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Reel Bad Arabs
How Hollywood Vilifies a People

This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged from the earliest days of silent film to today’s biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Featuring acclaimed author Dr. Jack Shaheen, the film explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs–from Bedouin bandits and submissive maidens to sinister sheikhs and gun-wielding “terrorists”–along the way offering devastating insights into the origin of these stereotypic images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today. Shaheen shows how the persistence of these images over time has served to naturalize prejudicial attitudes toward Arabs and Arab culture, in the process reinforcing a narrow view of individual Arabs and the effects of specific US domestic and international policies on their lives. By inspiring critical thinking about the social, political, and basic human consequences of leaving these Hollywood caricatures unexamined, the film challenges viewers to recognize the urgent need for counter-narratives that do justice to the diversity and humanity of Arab people and the reality and richness of Arab history and culture.

Sections: Introduction | Myths of Arabland | The Arab Threat: Mideast Politics & Hollywood | Terror Inc.: Demonizing Palestinians & Muslims | The Only Good Arab… | Islamophobia | Getting Real

Jack Shaheen

Shaheen’s lectures and writings illustrate that damaging racial and ethnic stereotypes injure innocent people. Dr. Shaheen, an Oxford Research Scholar, is the recipient of two Fulbright teaching awards. He has appeared on national network programs such as CNN, MSNBC, National Public Radio,

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