- Screen Wars

Negative images and stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims, still permeate American popular culture and media. While recent years have produced noticeable improvement, especially in news coverage, it is also true that in times of crisis and violence, the old stereotypes are resurrected, dusted off, and peddled, sometimes by people with dubious goals. The horrific attacks in New York and Washington were the backdrop of hundreds of incidents of attacks against Arab and Muslim- Americans. Some news coverage took an alarming, accusatory tone. Newsstands were flooded with headlines screaming ‘why they hate us’ and wondering what to do about the fury in the Muslim World. Arab Americans asked: Is this a sign of the times, or is American society predisposed to blaming Arabs and Muslims?