Last week the world of American Muslim social media (if there is such a thing) was rocked by an unexpected victory. A proposed ABCFamily show provocatively entitled Alice in Arabia was cancelled after a protest by American Muslims. The reason: this tale of an American girl kidnapped by Saudi relatives and held, veiled against her will in Saudi Arabia was all too familiar as stereotypical orientalism. The question then becomes, with films and television shows preceding it rife with the racist prejudices of our American consciousness, why was Alice in Arabia different?
In fact the case brings several questions to mind. First off, what exactly was wrong with the show? As the show’s writer herself claimed, and as many experts agree, one of the ways to call out injustices like Saudi Arabia’s horrific treatment of women, is to call them out, to tell it like it is, to expose the truth no matter how ugly. While true to an extent, this strategy also backfires in that it paints an entire culture with the same brush. We don’t have to look very far to know this is fact: an extensive research of Hollywood films document how these Arab stereotypical images and concepts are perpetuated over generations under the guise of entertainment.
In the case of Alice in Arabia, the stereotypes of Muslim/Arab male dominance and female oppression especially in the context of the hijab would have been cemented even further in the minds of the American public. That the show was to be presented on ABCFamily as a teen drama, an entire new audience, children and youth among them, would then be exposed to harmful stereotypes and us-versus-them mentality.
As if that wasn’t enough, perhaps the most important negative aspect of Alice in Arabia was the absence of any actual Arabs and/or Muslims in the production or writing team, or in the cast. The writer, a white ex-military person, claimed the show to give Arabs and Muslims a voice on American television, yet the protests against it prove that it was not the voice they wanted to see. Imagine if a film about African Americans or Hispanics included no-one from that ethnic group as consultants, actors, actresses or even team members. Nobody would consider the film in any way realistic, representative or even believable.
So how did the show get cancelled even before its pilot appeared on television? Social media can take the credit for that. Within days of the script being leaked on BuzzFeed, individuals, activists and organizations led a surprisingly vocal and effective effort to block the show from seeing the light of day. Twitter saw the majority of the activism through the hashtag #AliceinArabia and both the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee sent written letters of protest to ABC. And wonder of wonders, the show was promptly cancelled, leading Islamophobes to concur that the “angry Muslim mob” had won by using threats of violence once again.
Is the show’s cancellation a testament to the growing political and economic power of the American Muslim community? I doubt it. What it does signify is that the American media is beginning to view Muslims as a vocal group with sufficient bargaining power and access to more avenues of protest thanks to the infiltration of Twitter and Facebook. However, most American Muslims agree that ABC’s decision to cancel the show without any conversation was not a step in the right direction. Instead of re-working the script, bringing in Muslim consultants, or hiring Arab actors, ABC decided to cancel the show. If we really want to reduce and even perhaps eradicate orientalism and racism from Hollywood and other media, surely a conversation is in order? True representation of Muslims in Hollywood are certainly needed, and that can only happen if both parties work together with that goal in mind. Perhaps Alice in Arabia can be a starting point instead of a dead end.
Saadia Faruqi is an interfaith activist, editor of Interfaith Houston and trainer of American Muslim issues. Follow her on Twitter @saadiafaruqi.
Let me emphasize another point.
Just as AIPAC is mis-guided to discourage disagreement about policy on Israel, I think that the same applies here. No advocate of a perspective or culture gains by trying to prevent others from writing about it.
It’s counterproductive. Trying to silence draws attention. The more one attempts to silence, the stronger the reaction.
UH…you consider blocking a show which is in draft and no one has seen to be a positive thing? Wow. We do live in different worlds. It’s called “prior restraint” when the government does it. And it’s not good when we apply social sanction.
As to Buzzbeed’s statement that “The script also describes veiled Muslim women as “completely formless, anonymous” ‘ just about right? Isn’t the whole purpose of veiling (and more of course) Saudi women so that there is not even the hint of feminine form? So as to “protect” Saudi women?
You claim that “one of the ways to call out injustices like Saudi Arabia’s horrific treatment of women, is to call them out…. this strategy also backfires in that it paints an entire culture with the same brush.”
