An article by the Center for American Progress, Fear Inc., explains that a "small group of foundations and wealthy donors" fuel the expansive Islamaphobia network that peddles fear and hate through books, blogs, reports, and media. As a result of this hate and fear infested network, the majority of Americans, roughly 49%, "hold an unfavorable view of Islam."
Our group's argument is that the American film industry, through its portrayal of Arabs as "barbaric," evil,''or "savage'' in a broad range of films, whether they are PG-rated Disney or explicit R-rated adult films, has played a strong role in influencing the American people to hold the unfavorable view of Islam found in reports like Fear Inc. We believe that Islamaphobia found in films might even go as far as influencing American policy. In order to develop this argument, we did a case study on three different films that portray Arab culture and Islam negatively.
These depictions are particularly troublesome, because as Neil Postman writes in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, television has affected the way people live off the screen. When people's offscreen perceptions are altered by bigotry and prejudice, Jack Shaheen warns that policies can be affected, resulting in "conflicts between nations."
*This website is a part of Dr.Hatem Bazian's Islamaphobia course at UC Berkeley
Our group's argument is that the American film industry, through its portrayal of Arabs as "barbaric," evil,''or "savage'' in a broad range of films, whether they are PG-rated Disney or explicit R-rated adult films, has played a strong role in influencing the American people to hold the unfavorable view of Islam found in reports like Fear Inc. We believe that Islamaphobia found in films might even go as far as influencing American policy. In order to develop this argument, we did a case study on three different films that portray Arab culture and Islam negatively.
These depictions are particularly troublesome, because as Neil Postman writes in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, television has affected the way people live off the screen. When people's offscreen perceptions are altered by bigotry and prejudice, Jack Shaheen warns that policies can be affected, resulting in "conflicts between nations."
*This website is a part of Dr.Hatem Bazian's Islamaphobia course at UC Berkeley