Hollywood spreads Islamophobia and justifies the American aggression against Muslims

Hollywood's role in spreading Islamophobia requires in-depth studies that clarify the methods used by the US intelligence to manipulate public opinion and influence its trends.

One of the most important films that illustrate this fact is the movie "Rules of Engagement", which was produced in 2000, as it represents a model for films that form a negative stereotype of Muslims and justify US aggression against them.

This film was filmed in Yemen, and its story begins in front of the US Embassy in Sana'a;

Where an Arab person makes a statement declaring hostility to the Americans, and this statement marks the beginning of the demonstrations towards the American embassy, ​​and the demonstrators throw bombs, Molotov cocktails, and stones at it.

The goal is to save the ambassador

Events escalate, and a Yemeni sniper shoots at the embassy, ​​so the Americans have no choice but to send a force of marines to rescue the American ambassador and his family, and in the rescue operation, 3 marines are killed.

So Colonel Childers orders his troops to shoot the demonstrators;

Which led to the killing of 83 Yemenis, and the injury of others.

Childers goes on to illegally break the rules of engagement by which the US Navy is bound;

Which led to the death of innocent Yemenis, including a number of children.

justify the killing

So attorney Hayes Hodges is assigned to investigate the case, to discover whether or not there is a conspiracy to carry out a terrorist act against American citizens.

In the final scene, he discovers that there is indeed a conspiracy, as a group of Yemenis - including a woman in a black dress with a gun in her hand - point to Childers and his team, while a young girl walks on one leg and carries a rifle, and begins shooting.

It is clear that the message that the film wants to convince the audience with is that it is the right of Childers (the wise American leader) to always issue orders to shoot anyone who commits acts of violence, as he is carrying out a patriotic duty even if this leads to the killing of children, because the lives of Americans are the most important The American life cannot be compared to other peoples, and this is the first rule of engagement.

Do not sympathize with the Arabs

Therefore, the viewer who initially believed that the shooting of Yemenis was a mistake;

He is ultimately led to believe that the killing of Arabs is necessary and justified, including the killing of children, and that the 83 Yemenis deserve to die;

They are training children to shoot Americans, and that Childers shooting them was in self-defense.

The film uses modern American cinema techniques (flashback), where reference is made to the mission of the American fleet in Vietnam in 1968, and Hayes Hodges remembers the Vietnamese army when it attacked its forces and how Childers' wise decision to shoot the Vietnamese army commander contributed to saving his forces, and saving the lives of all Americans in Vietnam.

The American is a hero in all scenes

But what is the use of this reference in a movie set in Yemen that justifies the killing of Arabs who "conspire" against the American army?

The American people suffer from the Vietnam complex and feel ashamed of the massacres committed by the American army against the Vietnamese, so the film tries to vindicate the American army and portray Childers as a wise hero throughout his life even in Vietnam, and that he issues orders to shoot Yemenis and Vietnamese in self-defense, and this is evidence But Childers has the ability to make the right, honorable decisions to save American lives.

Therefore, the scenes of shooting at the Vietnamese and shooting at the Yemenis, lead viewers to believe that the US military, when fired, is facing potential violence and terrorism, and is performing a necessary patriotic duty.

Do your duty even if it leads to the killing of children

It is clear that the message that the film wants to convince the audience with is that it is the right of Childers (the wise American leader) to always issue orders to shoot anyone who commits acts of violence, as he is carrying out a patriotic duty even if this leads to the killing of children, because the lives of Americans are the most important The American life cannot be compared to other peoples, and this is the first rule of engagement.

A negative image of the Arabs

The film uses many elements to distort the image of Yemenis, presenting them in a negative way that reduces the audience's sympathy for them.

Where the film presents a panoramic image of Sanaa from a helicopter, as it appears as a desert with an oasis containing a number of palm trees, and its houses are built of mud, and there is no indication of urbanization, or civilization in the capital of Yemen.

This is Sanaa, which Hollywood wanted to present to the world, and this is a continuation of Hollywood's approach to the rate of backwardness of Arab countries, and the rate of progress and modernization of American and European cities.

