Loading ...7 movies where Arabs or Muslims are everything but the heroes
By Leyal Khalife
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I think at this point we’ve all gotten used to the fact that an Arab or a Muslim is almost always used as the villain in a Western produced film. We’re no longer surprised when we see someone speaking in Arabic or wearing a keffiyeh plotting a terrorist attack. You would think that these productions have only started after the September 11 attacks, but that’s not true. These films were being produced before then and are still being produced today. Here are 7 movies where an Arab or a Muslim is everything but the hero:
1. “American Sniper“
Although based on the true story of a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper, Chris Kyle, who is sent to Iraq after the September 11 attacks, the film still makes a hero out of Kyle despite all the hate and racism his character possesses. As long as Muslims or Arabs are being killed, violence is encouraged and rewarded.
2. “The Siege“
Released in 1998, long before the September 11 attacks, The Siege’s plot revolves around Middle Eastern Muslim suicide bombers who go out to blow up a New York bus, movie theater and a school. The Muslims are portrayed as a threatening mass, something that only furthers hate toward the religion.
3. “Delta Force“
Delta Force flat out makes a villain out of Arabs by presenting a group of “Lebanese” terrorists who hijack a plane flying from Cairo to New York. The film was also released long before the September 11 attacks, which kind of gets you wondering.
4. “The Dictator“
Everything about this film is horrible. The protagonist in the film is presented as a tyrant with an anti-Western mentality, further reinforcing the idea that this is how things are done in the Arab world from a man’s perspective. How can we blame the West for thinking of us this way when this is all they see via the media?
5. “Zero Dark Thirty“
Although the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden is quite real, the movie doesn’t shy from violence and torture, further reinforcing the idea that these methods are “OK” if the target is of Arab or Muslim origin.
6. “Rules of Engagement“
Another movie that makes it seem that it’s OK to kill innocent Middle Eastern civilians while trying to kill a specific group, as long as these innocent people are Arabs. This film was released long before the September 11 attacks.
7. “Lone Survivor“
Also based on the true story of a mission taking place in Afghanistan, a team of four Navy SEALs are on a hunt down for a Taliban commander, Ahmad Shah. The film fails to give enough knowledge about the Taliban commander to allow the audience to identify him as a good or bad guy. As usual, the film blindly presents him as the “bad” guy.
