As you would have noticed there, that small clip of the movie has shown many stereotypes associated with Muslims such as violence, crime, and drug use.
I’d just like to do a small activity now to see what you all think of this group of people. I’ll get you to work in pairs or you can go by yourself, but just take a quick minute to think about any other stereotypes displayed in the film. Maybe you associate hairstyles, clothing or maybe even the way they speak/ the type of language they use as a stereotype.
So what did you all think about the stereotypes you saw in the film?
Would someone like to tell me what they thought the stereotypes portrayed were?
The second text is a poem called I’m A Terrorist? and it was written by a Muslim who sarcastically jokes why they’re ‘terrorist’. Throughout the poem, remarks about various stereotypes we hear all the time about Muslims are made. Also written in the poem are questions such as:
“…Am I to make a choice to decide?
Islam or the west?
Which one, which side?...”
and statements such as:
“…Know there’s more to ‘them’,
the Muslims you accuse,
the way of life they choose,
is a way they feel they cannot lose…”
Each of these quotes portray how it would be hard as a Lebanese-Australian growing up with all of these different interpretations and stereotypes being thrown back and fourth, making it difficult to stay faithful to your culture. If you look at the poem, you will immediately notice stereotypes all throughout the text. Just quickly, read though the poem and highlight all the stereotypical words, feeling, and statements made of Muslims.
What stereotypes did you come up with?
- Terrorist
- Wear black
- Muslim
- Utter words Allahu akbar
- Defends Islam
- Evil and cruel
- Bombs
So, those two texts both The Combination and I’m A Terrorist were the stereotypical representations of Middle Easterners. I know we’ve discussed what the stereotypes were, although we don’t really know why those are the stereo types do we?
Has anyone got an idea of why they think those particular representations of Middle Easterners are the way they are?
Why are they thought of as violent, criminals, drug-dealers/ uses, gang members?
Is it because of certain events that have leaded us to believe they’re all like that?
Are they actually all as we stereotype them?
The next two texts are non-stereotypical and represent the Muslim and Middle Eastern groups with direct information on what it is like to be of Middle Eastern decent and living in Australia in the 21st century.
Of Middle Eastern Appearance is an auto-biography of Randa Abdel-Fattah who discusses various issues relating to the treatment of Muslims, Lebanese-Australians, or basically anyone who falls under the category of ‘Middle Eastern looking’. Abdel-Fattah states in many instances why she believes people of Anglo-Australian background perceive Middle Easterners as the way they do. Some examples of this is when she talks about why ‘Muslim’ and ‘Australian’ are perceived as mutually exclusive and very opposite. Abdel-Fattah believes that “Muslims – whether Australian born, migrants or converts of convict ancestry – are the new Public Enemy Number One” Although she asks the question ‘why?’ Why do they fall under the category of ‘other’ and what has made this particular social group so distanced?
Does anyone here want to have a go at answering those questions? Tell me what you think the answers are..
Randa believes it’s because of the criminals who attacked America on September 11, 2001.
Turn to page three of the activity booklet and see if you can find any other reasons that Randa Abdel-Fattah has stated where she believes people of Middle Eastern appearance have been marginalised.
So what results did everyone come up with?
Do you think what Randa has written is justified and correct?
Okay, so now well will move on to the fourth and final text, Insights 13 Years Old. This TV program discussed various topics that 13 year olds would find of interest and came up with the topic ‘13 and Muslim’. A group of four Australian-Muslims recorded a video documentary of what it is like to be 13 years old and Muslim in today’s society and they came up with some really interesting points.
This is a small section of the video.
In other parts of the show, one of the girls mentioned that “being a teenager is hard, but being a Muslim teenage is harder”.
Why do you think this might be? Maybe because people target them as being associated with 9/11 and other terrorist attacks… or because they dress differently? For eg. The hijab
On the sheet I handed you earlier there’s a page for this text… you can do this activity in groups of two to talk about it and discuss your ideas but answer the questions and then tell me what you thought…
So someone tell me … … … discuss the activity.
