Day 13: Islamophobia in TV & Film

| CHALLENGE | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 | DAY 9 | DAY 10 | DAY 11 | DAY 12 | DAY 13 | DAY 14 | DAY 15 | DAY 16 | DAY 17 | DAY 18 | DAY 19 | DAY 20 | DAY 21 |

To ‘other’ a person or group of people is to label them as outliers of society: different, abnormal, less than. We can think of othering as an antonym of belonging. Reducing characters in TV and film to stereotypes and tired tropes are one of the most used strategies for perpetuating white supremacy.

Hollywood has a long history of portraying Muslims and other marginalized groups in the U.S. as less than human. Muslim characters, especially, are fetishized and pared down to their politics and religion, which is often conflated with their culture and faith.

“The representation of Muslims in the media and entertainment emphasizes their position as what I call a ‘permanent and impossible enemy’, with a particular emphasis on terrorism,” says Dr. Nour Halabi, lecturer in race, migration, and social movements at Leeds University.

After 9/11, Americans saw a surge of violent, inaccurate and inauthentic portrayals of Arabs and Muslims by the entertainment industry. Advocacy groups protested and the industry made what was considered an improvement in representation: “patriotic” Muslim characters. Unfortunately, these portrayals are red herrings, leaving audiences only knowing Muslim characters as good or bad strictly in relation to terrorism.

Today, we explore the topic of othering through the lens of Islamophobia and America’s media response to 9/11, and its continued impact.

IF YOU HAVE…

5 minutos	y	30 Minutes	y	1 HOUR
	y		y
WATCH THIS VIDEO about the pervasiveness of damaging Muslim stereotypes in TV and film and how the U.S. Department of Defense has influenced depictions of The War on Terror.	y	READ THIS ARTICLE (or watch the video clips or dive into the full interview) to understand how the experiences of Muslims in America have changed since 2001.	y	VIEW THIS REPORT that follows the progression of Muslim characters in TV and film and how Muslims have been represented and misrepresented on the big screen.

REFLECT

Take a moment to reflect today’s challenge and any insights you experienced.

• How did this challenge make you feel?
• What did you learn?
• What did you notice about yourself after taking the challenge?
• Consider sharing this new awareness with a friend or group to help deepen your understanding of the information.
• Continue the conversation online and connect with others by joining our Racial & Social Justice Facebook group.

Let us know why this challenge is important to you by leaving your comment aquí.

Thank you for joining us in our Stand Against Racism Challenge. Our work continues every weekday from May 2 – May 30. Each day you’ll be offered some content to help you take a deeper dive into the daily topic.

We ask that you undertake this challenge with an open mind and willingness to explore new ideas and allow yourself to sit with any emotions that may come up for you.

This content may be hard to process so consider having a self-care plan in place beforehand. This can include meditation before or after engaging, watching your favorite show, or doing something creative.

We look forward to going on this journey towards true equity and justice with you!

Just joining the SAR Challenge? Register and find the previous days aquí.

Share each challenge online with #SARChallenge

| CHALLENGE | DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 | DAY 9 | DAY 10 | DAY 11 | DAY 12 | DAY 13 | DAY 14 | DAY 15 | DAY 16 | DAY 17 | DAY 18 | DAY 19 | DAY 20 | DAY 21 |

Image of text on orange background that says, “Invest $21 for 21.”Racial Equity work is consistently underfunded. YWCA needs your help to continue to provide high quality programming like our Stand Against Racism Challenge.

Make a $21 investment in your own anti-racist development and challenge yourself to encourage 21 other people to take the challenge and match your $21 investment.

DONAR HOY