American Sniper Trailer (Click for Official Website)
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The Hollywood film, American Sniper, has generated much buzz since its release in theaters this past January. It has been critically acclaimed, won multiple awards, and is a nominee for best picture in 2015. However, taking a deeper look into the movie, we find major flaws and an egregious portrayal of Muslims, furthering Islamophobia in America. This movie has been glorified by Americans all over the country, which actually is quite concerning and illustrates the vast Islamophobic attitude held by many Americans. Unfortunately, this movie has inspired and promoted anti-islamic sentiment and has led to hate crimes against Muslims. |
Ed Schultz Disturbed by American Sniper and Normalizing of Islamaphobia
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which is the largest Arab civil rights organisation in the United States, actually reached out to Bradley Cooper and Clint Eastwood in order to ask them to release a statement to denounce any hateful rhetoric or violence that was presented in the movie. It is clear that this “American Hero” story is actually an Islamaphobic filled film that dehumanizes muslims and portrays the war as not as a fight between islamic militants, but a fight against Islam overall.
"Savage. Despicable Evil. That's what we were fighting in Iraq."
- Chris Kyle, Main character of American Sniper |
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Chris Kyle is Glorified in the Film as an American Hero
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Particular scenes in the movie stand out in the fact that they portray Chris Kyle, the protagonist of the film, as a man who embodies the ideal “American” and portray everyday Muslims as nefarious villains. In the beginning, there is a clear juxtaposition of Christian Americans and the Iraqi Muslims, as the movie switches back and forth from pristine churches and war torn mosques. Chris Kyle is glorified as an American Hero clearly shown here as he says, “the only thing that haunts me is the men we couldn’t save.” However, the movie completely fails to capture that he viewed the enemies as “savages.” In addition, the audience is able to get inside the mind of Chris Kyle’s head, but we never hear even a single line from Mustafa, who is the Iraqi sniper in the film. Hence, it is clear that this film is extremely one-sided and dehumanizes anyone on the other side.
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University of Maryland Postpones Showing of American Sniper
It is clear throughout the movie that the Muslims are dehumanized as they barely have any lines and character development compared to the “heroic” Americans. It is blatantly obvious that the film is a one sided portrayal of an American “hero” and outrightly and falsely neglects the Iraqi Muslims. The movie’s controversy still persists to this day, almost 4 months after its inception, as just recently the University of Maryland postponed and declined to show the film, as the University’s Muslim Student Association actively protested the film and released a statement that explained that “American Sniper only perpetuates the spread of Islamophobia and is offensive to many Muslims around the world for good reason." Violence and dehumanization of Muslims is completely normalized in this film, and it is completely unacceptable as it only furthers Islamophobic sentiment. It is evident from American Sniper that anti-islamic sentiment still persists in many Hollywood thrillers.
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“One measure of the significance of this phenomenon is the tenacity of its stereotypes. Despite more than half a century of both economic dependence on Middle Eastern oil and political involvement in Middle Eastern affairs, American images and understandings of Middle Eastern cultures remain largely unchanged.”
- Peter Gottschalk & Gabriel Greenberg, Scholars of Islam
- Peter Gottschalk & Gabriel Greenberg, Scholars of Islam
Conclusion
Thus, as can be seen on the analysis of the movie American Sniper, and as Gottschalk & Greenberg states in their studies, Hollywood movies have accentuated the Muslim stereotypes in the United States, in spite of the long-term mutual dependence both parts of the world had on their corresponding economies. Despite the long-standing economic interactions, American understanding of Islam still remain stagnant and many times misunderstood.