Even non-terrorism shows define Muslim characters through violence

Evidence

Even when shows not focused on terrorism attempt to include Muslim characters, the old stereotypes are rarely far away. For example, consider the popular program Lost (2004–2010). Lost follows the survivors of a commercial airplane that crashes on a mysterious island with supernatural forces. One of the survivors is Sayid Jarrah. Sayid’s character hails from Iraq, and we learn from various episodes that he is both a Muslim and a former soldier in the Iraqi Republican Guard during the Persian Gulf War (1990–1991). Because terrorism is not the show’s focus, Sayid is not portrayed primarily in relation to terrorism. Yet his character is portrayed in relation to violence. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 533

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Post-war Middle East events made violence central to US Muslim depictions — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 521; Television uses token complexity to mask ongoing Muslim stereotyping — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 529; All Muslim TV characters are defined primarily by violence or terrorism — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 532 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Islamophobic tropes become real violence through perceived enemy images #expands (0.70)
• Media coverage of Muslim violence superficially supports an Islam-violence link #exemplifies (0.70) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 282
• Violence by one Muslim is generalized to all while Christian violence is not #expands (0.60) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 54
• Muslim male violence is framed as an innate Islamic or racial impulse #corroborates (0.60)
• Literature, drama, art, and cinema sustain a habitus about Islam built on Muslim monsters #expands (0.60)
• Rare positive portrayals of Muslims cannot offset the dominant dehumanizing narrative #expands (0.50)