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February 05, 2007
Make Room for Jihad
UK Gov't Urged to Clamp Down on Muslim Stereotyping in Media, Arts
London (CNSNews.com)
Charging that movies and TV are filled with stereotypical images of Muslims, an Islamic rights group in Britain is calling for more government intervention in the media.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission, the non-profit group, said in a report there was a systematic bias shown against Muslims throughout the arts.
Beginning centuries ago with classic literature such as the Song of Roland and the works of Dante, where the prophet Mohammed was shown to be trapped in hell, the report charged that prejudice has filtered down to today.
This was seen in newspaper and television journalism, but also in popular movies and fiction, the report said.
Muslims were either shown to be terrorists - for example in action thrillers such as Executive Action or The Siege - or as exotic but inferior, as in movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, the commission said.
In spy novels, "evil and barbaric Muslims" often wanted to overthrow the United States, while the writing of popular novelist James Clavell depicted Iranians as filthy and irrational, it reported.
The commission said the stereotypes affect how non-Muslim British citizens regard Islam, and at the same time alienate Muslims from the rest of society.
The report was accompanied by results of an opinion poll of British Muslims, in which 62 percent of respondents found the media to be "Islamophobic."
The authors of the report concluded that it was apparent the British media's efforts to self-regulate were not working, and that it was time for the government to step in.
The government should monitor media representation of Muslims, and "watchdogs with teeth" should punish news institutions that allow prejudice, through deliberate action or negligence, the commission said.
It also argued that censors need more power to curtail or decline certification of movies with questionable material.
Arzu Merali, one of the report's authors, told Cybercast News Service the measures were needed to combat the barrage of negative images.
"It's not something we're advocating lightly or even happily but it's a solution that must be considered," she said.
However, the report drew some critical reaction, including a scornful response by a prominent Pakistani columnist, Kamran Shafi.
Writing in the Lahore-based Daily Times, Shafi said the commission seemed to want to depict Muslims everywhere as perfect. It's criticism of the cartoon film "Aladdin" as stereotyping Arabs was "ridiculous," he added.
"Can we lighten up please, folks?" Shafi wrote. "Especially those of us who live in the West by choice?"
In recent years, efforts have been made in the British film and television industry to increase the number of minorities seen on screen.
In 2005, a detailed study by documentary maker Mukti Jain Campion found that the BBC was coming close to its stated goals of having around eight percent of drama roles being filled by minority actors.
While this roughly represents the percentage of black and Asian citizens in Great Britain, Campion also discovered that most minority actors were relegated to background roles or as the single non-white lead in a show, and that those she spoke to had recalled auditions where they were expected to put on strange accents or to behave in what the directors thought was a more "ethnic" manner.
In the United States, actors with a Muslim background have often complained of being offered a limited number of cliched roles on screen such as fanatical terrorists or immigrants with funny accents.
Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Friday Hollywood was losing out by not tapping this growing source of talent.
"I know there have been the incorporation of some positive roles for Muslim actors, but really, they have been few and far between," she said.
Wild Thing's comment......
Don't you just love the part that says.....
"Muslims were either shown to be terrorists - for example in action thrillers such as Executive Action or The Siege - or as exotic but inferior, as in movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, the commission said. "
"In spy novels, "evil and barbaric Muslims" often wanted to overthrow the United States, while the writing of popular novelist James Clavell depicted Iranians as filthy and irrational, it reported."
We have seen Muslims portray muslimes as bloodthirsty madmen waving signs that demand the torture deaths of "infidels," whom they define as anyone who doesn't believe their way. Or they might show airliners flying into office buildings, falsely alleging that the planes were hijacked by muslimes. Some even depict decapitations of innocent people by muslimes with dull knives.
Oh, wait. Those are documentaries. Those are the true Muslim we have to deal with.
I mean their cult they belong to, Islam, is about death and destruction. But they want to be protrayed as touchie feelie warm and fuzzy characters in movies and TV shows? Oh My Gawd! Give me a break!