Well, as one small but telling example as to personal liberty, are Saudi women even allowed to drive? Doesn’t that suggest that the entire culture (at least that part of it in politcal control) is in fact painted with, at least, a similar brush? “Caging” women so that they can’t even drive to the store? Or the hospital? Or their own mother’s house? Seems pretty harsh to me. People complain that Palestinians can’t pass freely through their own state; isn’t what is done to Saudi women somewhat similar? But just by Saudi men?
I can’t figure out how you explicitly agree about “Saudi Arabia’s horrific treatment of women” and then complain about showing it on a TV show when you just painted Saudi Arbia with exactly that brush: “Saudi Arabia’s horrific treatment of women.” You just said it! You did the painting.
Honestly, call me confused.
If the show is so poorly done, let it be panned when people can judge for themselves. In fact, without seeing a fully-developed script how does anyone know that (as Buzzfeed recounts) the heroine is being helped by “a small team of allies who help her plot an escape.” Maybe the allies are all native Saudis? Including men who are horrified by how she is being treated? Let the show evolve, as people do.
I ask you to rethink your high praise of banning a show before it is seen.
The entire culture that gets painted with a stereotypical brush is the so-called Islamic culture. Saudi culture and practices are not representative of Islam but unfortunately shows that push an Oriental agenda (of which Alice in Arabia is just the last of hundreds since television was invented) allows people to think that Islam condones the bad treatment of women. The stereotypes Americans have of Muslims in general are very real, and many of them are a result of wrongly equating Saudi/Arab culture with the entire world of Islam.
That is the reason why this show was protested, and the reason why most Muslim organizations and individuals are of the opinion that they should have been consulted during the writing of the script. That way the nuance and differ citation between Saudi culture versus Islamic culture would have been explained. It would have been foolish to let the show be filmed as it was and then tried to protest after the fact, when more stereotypes have already been established. The hope was that ABC would allow Muslims to be part of the creative process and reshape the show in a helpful manner, but ABC did not want this. Hopefully the next such show to be created will include Muslims from the beginning to the final product.
Thanks for reporting on this, Saadia! This is a really interesting development, considering the degree to which Orientalist stereotypes have been completely normalized within Hollywood culture.
Seeing as the script was leaked before groups started protesting it, it seems like the protesters had plenty of real substance to take issue with, even though the show hadn’t been produced yet.
Hint: We live in country with the freedom of expression. Respect it whether it’ agreeable to you or not. There are lots of anti Semitic websites floating around, including one on Facebook that focuses on Jewish ritual sacrifice of Christians. If you Don’t like the message, Don’ listen.
Thanks for the input Andy. So what you are saying is that if there was an anti-Semitic television show planned for prime time television no Jewish organization would feel the need to protest?
You see, there’s a big difference between websites and television/Hollywood. Freedom of expression shouldn’t be used to vilify an entire religion, especially on a medium like big screen.
Thanks for the input Andy. So you mean to say that if there was an anti-Semitic television show planned for prime time cable television no Jewish organization would feel the need to protest? Try telling that to ADL or any number of Jewish organizations who understand the importance of protesting and correcting stereotypes of Jews and Judaism in television, big screen and print media.
You see, websites and even books are understood to not have the same effect as television/Hollywood, and freedom of expression should not be used to vilify a religion especially on a platform that can do much good as well as much harm. .
Why do you assume that the show was anti-Moslem? Have YOU read the script?
I bet the influential American Arab Defamation League stepped in here. But short answer, 1st Amendment.
As far as i remember from past true accounts of similar abduction events, there are usually present in the country the prisoner was taken to, quite a few residents (meaning Muslims) who strongly disapprove of the kidnapping and argue for justice, some openly, others secretly. This includes those who actively move to help rescue the abducted person and return her home.
In all fairness and authenticity, i suggest this be a part of the presentation, and am convinced this can only add to the drama and excitement it offers, for the ‘commercial/ entertainment’ aspect.
I saw a travel show promoting countries where most people were Muslims. The difference in the appearance of the women on that show and what I normally see was startling. In one country the women had on beautiful scarves of delicate fabric, along with make-up and “modern” clothing. In a country setting were a group of old women gossiping; their clothing was full of flowers. In both cases, young women and old, everyone seemed to be having a good time, enjoying each other’s company. How different from the women we usually see with their all black dress. We really shouldn’t see Muslim countries any differently than Christian ones – each with their own culture. Some of us wake up with coffee, others tea. Oprah Winfrey did a really good series on her show several years ago showing the different cultures.