Islam, Muslims and Arabs in the Popular Hollywood Cinema
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.v3i2.213Keywords:
Islam in Hollywood, Islam and popular cultureAbstract
This is the age of Hollywood, yet, the pedagogic utilisation of popular films as a legitimate extra-ecclesiastical resource for the study of religion is frequently ignored, unappreciated or under-utilised. To thrive in the post-Millennial period, however, the religion professions need to integrate movies proactively into the educational curricula that go beyond their traditional deployment as visual aides, diversionary entertainment or student pacification. Applied cinema studies can thus contribute significantly to interreligious understanding, cooperation and peace-building, particularly the exposition of the many anti-Islamic messages embedded within the films of the West. Using textually based, humanist film criticism as the guiding analytical lens, the critical literature was reviewed and the popular Hollywood cinema scanned to reveal selected (mis-)representations of Islam, Muslims and Arabic culture in general. Both deconstructive and constructive issues were addressed. It was argued that: (a) the Hollywood hermeneutic is a viable pedagogic resource for the classroom, home and pulpit, (b) popular films can be profitably employed as a legitimate mode of interreligious dialogue, and (c) Islamic sacred subtexts should be constructed to spread the message of God further afield. Additional research into the emerging interdisciplinary field of religion-and-film was recommended.References
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Filmography
Air Force One (1997, dir. Wolfgang Petersen)
Aladdin (1992, dir. John Musker and Ron Clements)
Arlington Road (1999, dir. Mark Pellington)
Babette’s Feast (1987, dir. Gabriel Axel)
The Battle of Broken Hill (1982, dir. Robin Levinson)
Beau Geste (1922, dir. Herbert Brenon)
Black Sunday (1977, dir. John Frankenheimer)
The Book of Life (1998, dir. Hal Hartley)
The Chronicles of Riddick (a.k.a. Pitch Black 2: Chronicles of Riddick)
(2004, dir. David Twohy)
Clear and Present Danger (1994, dir. Phillip Noyce)
Collateral Damage (2002, dir. Andrew Davis)
The Crusades (1935, dir. Cecil B. DeMille)
The Crying Game (1992, dir. Neil Jordan)
Deja Vu (2006, dir. Tony Scott)
Delta Force (1986, dir. Menahem Golan)
The Devil’s Own (1997, dir. Alan J. Pakula)
Die Hard (1988, dir. John McTiernan)
Die Hard 2 (1990, dir. Renny Harlin)
Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995, dir. John McTiernan)
East is East (1999, dir. Damien O’Donnell)
The English Patient (1996, dir. Anthony Minghella)
Executive Decision (1996, dir. Stuart Baird)
Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc. (1949, dir. Fred C. Brannon)
Five Fingers (2006, dir. Laurence Malkin)
Flight 93 (2006, dir. Peter Markle)
From the Manger to the Cross (1912, dir. Sidney Olcott)
The Garden (1990, dir., Derek Jarman)
Godspell (1973, dir. David Greene)
God Told Me To (a.k.a. Demon) (1977, dir. Larry Cohen)
Godzilla (1998, dir. Roland Emmerich)
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964, dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini)
The Gospel Road (1973, dir. Robert Elfstrom)
The Grid (2004, dir. Mikael Salomon)
Hideous Kinky (1999, dir. Gillies MacKinnon)
Hollywood and the Muslim World (2003, dir. Charles C. Stuart)
Hollywood Harems (1999, dir. Tania Kamal-Eldin)
Hostage Flight (1985, dir. Steven Hilliard Stern)
The Hunt for Eagle One (2006, dir. Brian Clyde)
Ishtar (1987, dir. Elaine May)
The Jackal (1997, dir. Michael Caton-Jones)
Jammin’ in the Middle E (2005, dir. Kim Mordaunt)
Jesus Christ, Superstar (1973, dir. Norman Jewison)
Jesus of Nazareth (1977, dir. Franco Zeffirelli)
Johnny Got His Gun (1971, dir. Dalton Trumbo)
