Ambiguous allies: Muslims as positive characters in Western post 9/11 fiction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54695/mm.242.01.694Keywords:
Islam, cinema, War on Terror, stereotypes, Orientalism, affirmative action, Islam, cinéma, Guerre contre le terrorisme, stéréotypes, orientalisme, discrimination positive, représentation.Abstract
After the “War against terror” started, the representation of Muslim
characters in Wester movies became a key issue. On the one hand, film
directors were deeply conscious of the perceived influence of cultural products
in the fight against al-Qaeda and later against ISIS, but on the other hand,
this representation came under criticism as being rooted in Orientalist
stereotypes. This study aims at understanding how the film industry has
tried to face this dilemna by developing “positive” Muslim characters, to
which a Western audience could relate. Nevertheless, the way in which these
characters have been developed, either as heroes, or as victims appears to
be problematic, stemming from more ancient representations of subaltern
communities on screen, which appeared difficult to reuse in the case of
Muslims. The effect was the creation of Muslim icons with a very strong
political undertone, who, nevertheless appear as rather hollow characters.
