Sympathetic Arab representations became standardized during the War on Terror

Evidence

Across the twentieth century, Arabs have most often been seen as rich oil sheiks, sultry belly dancers, harem girls, veiled oppressed women, and, most notably, terrorists. The trajectory of Arab representations in television mirrors that in film. Early silent films that represented the Middle East, such as Fatima (1897), The Sheik (1921), and The Thief of Baghdad (1924), portrayed the region as faraway, exotic, and magical; a place reminiscent of biblical stories and fairy tales; a desert populated by genies, flying carpets, mummies, belly dancers, harem girls, and rich Arab men living in opulent palaces (or equally opulent tents). — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 70 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: A tiny fraction of terrorist actors drove Arab stereotyping as default terrorists.; Anti-Muslim sentiment predated and undergirded the War on Terror — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 283; Twentieth-century Arab media portrayals fixated on exotic and terrorist stereotypes. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race…, 70 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Twentieth-century Arab media portrayals fixated on exotic and terrorist stereotypes. #complicates (0.82) — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 70