Khartoum (1966, dir. Basil Dearden and Eliot Elisofon)
Killing Streets (1991, dir. Stephen Cornwell)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005, dir. Ridley Scott)
The King of Kings (1927, dir. Cecil B. DeMille)
King of Kings (1961, dir. Nicholas Ray)
The Last Precinct (1986, dir. Hy Averback)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, dir. Martin Scorsese)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962, dir. David Lean)
Lion of the Desert (a.k.a. Omar Mukhtar) (1981, dir. Moustapha Akkad, a.k.a. Mostafa A’ghad)
The Little Drummer Girl (1984, dir. George Roy Hill)
Malcolm X (1992, dir. Spike Lee)
Matthew (1993, dir. Reghardt van den Bergh)
The Message (a.k.a. Mohammad, Messenger of God) (1977, dir. Moustapha Akkad, a.k.a. Mostafa A’ghad)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962, dir. John Frankenheimer)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004, dir. Jonathan Demme)
Mohammad, Messenger of God (a.k.a. The Message) (1977, dir. Moustapha Akkad, a.k.a. Mostafa A’ghad)
Monsieur Ibrahim (a.k.a. Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran) (2003, dir. Francois Dupeyron)
The Mummy (1932, dir. Karl Freund)
Munich (2005, dir. Steven Spielberg)
My Son the Fanatic (1997, dir. Udayan Prasad)
Navy Seals (1990, dir. Lewis Teague)
Nell (1994, dir. Michael Apted)
Network (1977, dir. Sidney Lumet)
Not Without My Daughter (1991, dir. Brian Gilbert)
Omar Mokhtar (a.k.a. Lion of the Desert) (1981, dir. Moustapha Akkad, a.k.a. Mostafa A’ghad)
Paradise Now (2005, dir. Hany Abu-Assad)
Passenger 57 (1992, dir. Kevin Hooks)
The Passion of the Christ (2004, dir. Mel Gibson)
Path to Paradise: The Untold Story of the World Trade Center Bombing (1997, dir. Leslie Libman and Larry Williams)
Patriot Games (1992, dir. Phillip Noyce)
The Peacemaker (1997, dir. Mimi Leder)
Pitch Black (a.k.a. The Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black) (2000, dir. David Twohy)
Planet of the Arabs (2005, dir. Jacqueline Salloum)
Pleasantville (1998, dir. Gary Ross)
Protocol (1984, dir. Herbert Ross)
Raid on Entebbe (1977, dir. Irvin Kershner)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991, dir. Kevin Reynolds)
Rosebud (1975, dir. Otto Preminger)
Rules of Engagement (2000, dir. William Friedkin)
Samson and Delilah (1949, dir. Cecil B. DeMille)
Serenades (2001, dir. Mojgan Khadem)
The Sheik (1921, dir. George Melford)
The Sheltering Sky (1990, dir. Bernardo Bertolucci)
The Siege (1998, dir. Edward Zwick)
The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior (1992, dir. Michael Tuchner)
The Sum of All Fears (2002, dir. Phil Alden Robinson)
Sword of Gideon (1986, dir. Michael Anderson)
The Taking of Flight 847 (a.k.a. The Uli Derickson Story) (1988, dir. Paul Wendkos)
The Ten Commandments (1923, dir. Cecil B. DeMille)
The Ten Commandments (1956, dir. Cecil B. DeMille)
The Terrorist (2000, dir. Santosh Sivan)
Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami (1988, dir. Jeff Bleckner)
The Thief of Bagdad (1924, dir. Raoul Walsh)
The 13th Warrior (1999, dir. John McTiernan)
Three Kings (1999, dir. David O. Russell)
Time Bomb (2006, dir. Stephen Gyllenhaal)
Traitor (2008, dir. Jeffrey Nachmanoff)
Trenchcoat (1983, dir. Michael Tuchner)
True Lies (1994, dir. James Cameron)
The Truman Show (1998, dir. Peter Weir)
The Uli Derickson Story (a.k.a. The Taking of Flight 847) (1988, dir. Paul Wendkos)
Under Siege (1986, dir. Roger Young)
United 93 (2006, dir. Paul Greengrass)
Venomous (2002, dir. Fred Olen Ray)
Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair (1990, dir. Alberto Negrin)
Wanted: Dead or Alive (1987, dir. Gary Sherman)
The Wind and the Lion (1975, dir. John Milius)
Without Warning: Terror in the Towers (1993, dir. Alan J. Levi)
World Trade Center (2006, dir. Oliver Stone)
Wrong is Right (1982, dir. Richard Brooks)
