TV dramas can preempt stereotyping accusations by depicting both moderate and extreme Muslims.

Evidence

Upon visiting the owner of the bookstore, the detectives are told that a young man, Musah Salim, was recently hired to stack books. He was fired soon after when the owner discovered that he was using his post to distribute misogynistic materials. While Salim’s sexist views are linked to his belief and practice of Islam, a distinction is made between Salim’s sexist Islam and the Islam practiced by the owner of the bookstore. The TV program does not seek to portray all Muslims as extremist and oppressive and thus inserts several moments of distinction in the story line. As I explore in chapter 1, this is a strategy employed by most post-9/11 TV dramas in order to circumvent reproducing stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims as terrorists. Through representing both reasonable and unreasonable Muslims, extreme and moderate forms of Islam, TV dramas can establish themselves as sensitive in representing Muslims. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 1600

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the ‘distinction strategy’ — showing both reasonable and unreasonable Muslims to appear sensitive — as a recurring analytical framework for the book.
• SEED: The ‘good Muslim vs bad Muslim’ representational strategy has general application to journalism and fiction covering any group after a moral panic.