute describes the cases of such imaginary communities in the films titled Submission (2004) and The Kite Runner (2007). Interestingly, the first film is stated as an attempt to discuss femininity and feminism in the context of a Muslim community; however, “female oppression did not become the main topic of discussion” (Sutkute 35). Yet, it diverges from this trajectory and leaves the central topic covered only on a superficial level. The rest of the discussion ventures into an ungrounded discussion about terrorism and extremism in Islam. The focus shifts to the presumed issues of Muslim men, who are portrayed in one of the most stereotypical ways possible.

In the end, the film fails to complete its mission while also contributing to misconceptions surrounding this culture. A similar situation is observed in the case of The Kite Runner. This film attempts to discuss the cultural differences between the East of the West. However, such a discussion requires an objective, unimpaired perspective on the actual situation. Sutkute notes that The Kite Runner presents an inherently biased point of view on “the relations between the East and West” (26). One of the most evident differences lies in the domain of values, beliefs, and morals. As per the discussed piece of cinematography, the values of the Western people are portrayed as more sophisticated and noble, whereas Muslim characters are shown as devoid of distinct “moral traits that conform to stereotypes” (Sutkute 29). As a result, even though the central topic holds great potential for objective exploration, the movie falls victim to unrealistic biases. Most interestingly, The Kite Runner has source material in the form of a book of the same name that was written by a Muslim author. Yet, the screenplay has failed to capture a true-to-life depiction of the Muslim people.

Additionally, there are cases in which meaningful attempts to represent one group correctly still misrepresent another one. Chrifi Alaoui and Adbi explore this phenomenon in one of the recent blockbusters titled Black Panther. In the age of superhero franchises, this film is a response to the historical misrepresentation of the African population. One of the missions of the Black Panther as a piece of contemporary cinematographic art is to dismantle the deeply engraved stereotypes of Africa as a tribal land with poorly developed people. The movie shows the “tensions that have re-flared between continental and diasporic Africans (particularly Black Americans)” (230). It artfully captures the strength and resilience of this content, as well as the people who inhabit it. Chrifi Alaoui and Adbi note that Black Panther is “the representation of Africa, Black femininity, Black identity, and a mighty and self-sustaining society unimpacted by war or colonization” (229). Yet, critics argue that the film ignores the importance of Islam for Africa, which is practiced by nearly 50% of the continent’s population (Chrifi Alaoui and Abdi 230). This example showcases another category of Muslim misrepresentation in modern media. While some films tend to distort the image of a typical Muslim person, others fail to acknowledge their existence.

Nevertheless, there is still observable progress in terms of positive and realistic Muslim representation in the American film industry. This process is instigated by the ongoing mechanisms of migration, as well as the principles of inclusiveness and equality. Elbenni refers to the work titled Body of Lies as a rare example of a “culturally correct, realistic, and precise representation of a Muslim character” (10). In it, Aisha is an Eastern woman who develops a romantic relationship with a Western man. Yet, the directors successfully relate the storyline to the character’s cultural background without relying on stereotypical portrayal. Aisha’s Muslim traditions are treated as a part of objective reality “without judgmental implications or any comparison to her partner’s Western values” (Elbenni 12). In the end, the two cultures are shown as equal, which contributes to the authenticity of the film.

When discussing the current state of Muslim representation, Robb confirms the general bias and notes that Muslim women are usually reduced to side family members or stereotypical romantic interests, which makes the case of Aisha unique. The general representation is still far from real as “there is so little opportunity for positive representation, that the negative examples do an outsize amount of damage” (Weaver 18). The presence of several positive examples only highlights the dire misrepresentation in other American visual media.

Overall, the leading forms of art exercise a considerable degree of influence over the contemporary paradigm of social philosophy. Today, such arts as cinema have become more widespread, as billions of people across the globe obtain access to a stable supply of audiovisual content. Therefore, the influence of the messages sent through such films is equally increased. When these messages become subject to biases, they create a distorted perception of reality, in general, as well as in specific social groups. Muslims remain one of the most misrepresented groups in modern media and are “threatening outsiders” (Robb 2). In many cases, their existence is barely acknowledged at all, even when an attempt is made to amend the flaws in representation. In other instances, Muslim people are shown through the lens of age-old stereotypes and prejudices that show their values as inferior to their Western counterparts. Even though negativity is not always present, this culture tends to be portrayed in a simplistic form devoid of objectivity. While positive examples emerge in the cultural space, more efforts are needed on behalf of filmmakers and producers.

Works Cited

Chrifi Alaoui, Fatima Zahrae and Shadee Abdi. “Wakanda for Everyone: An Invitation to an African Muslim Perspective of Black Panther”. Review of Communication, vol. 20, no. 3., 2020, pp. 229-235.

Elbenni, Ahmed. “The Good Muslim: When Positive Portrayals Prevail.” Deadline. Web.

Robb, David. “Muslims Underrepresented and Stereotyped In Top-Grossing Films, USC Annenberg Report Finds.”Deadline.

Sutkute, Ruta. “Representation of Islam and Muslims in Western Films: An ‘Imaginary’ Muslim Community”. EUREKA: Social and Humanities, vol. 4., 2021, pp. 25-40.

Weaver, Jackson. “The Fight for Muslim Representation in Hollywood – and the Danger of Falling Behind”CBC.