Ali Haider

F2019-417

MS TFT

MIDTERM EXAM

Submitted To: Dr Wajiha Raza Rizvi

Academically discuss Orientalism/Demonization of Islam in a Hollywood film.
Quote scenes and dialogues and use supporting argument to prove your point.

The movie that I have taken under consideration today is “The Stoning of Soraya M.” 2015

directed by an Iranian-American Filmmaker, it is an adaption of a book of a French-Iranian

journalist. And is based on a true story of a woman who was stoned to death in Iran. When the

message of this movie is heart wrenching and very painful. The practice of stoning people to

death has been and still is being practiced in the remote areas where the people are uneducated

and illiterate about basic human rights. Even though, this form of punishment is strongly

prohibited by Islam. The movie is based on a true event among Muslims. No one can bash a

whole religion and one God just because of the actions of a few men who are misusing their right

to power. If we discuss the title of the movie, the stoning of Soraya M means the viewers will

watch.

The Hollywood feel and quality in the Iranian setting, the stoning of the protagonist is

incorporated into the film through slow motions, quick cuts and camera orbiting movements. The

writer of the book is French, the maker of the film is half American with an Iranian descent who

has never lived in Iran. Both these people have never lived in the chaotic part of the world they

are portraying on the screen. As they have never experienced any of it, they can never do justice

to the truth. Like my previous point, it is again the west that has come to the rescue of the

primitive east by trying to spread awareness of demonization of Islam. This is where the oriental

aspect comes in the film. They sit in their air conditioned rooms with plush sofas and they talk

about our primitive land and struggles without having never stepped in our shoes. As the film is
controversial the, the rolling credits do not list where the scenes were filmed instead, they are

marked as “somewhere in the middle of east”.

It is nothing out of the ordinary that religions of the world have been demonized on the big

screens by their oppressors. Islamophobia in theaters has been cashed for the benefit of the

people with the big guns. Now there are two classes of people that benefits from this

demonization. The theme of islamophobia in Hollywood has been the center of attention since

9/11 happened. It has been politicized and molded to fit the extremists’ point of views about us.

According To Edward Said’s take on Orientalism, the first class of people falls under the “The

Occident”. In their hypocrite world, the east is labeled as the orient. The representation of the

orient whether in books, paintings, movies or any form or art is exhibited as uncultured,

uneducated, poor. They refer to the people of the orient as “the others”. It is through

exaggerating about our poverty that they highlighted how posh and luxurious their lives are. If it

weren’t for the reckless, toxic and uncivilized representation of the east. This stark opposing

contrast between the stagnation of the east and the prosperity of the west is what formed the

constructing European culture. It is by through putting up an exaggerated show of our primitive

and inferior state do they feel validated about how happy and elated their lives are. In this self-

serving history, the west presents itself as the hero that feels “responsible” to rescue the east. The

orientalism has been here for decades but this practice slowly made its way to Hollywood after

the tragic events of 9/11. Things changed for the worst for those Muslims that were residing in

the US during that time. Words such as Terrorists were thrown around like hi and hellos and

nobody raised an eyebrow while Muslims were bashed and tortured. Hollywood started targeting

Islam openly in their movies. Our Quranic verses are wrongfully translated to match with their

own hatred and then presented to the whole world. The most action we can take is ban the
screening of these films in our own countries but what about the people from the rest of the

world that have formed their opinions based on these extremists anti-Islam movies. When the

most peace-loving religion is portrayed as the most violent, people that are not anti-Islam

becomes Islamophobias.

The plot of the stoning of Soraya M. revolves around Soraya and her abusive Husband, Ali. He is

a perverted man who wants to marry a 14 year old girl but in order to do so, he needs to get

Soraya’s permission and return all her dowry according to Islamic laws. Soraya doesn’t agree

because she has nowhere else to go and she doesn’t want to be separated by her four sons who

she love very dearly. In order to get rid of her, Ali hatches a murder plan with the corrupted

Mullah to put a case of adultery over Soraya with the result that she will ultimately face the

punishment of stoning. All this is told by Soraya’s Grandmother to a passing journalist whose car

breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

Following are pictures of the dialogues that either directly attack Islam or have an underlying

connotation that forms the basis of Islamic Demonization in the film:

Now wrapping up the argument, it is not our religion that caused oppression among women in

the east. It is the lack of resources and money, it is the crippled existence that forces them to be

independent on men for everything, and it is the high illiteracy rate and the primitive tribal

customs that have followed us here to the 20th century. It is the misogyny and hypocritical

patriarchy. This oppression is caused by anything but religion. This should’ve been the message

in this movie but instead the writers and the director targeted Islam as the culprit.
Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 3
Conclusion:
Now wrapping up the argument, it is not our religion that caused oppression among women in

the east. It is the lack of resources and money, it is the crippled existence that forces them to be

independent on men for everything, and it is the high illiteracy rate and the primitive tribal

customs that have followed us here to the 20th century. It is the misogyny and hypocritical

patriarchy. This oppression is caused by anything but religion. This should’ve been the message

in this movie but instead the writers and the director targeted Islam as the culprit.