By Simran Jeet Singh | Religion News Service
(RNS) — This summer, a study appeared that showed what many Muslims already knew — if not with the precision of survey data, then in their bones, their weariness.
Of the top grossing films of the years 2017 to 2019, according to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, fewer than 10% showed a Muslim character on screen. Fewer than 2% had Muslim characters in speaking roles, despite the fact that about 25% of the world’s population is Muslim. More than one-third of the Muslim characters perpetrate violence, and more than half are targets of violence.
The trope of the inherently violent Muslim, in other words, is alive and well.
