NUQ vs Hollywood

This week I am going to focus on how Northwestern University in Qatar is a perfect example of an initiative that is trying to break down the stereotype that Hollywood has been portraying about Arabs being either villains, terrorists, or maidens. According to “Guilty, Hollywood’s Verdict on Arabs after 9/11 by Jack G. Shaheen. Northwestern University is one of the strongest universities in America, known for it’s strong journalism, and communications programs. Qatar Foundation deciding to partner with Northwestern University and have a branch campus is a rotted solution to the negative portrayal of Arabs being terrorist. Northwestern University, Qatar is now teaching young minds from all over the Arab world how to send their message across, to the media, and journalism world. According to a recent interview with Everette Dennis, CEO & Dean of Northwestern University, Qatar he said “One student’s film, “A Falcon, a Revolution,” used the symbol of the falcon in Arab culture to illustrate and understand what was happening with the Arab Spring” when he was asked over what made him proud of NUQ students. This is a great example of how NUQ students are now showcasing in their own perspectives to speak up and express their opinions or even other people’s opinion in the Qatari, or even Arab Society.  While Hollywood can represent the Arab world negatively in most of it’s films, Qatar is starting it’s own fight against Hollywood, by producing it’s own future filmmakers, and maybe “Inshallah” the next Hollywood.

Arabs: Bombers, Belly Dancers, Billionaires

As the blog posts can be about any aspect of sociology, in this blog I will connect this weeks reading, by Susan Williams & Travis Linnemann, about “Portrayals of Arab Terrorists in American Film”, with the music video of Jad Choueiri in Funky Arabs. Jad Choueiri’s music video is all about representing the Arabs in being a very similar culture and society to the west, and not the usual stereotype portrayed in Hollywood. According to this weeks reading, Arabs have been portrayed negatively in Hollywood, page 193, “Muslim Arabs have been stereotyped racially and religiously as the “cultural other” from the beginning of American cinema”. The lyrics of Jad’s song are trying to fight the negative representation of the Arab World, in fact the first sentence of the song says “ We are not what you see on CNN or BBC take a look at us, we’re not bombers we got the guts” using those words to describe and speak about the Arab image in the media is very interesting, especially by mentioning CNN, and BBC, the largest two news agencies in the world. Arabs always being portrayed by one of the 3 B’s, Belly Dancer, Billionaires or Bombers is the usual image portrayed in Hollywood. Later in the song, it’s said “you’re gonna experience, an Arab touch with a modern sense” the whole song moves on to showcase everything that is done in the west from tattooing to drinking, the video clip of the song showcases to the world that the societies in the Arab world are actually very similar to any other culture. I think this is a new and interesting way of showcasing that Arabs in reality are as similar to Hispanics, Americans, or even Europeans.

http://youtu.be/I4D6hJA846M

Picture: A representation of Arabs in Hollywood

Video: Jad Choueiri , Funky Arabs