Muslims Are Severely Underrepresented in Hollywood, New Research Finds

A brand new report launched by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative investigates the portrayal of Muslim characters in TV, revealing that not solely are Muslims practically absent from episodic content material, however they’re nonetheless stereotyped in destructive methods.

The report, titled “Erased or Extremists: The Stereotypical View of Muslims in Fashionable Episodic Collection” comes from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with assist from Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed and his manufacturing firm Left Handed Movies, the Ford Basis and Pillars Fund.

The 2022 examine explores quantitative and qualitative features of Muslim illustration in 200 top-rated tv reveals from 2018 and 2019 aired within the U.S., U.Okay., Australia, and New Zealand, finally highlighting a disheartening actuality. The total report is obtainable here.

In 2021, Variety exclusively unveiled the coalition’s plans to handle this problem head on with the creation of The Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion, which outlines suggestions to the business on assist Muslim storytellers and improve illustration.

Within the column beneath, researchers Al-Baab Khan, Dr. Smith, & Dr. Katherine Pieper element their findings and clarify how the business can enact significant change, as a result of, as they write, “the way in which that Muslims are portrayed onscreen and their absence behind the digital camera isn’t any laughing matter.”

In the present day, we’re borrowing a line from Christopher Hitchens. Followers of Islam should not solely missing comedic chops, however they aren’t members of the LGBTQ+ group, they not often have romantic relationships, and they’re with out disabilities. Do you know that 70% of Muslims globally are males (which, ought to result in a inhabitants disaster, proper?).

Whereas none of that is true, it could be your actuality in the event you watched episodic tv or streaming content material within the U.S., U.Okay., Australia or New Zealand and had been studying about characters with this faith-based orientation. Yep, you guessed it. We launched another study (underscore one other), and the view of Muslims is wildly inaccurate.

Muslims symbolize 1% of all characters (8,885) throughout 200 well-liked TV reveals in 4 international locations — and fewer than one-tenth of 1% of all characters had been in comedy sequence (a complete of 5 characters). So as to add insult to damage, Muslims are too usually proven as perpetrators or targets of violence, and greater than 30% are a part of extremist teams. These stereotypes have been perpetuated for many years, and these egregious tropes can contribute to aggression towards, and worry of, this group.

These outcomes should not a shock. However now we have to ask why they hold occurring. We examined the identification of 6,117 writers, administrators and producers throughout the 128 U.S. reveals in our pattern.* Lower than 1% had been Muslim. In truth, there have been solely 5 Muslims who labored a complete of eight occasions. Three had been Asian girls, and one was an Asian man. Just one Muslim labored as a director: a Black and Center Japanese/North African lady. In different phrases, you may see extra Muslims at your native bar throughout comfortable hour than you’d behind the digital camera in TV.

Is movie any higher? Nope. Throughout 1,500 top-grossing movies from 2007 to 2021, there have been solely 12 (11 males, one lady) Muslims that labored as administrators, writers or producers. The one Muslim lady to work in top-grossing movies over the past 15 years was the identical Muslim lady who labored as a director in our TV pattern. Meaning just one Muslim lady director labored throughout 1,500 top-grossing movies and 128 well-liked scripted sequence. We’ll say it once more: One. Muslim. Girl. Director.

And that is “woke” Hollywood.

If nothing you’ve learn has been a shock to this point, perhaps this will likely be: change is straightforward. It’s decision-makers who’ve one way or the other made it onerous. Change begins behind the digital camera in two methods. First, folks creating content material have to come back from greater than only one group or identification group. When this occurs, what we see onscreen is totally different. We’ve got an excessive amount of proof to assist this. So we want extra writers, administrators and producers (and composers, and gaffers, and all method of different positions…) who’re Muslim. We want philanthropists and artist packages to assist the event of recent Muslim storytellers and the careers of those that are already working. What’s extra, these creatives should be given house to inform a wide range of tales about their group and never simply funding to repackage previous tropes which might be acquainted to non-Muslim executives and audiences with a restricted worldview.

Second, we want casting administrators to evolve. There are literally thousands of characters who seem on our screens yearly. Casting administrators put lots of them there, however one way or the other, Muslims are nearly all the time depicted in the identical gentle. It’s time to increase that view. Muslims will be humorous. Muslims will be severe. Muslims can surf. They are often veterinarians. They’ll store at grocery shops, and go to public parks, and experience on buses, and dwell subsequent door and work within the subsequent cubicle. And if that’s not sufficient, Muslims should not solely Center Japanese/North African, as our information would recommend. Muslims will be Indonesian, Filipino, Nigerian, Japanese European, Hispanic/Latino, Black, and sure, even American. What they don’t should be any extra is proven as suicide bombers, carrying weapons and dying violently.

We have to see Muslims on the heart of tales. We’ve seen this just lately with “Ramy,” “Ms. Marvel” and “We’re Girl Components.” These reveals made it to our screens as a result of brokers and managers promoted Muslim expertise, and since executives noticed the worth of those narratives. We want brokers, managers and executives to proceed to see that tales about Muslims have an viewers. However getting a inexperienced gentle from the highest isn’t the one factor tales centered on Muslims want. Tales about Muslims want advertising and promoting that’s on par with what tales with white males on the heart obtain. They want critics from the group to evaluate them. And, most significantly, they should final. We’ve seen this occur — sequence that heart on various communities are made, they attain audiences… after which they’re canceled after one season. Muslim tales, like Muslim characters, can’t be killed off en masse.

The best way that Muslims are portrayed onscreen, and their absence behind the digital camera, isn’t any laughing matter. However the joke is admittedly on Hollywood. In spite of everything, how for much longer can an business that dehumanizes, disparages and demonizes 25% of the world’s inhabitants maintain itself in that very same international market? It might’t.

*The authors wish to thank Dr. Rene Weber and Musa Malik at UCSB Media Neuroscience Lab for help with the behind the digital camera TV and movie Muslim information evaluation. For behind-the-camera data, Muslim identification was decided via a wide range of strategies, however solely these people with publicly accessible data on their religion had been included as Muslim. On display screen information comes from stories supported by Ford Basis, Pillars Fund, Riz Ahmed and Left Handed Movies.