Well here are some names of shows for them....add to it:
Beavis and Nohead
Virgin 54 Where are You?
Leave it to Osama
Three's Jihadi
My Mother the Car Bomb
Posted by Wild Thing at February 5, 2007 12:55 AM
Comments
Ozz-ie and Hari-at.
Leave it to Bomber.
Blowin' On Up.
Imam Knows Best.
Beat The Wife.
The Raping Game.
Wheel of Falafel.
Jew-Purge-ee.
My Little Mullah.
I Dream of Jihad.
Everybody Loves Rapin'.
This Old Safehouse.
Dome Improvement.
Posted by: Rhod at February 5, 2007 06:17 AM
How about My Three Muslims?
The Muslim Family?
The Man who Thinks he Would be King?
This is fun!
Posted by: Lynn at February 5, 2007 06:18 AM
Hate is Enough.
The Cartridge Family.
Mayberry IED.
....I'll go now.
Posted by: Rhod at February 5, 2007 06:53 AM
...what the hell.
Captain BANG-aroo.
Sixty-Second Meals.
Posted by: Rhod at February 5, 2007 07:03 AM
Here's something else from the country that gave us Winston Chruchill and Margret Thatcher.
A supply teacher has been sacked from a secondary school following complaints from Muslim pupils.
Andrew McLuskey was sacked from Bayliss Court Secondary School in Slough after a Religious Education lesson discussing the pros and cons of religion.
Pupils at the predominantly Muslim school claimed Mr McLuskey said most suicide bombers were Muslim.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6326277.stm
Mr. Mcluskey was wrong on one point of his assessment. He said most sucide bombers were Muslim instead of saying all sucide bombers are Muslim. Other than that point, he told the absolute truth and he gets fired. How soon before that stuff hits the shores of America?
Posted by: BobF at February 5, 2007 09:30 AM
Rhod, Hahahahahaha good ones.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 5, 2007 11:18 AM
Lynn, hahaahaha
Love it.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 5, 2007 11:20 AM
Rhod, oh that was a favorite of mine as a kid. I loved the Captain. haha
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 5, 2007 11:21 AM
Bob oh my gosh, how awful that poor teacher. We finally get a teacher that teachers how it really is and they sack him. grrr
Thanks for the link Bob. Your right too he should have said 'all'.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 5, 2007 11:23 AM
On a positive note, they don't need stunt doubles and they can be filmed in the streets, come to think of it they are.
Posted by: Jack at February 5, 2007 04:13 PM
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Mahmoud's Navy
Let's kill Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice
My Favorite Muslim
Behead Tuck
Really Mad TV
Saturday Night Dead
Good Morning Death to America
Apocolypse Now (redux)
Boombi
The Jihadersons
Wipe Seinfeld off the Map
The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer(oh they already have that one)
Squeal or no Deal
Islamic Court TV
The Atoms Family
I Dream of Jihadi
When Hakim raped Selma
You Beat Your Wife
The Streets of San Ramadi
Wheel of Torture
Posted by: Billy at February 5, 2007 08:06 PM
Saddam's Family
Fatah Island
Make Bomb for Daddy
Muslim P.I.
Muhammad in the Middle
Bombwatch
Posted by: Stanford Matthews at February 5, 2007 10:00 PM
Jack I hadn't thought of that but your right. They can be their own stunt doubles. heh heh
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 6, 2007 03:56 AM
Billy wow what a list. hahaha I could never have thought of all the ones thought of from everyone.
hahaha They deserve to be made fun of the jerks. All this giving in to them all the time. sheesh
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 6, 2007 03:57 AM
Stanford, that is great! Thank you so much.
Posted by: Wild Thing at February 6, 2007 03:58 AM
Wild Thing, you are quite welcome. It provided a pleasant respite from drudgery during a long day.
Posted by: Stanford Matthews at February 6, 2007 10:14 AM
Muslim PI! Hahahahahahaaa...Really Mad TV...ohhhh, hahahahaaa..
Posted by: Rhod at February 6, 2007 05:35 PM
