The blurring of boundaries: images of abjection as the terrorist and the reel Arab intersect

Abstract

In her treatise on abjection, Julia Kristeva argues that the abject is located outside the self, remaining in a state of repulsion that threatens to destroy the self. Abject representations are prevalent in the way terrorists have been portrayed in the Western news media post-September 11, 2001. These images of abjection are problematic, as they consolidate the images we have seen in Hollywood films representing Arabs. Furthermore, these depictions have eroded the fine line between the real and the unreal. This article examines the point at which these issues intersect, by analysing individual images vis-à-vis film portrayals of the Arab and, ultimately, how the framed images of terrorists aired on TV screens have conformed to previously accepted notions of the Arab.

Keywords:

• abjection
• terrorism
• image
• media
• dehumanisation

Notes

1. I am borrowing the term reel from Jack Shaheen's book Reel Bad Arabs.

2. In an article entitled ‘ “Blossoming” of democracy in Syria will be long, deadly’, Sir Andrew Green, a former British ambassador to Syria, refers to Arab cultures as ‘revenge cultures’ (Green 2011).

3. As Iran is geographically located in the Middle East, many people assume that it is part of the Arab world. However, Iranians in general are not viewed in the same way as Arabs are viewed. Some Europeans consider them Indo-Arian, and hence, non-Semitics like the Arabs, and therefore superior. In the film Syriana (2005), for example, Arab and Persian lands are presented as two opposing worlds, civilised and uncivilised. In the opening scenes of the film, the Arab land is depicted as a scorching desert occupied by Asian workers, which is juxtaposed against the Iranian capital, Tehran, which is a metropolis with ordinary people, doing ordinary things. A line by the US CIA chair to Bob Barnes (George Clooney) in a later scene confirms this vision: ‘Iran is a natural cultural ally of the US. Persians do not want to roll back the clock to the 8th century’ (Syriana 2005). The implication is that Arabs want to roll back to the eighth century. The problem here lies with the generalisations and stereotypes of Arabs and their lands; some religious groups would like to turn back the clock, and the Arab Gulf countries are home to a large number of Asian workers, but this is not the only reality.

4. Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People, 2006. Film. Directed by Jeremy Earp and Sut Jhally.

5. The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington, 1977. Film. Directed by William A. Levey.

6. The Delta Force, 1986. Film. Directed by Menahem Golan, Director. The trailer can be watched on The Internet Movie Database at: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi228918553/.

7. True Lies, 1994. Film. Directed by James Cameron. An image of Art Malik's role as the terrorist can be accessed at: http://www.monstersandcritics.de/downloads/downloads/articles3/144425/article_images/image5_1246643625.jpg.

8. For the photos, please refer to his official website at: http://www.albertmoses.com/sheikh.htm. For the Arab soldier in the Nescafé advert, see: http://www.albertmoses.com/index.html.

9. For photos of Jamie Farr in the role of the Arab sheikh, please refer to this site: http://www.cinema.de/stars/star/jamie-farr,1545563,ApplicationStar.html.

10. Aladdin, 1992. Animation. Directed by Ron Clements. According to the Internet site, Box Office Mojo, the film grossed around $504 million worldwide, of which 217 million were in the United States.

11. Lyrics of both versions are available at: http://www.fpx.de/fp/Disney/Lyrics/Aladdin.html.

12. Shaheen discusses some other cartoons that have portrayed Arabs in a bad light. He states: ‘Even animated cartoon characters thump Arabs. My childhood hero, Bugs bunny, clobbers nasty Arabs in 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982). Bugs trounces an ugly genie, a dense sheikh, and the ruler's spoiled son. My other cartoon here, Popeye, also trounces Arabs. In the early 1930s, Fleischer Studios’ lengthy Popeye cartoons presented Arab folk heroes as rogues, not as champions’ (Shaheen 2009, pp. 26–27).

13. This term, or BMO, was used during the 1990 Gulf War by American military when referring to Saudi women wearing the traditional abaya.

14. MBC or Middle East Broadcasting Center group, which is based in Dubai Media City, transmits 10 free-to-air television channels, at least 5 of which carry 24-hour American programming. MBC is one of the most watched satellite channels in the Arab world, and it transmits via Arabsat and Nilesat. Nearly all Arab countries have an English language dedicated channel, such as ‘The One’, transmitted by Dubai Media Incorporated, or at least allocates hours to English transmission, which is mainly dedicated to American programmes. Cable networks such as Showtime Arabia also rely heavily on American produced programmes.

15. Zarqawi was born on 30 October 1966, in Zarka, Jordan, and died on 7 June 2006, near the city of Baquba in Iraq, in an American air strike.

16. Terrestrial Television transmission began in Jordan in 1968. In 1972, Jordan television became the first station in the Arab World to transmit foreign programmes in English, French and Hebrew, as it launched Channel 2. According to Arab Media Outlook, Jordan had a 95% total TV penetration in 2009. The average Jordanian family has been exposed to American films and programmes whether through television or cinema for at least four decades; it is very likely that Zarqawi was as well.

17. For examples of the photos of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that were repeated endlessly on the TV screens, please refer to: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258817,00.html; and http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/photographs-of-khalid-shaikh-mohammed-at-guantanamo-appear-online/.

18. An example of one of McVeigh's photos can be found on the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1270956.stm. Another example can be seen at: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/dawning_1.html.

19. MPAA chief, Jack Valenti, and his team, ‘Hollywood 9/11 Coalition’, held meetings to aid Bush with his war on terror (Shaheen 2008, p. 18).

20. The Siege, 1998. Film. Directed by Edward Zwick. The photo of Ahmed Ben Larby who plays the role of the Arab sheikh can be accessed at: http://c.mymovies.dk/View.aspx?device=&guidTitle=1d1f94d9-dbe6-4588-a3fc-4adcbb5b656e&guidUser=d8e67a2c-a3ee-492f-a109-1e3f539b418e&dpi=108.

21. Prince Al Waleed bin Talal is a member of the House of Saud, an international investor and is nephew to the current Saudi Arabian monarch.

22. The Long Kiss Goodnight, 1996. Film. Directed by Renny Harlin. To watch the clip of this dialogue, please access: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntpTuOpnt70&feature=related.

23. The AP photo of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is a good example. It can be viewed at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/13/911-mastermind-trial-challenges-analysis. This photo has been aired on nearly all major TV satellite stations in the world.

24. For a list of the Arab female terrorists in film, please refer to: http://www.waccglobal.org.

25. Please refer to the BBC site for an image of Lindh; this is the photo that is used for his profile: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1779455.stm. In an AP photo, which is taken from TV footage of Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, on 1 December 2001, Lindh could easily pass for an Arab. His skin appears dark and blotched by soot; his hair is dirty and dishevelled; next to him stands another man equally unkempt.

26. CNN Tribute: America Remembers, 2002.