Tiara Amalia Wulandari

11170260000017 – 7 B
Diasporic Literature

Watching Film Report: AmericanEast (2008)

AmericanEast (2008) is a movie that tells about the life of an Egyptian immigrant
family in Los Angeles, the United States of America. AmericanEast was directed by Hesham
Issawi, an Egyptian-American writer and director. Hesham Issawi was born in Egypt. He
moved to the United States in 1990 to study anthropology. In the United States, he changed
his major from anthropology to art and photography. Then he changed his major again to
filmmaking (“Hesham Issawi,” para.1). His artworks most tell about the life of Egyptian
people, since he is an Egyptian. Some of his artworks are The Interrogation (2002),
AmericanEast (2008), Cairo Exit (2010), and The Price (2015).

AmericanEast movie tells about the life of Egyptian immigrants, Mustafa Marzoke,
and his family in Los Angeles, the United States of America. Mustafa had a falafel shop,
which was called Habibi’s Kebab and Falafel in Little Arabia, Los Angeles. He lived with his
children, Leila and Mohammed, and also his sister, Salwah. They live in Los Angeles after
the 9/11 Tragedy, which makes Islamophobia appeared in the United States.

Islamophobia that can be seen in this movie making Mustafa faced some problems
while surviving in the United States. At the beginning of the movie, Mustafa was arrested by
police at the airport when he was looking for his son, Mohammed. The police caught him
because Mustafa yelled at the airport when he was looking for Mohammed. It made people
at the airport were uncomfortable and scared. When Mustafa was arrested, he was asked
several questions by the FBI agent, Agent Stevens. Agent Stevens asked him some questions
that related to the receipts found in Mustafa’s car. The receipts were the donations to Sharia
Foundation in Egypt. It made Agent Stevens distrust Mustafa. Mustafa was released, but
Agent Stevens still traced the transfers and investigated him.

In this movie, Mustafa survived in the United States with his family so hard. He
wanted his restaurant to become a real restaurant that can sell Egyptian food, and also he
wanted a new good place. We can see in the movie the appearance of his restaurant. The
restaurant was quite awful. The AC was not working, and the interior is messy. That was why
he wanted a new restaurant. Thus, he worked together with his Jewish colleague, Sam. They
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planned to have a new restaurant together, but they had to pass some problems that occurred,
especially they had different religions. As we know that Muslims and Jews do not have a
good relationship after the Jews have been plundered the Palestinian territory for years.

Mustafa also had a friend with a different religion. He was Fikry, a Christian man. He
was also an Iraqi man. Besides that, Mustafa also befriended Murad, a Muslim who really
hated the Jews. Fikry and Murad liked to hang out in Mustafa’s restaurant. In this movie, they
often talked about political and religious issues in the United States. Mustafa also had another
Muslim friend, Omar Naseer, who was a taxi driver and also an actor.

In the middle of the story, Mustafa got a problem again after the FBI agents came to
his restaurant to ask again about Mustafa’s finances and also the donation that Mustafa gave
to the Sharia Foundation. Agent Stevens thought that it was impossible for Mustafa to have a
restaurant and car service because he seemed did not have financial acumen. It became
stranger because Mustafa could make monthly wires transfers to a terrorist foundation.
Mustafa argued that Sharia Foundation was not a terrorist organization. In contrast, Agent
Stevens told that the organization was assumed as a terrorist organization by the United
States government because they found that Sharia Foundation had been financed jihad studies
in madrasas or Islamic schools around the world. Mustafa still argued the reason why he used
the wire transfers was that the transfers through the bank would charge extra money. Finally,
Mustafa confessed that he transferred money through the wires transfers to pay the loan to his
cousin.

Mustafa’s father sold his land to his brother. Thus Mustafa could have his business in
the United States. The reason why Mustafa’s father sold the land to his brother was that it
was like a loan, which Mustafa’s family could have it back by buying it back from them. That
was why Mustafa sent the money to his cousin in order to pay his loan. After hearing
Mustafa’s reason, Agent Stevens released him.

Mustafa faced the problem while he was trying to sell his restaurant because of his
case. He could not liquidate any property while he was still under investigation of the FBI.
His assets in the United States had been frozen by the government until his case over.

Sam, Mustafa’s Jewish friend, still assured his family to allow him to have a business
with Mustafa. His family thought it would be hard for Sam to have a business with Mustafa
because Mustafa was a Muslim, and also he was still in the investigating of the FBI. Sam’s
family finally gave a suggestion to Sam by offering Mustafa a manager position in the new

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restaurant. It made them would not have the restaurant together. However, it made Mustafa
would work for Sam in the new restaurant. After hearing the offering, Mustafa refused it and
still wanted to have a business with Sam. For them, it was a chance to show people that
Muslims and Jews could have a good relationship, although they showed it by having a
business together. For them, it was not a problem to run a business with people that have
different races and religions.

In the end, Mustafa and Sam had a restaurant called “American East.” Actually, the
restaurant’s name should be “American Middle East,” but Yaya heard “American East”
through the phone. Thus, he made the name of the restaurant “American East.”