This is how Sanaa appears backward, and its houses are built of mud, an oasis in the desert with some palm trees.

The film also depicts Yemenis as backward and uncivilized, and always inclined to violence, and therefore their lives do not deserve attention.

Linking Islam with backwardness

In this film, we can notice the link between geography, history, and population, and portraying underdevelopment and poverty as being linked to these factors, as a prelude to building a Hollywood cinematic discourse linking underdevelopment with Islam.

When Hodges visits a hospital in Sana'a to meet the victims, he finds that the hospital is like a camp, that flies fill the place, cover the faces of the injured, and that blood fills the beds and clothes, and there are no doctors in this filthy place.

That is why they hate America

According to the film, because of their backwardness, the Arabs are hostile and hateful of America, throw stones at its embassy, ​​and shoot Americans. Can the blame be directed at Commander Childers, who issued his wise decision to shoot them to save American lives?

Thus, the message becomes clear, while the scenes depicting the poverty and backwardness of Yemenis follow.

aggressive arab character

One of the studies found an important conclusion that the successive scenes in the movie push the audience to pass a general judgment on the Arab as an aggressive and violent character, and there is no difference in that between men, women and children.

The Yemeni who uses stones and Molotov cocktails is depicted as having bushy eyebrows, black broken teeth, and the women only showing their angry eyes.

This dramatic scene contributes to the formation of a negative stereotype of the Arabs, and reduces the possibilities of sympathizing with them, and it is clear that American cinema possesses the capabilities and modern methods of building stereotypes of peoples, and to manage the war of images and words.

Take them out of humanity

The impression that the scenes of this movie can get is that the Yemeni people are all evil and dangerous, and thus take them out of humanity, especially when compared to the Americans who are keen on justice, and who use violence only in self-defense.

In light of this, the movie "Rules of Engagement" constitutes an important case that illustrates Hollywood's role in the war of images, at a time when all techniques were used to distort the image of the Yemeni people;

She glorified the Americans, and presented them in a human way. The beautiful wife of the American ambassador carries her beautiful child in her arms, and she speaks with calm, gentle and soft words despite her fear of that ugly, evil, savage right-winger as portrayed by Hollywood.

colonial discourse

Obeida Menshawi Fawal says that the dramatic portrayal in this film is an extension of the colonial orientalist discourse, which divides the world into good white Westerners in exchange for bad and evil Arabs.

Therefore, the film ignores many facts, such as the reason for the demonstration that the Yemenis carried out in front of the American embassy, ​​and thus the viewer is pushed to deal with the demonstration as an irrational act as described by the American ambassador.

Childers is innocent and his decision is justified

This is the explanation given by the film to the anger of the Yemenis and their demonstration in front of the American embassy. It is an irrational act that resulted from Muslims’ hatred of Americans. Thus, attorney Hodges finds evidence of Childers innocence in an audio tape that includes the Yemeni chants who demand the killing of Americans, the declaration of jihad against America, and the call to all Muslims. Those who obey their Lord to kill the Americans and their civilian and military allies, "that is the duty of every Muslim."

Thus, the translation of the audio tape shows that the hatred of the Yemenis towards Americans is caused by Islamic religious teachings, and that the Arabs are evil and hostile to America. Therefore, investigator Hodges reaches the conclusion;

That the Yemenis deserve to be shot, and that Childers' decision to shoot to kill Arabs was necessary, wise and justified.

This is American justice

Thus, Hollywood dehumanized the Yemeni people as a whole and all Muslims, and provided the justification for shooting them because they are fanatics, evildoers and a threat to America.

The killing of an Arab or a Muslim in the colonial Hollywood discourse is "justified and necessary to protect America's security," and these are the rules of engagement in which American justice is evident.

Thus, Hollywood feeds Islamophobia and spreads hatred against Muslims, presents Islam as the enemy of the American people, and launches a propaganda campaign against Muslims with the aim of forming the agreement of the American people to wage war against Muslims.