The plot in this movie is the progressive plot. The plot in this movie is arranged by
using the chronological structure. First, the structure establishes the setting and the conflict at
the beginning of the movie, which is known in exposition. Then, the conflict arises in raising
a conflict. The conflict becomes complicated in the climax. Finally, the conflict starts to end
in the resolution.

The setting of the time in this movie is not clear. Instead, the viewers can know the
setting of time in this movie is after the tragedy of 9/11. In some scenes, we can see when
some characters watch the news that talks about the terrorist in the United States. Besides, the
setting of place in this movie is in Los Angeles, the United States. Mustafa’s restaurant was
located in Little Arabia.

There are some diasporic issues which show in this movie. The movie shows clearly
the life of Muslim immigrants in the United States, especially immigrants from the Middle
East. Although the United States is known as a multicultural country, people still have
suspicions about immigrants. The movie tells us how an immigrant family, such as Mustafa’s
family, has to face the Islamophobia that arises in the United States after the Tragedy of 9/11.
Besides, they have to remember their root as Egyptian people and also Muslims, where they
live in the United States, which has different cultures from Egypt. Some characters have their
own struggle that reflects the diasporic issues.

Mustafa shows to us how hard it was to survive as a Muslim in the United States.
Mustafa has to face the investigations after he got caught at the airport. The FBI agent still
traced his activity, especially his financial activity. The United States’ government pays
attention to the immigrants, in particular, the Middle East’s immigrant after the tragedy of
9/11. Every activity that relates to Islam, such as donating to the Islamic foundation, having

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Qur’an recording tapes, until the financial activity of the immigrants. It shows to us the life of
immigrants in the United States is hard, especially for Muslim immigrants, because
Islamophobia appeared in the United States.

In this movie, Mustafa is also trying to stick with his culture. For example, he has a
restaurant that serves Egyptian food in Los Angeles. He also wants to have a new restaurant
with Sam but still sells Egyptian food that can make people feel at home. We can understand
that perhaps Mustafa misses his homeland by having an Egyptian restaurant in the United
States. He also still speaks Arabic several times. Those examples show us how the director
represents Mustafa’s identity as a Muslim Egyptian immigrant who still remembers his
culture, although he lives in the United States, which has different cultures and traditions
from Egypt. Moreover, it also shows us that Mustafa proud to be an Egyptian and also
Muslim.

While Mustafa is proud to be Muslim, it is different from his son, Mohammed. In this
movie, we can see that Mohammed cannot accept his identity as a Muslim. For example,
when he was asking his father why is his name Mohammed. Mustafa explained that
Mohammed is a good name. Moreover, Mohammed stated to his father why he was born as a
Muslim. Mohammed started to not pray again. He wanted to be a Christian and celebrate
Chrismast just like his friends in his school. It shows us that Mohammed starts to forget his
root as Egyptian and especially a Muslim. It usually happens to the second generation of an
immigrant family because a child who grows up with different culture starts to not know his
root. In addition, a child will struggle to fit in with society because of the different cultures.

Omar, Mustafa’s friend, had to face the Islamophobia issue that arose in the United
States. He worked as an actor in American Safety, a television show. His role in this show
was to be a terrorist. It made him uncomfortable to play this role because he was a Muslim
too. He did not want the image of Muslims was known as a terrorist. The problem began
when he was at the coffee shop to read his script, and some white people had a suspicion
about him. In addition, they thought that Omar was dangerous just because he bought a
backpack at the coffee shop. Omar assumed that they accused him as a suicide bomber
indirectly was just because he was Arabic and bought a backpack. He was offended, and he
intimidated them by telling them that he was a terrorist, and he would blow the place up if
they still disturb him. It made them scary, but it made the waitress at the coffee shop called
the police. Omar was arrested, but he was released because there was no proof that he would
bomb the cafe.

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 The movie also shows the multicultural issues. We can see it when Mustafa and Sam
want to have a business together by having a new restaurant. They face several stigmas from
their friends and family because of their different races and religion. Mustafa was a Muslim
and also an Egyptian, while Sam was a Jew, and he was an American. The setting of time in
this movie is the time after the tragedy of 9/11, which makes the Islamophobia in the United
States is getting worst. Despite the business, Mustafa and Sam try to show to people that
Muslims and Jews can be a partner in business. They want to show to people that Muslims
and Jews can have a good relationship, although they have different races and religions.

In conclusion, AmericanEast movie shows us how the Middle Eastern immigrants

survive in a country where racism, especially Islamophobia in this movie, appears. In this
movie, we can see how Mustafa and his family live in the United States and still remember
their root as Egyptian and Muslim, although they have to face several issues which oppress
them. This movie also shows us that cultural differences cannot prevent people from having a
good relationship with others who have different cultures and traditions.

Bibliography:
“Hesham Issawi.” TorinoFilmLab, http://www.torinofilmlab.it/people/5138-hesham-issawi.