MovieChat Forums > Taken 2 (2012) Discussion > Muslim call to prayer always linked to t...

Muslim call to prayer always linked to the bad guys

posted 12 years ago by MortZAA
122 replies | jump to latest

I know people say its 'just a film' ..but when a film is produced that millions of people watch, its not 'just a film' ..certain contents of the film sub-subconsciously stick.

All too often Hollywood depicts Muslims as murderous thugs with nothing more to do than destroy the 'milkshake drinking' way of American (or western) life.

Is it just me or are our minds being softened to accept / have no feelings when seeing the middle east in ruins?

I am a white and from the UK. This *beep* p1sses me off.

maybe a more accurate depiction of America would have been some crazed loon to shoot up the milkshake diner at the end.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] pepsi_santana_allstars3 12 years ago

Prolonged war only works when your country hates the people you're fighting. So I'm not surprised we continue to paint Muslims as terrorists because our media whether it's the 6 o' clock news, television shows or movies will continue to program us to.

Critical thinking, forming our own opinions is not what America is about unfortunately. We're more likely to call ourselves Democrat or Republican then an American citizen. It's pathetic.

[–] P-K-One 12 years ago

This is a case of confirmation bias.

If a group of Irish mobsters go to church and then, standing on the steps of the church after mass, decide to whack somebody, well, it's a mob movie.
If Vito Corloene says prayers while he, at that very moment, has people killed all around town, well, it's a mob movie.
If a guy is a murdering psychopath who goes to mass on Sunday and is a pillar of the community but rapes and murders girls in his basement, well, it highlights the difference between his faith and his actions.

But when a bad guy is Muslim, it is racist slander.

Every single religious group is portrayed as thugs every now and then. The difference is that when it happens to Muslims people are more sensitive to it for some reason.

[–] pepsi_santana_allstars3 12 years ago

It's because people actually believe that's what they are. Nobody subscribes Vito Coreleone actions as Christian because people know better. But if Vito was a Muslim they would say he was a murdering sociopath because he's Muslim.

That's the difference.

[–] P-K-One 12 years ago

I get that. But that is a reason to criticize the people who make stupid judgments about others, not the movies or the people making those movies.

The movie does not necessarily have an intention to slander muslims or make them look bad just because it treats them like every other religious group. I am surprised that I even have to write this but treating people exactly like all other people is not slandering them or discriminating against them.

[–] khalednw-63-329996 12 years ago

Well P-K-One when someone mentions the word terrorist in a conversation, what's the first image that comes to mind?

Wonder why? Media.

[–] P-K-One 12 years ago

Well P-K-One when someone mentions the word terrorist in a conversation, what's the first image that comes to mind?

Wonder why? Media.

OR

because that's the ones that are after us?

I am German. The last terrorist group that was a problem here was the RAF. Back in the 70s they killed 30 people. What was the last terrorist group that was a problem in the US? The Una bomber who killed three people?

Back in the early 90s the word "terrorist" would have called a different image in the western world, it would have been the images of people who carry their dead children through the street after the IRA blew up a kindergarten. But the IRA has been quite for some time. The image of "terrorist" is something that gets filled with whoever is the most dangerous in your opinion right now. And reality is that right now the fundamentalist Islamists are the most dangerous faction.

It's not that every Muslim is a terrorist but of the terrorists that are an actual danger to people in the western world the overwhelming majority is Muslim. That is not the responsibility of the media, that is simply the truth.

If you disagree, it is quite easy to disprove it. Name 2 or 3 non-muslim terrorist groups that have killed 50 or more people in the western world in the last decade.

[–] Strazdamonas 9 years ago

Not media. Statistics. Over 90% of terrorist attacks carried out in western world (would be more if we included middle east since pretty much anything Isis and Palestine does counts here) are done by muslims. Like it or not but Islam is responsible for over 90% of terrorism in the world and is therefore going to be associated with it. If you want it to stop - stop muslims from committing terror acts.

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Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] palee87 12 years ago

FINALLY i find a voice of reason. Yes confirmation bias indeed. IT'S JUST A FILM. Sure, I can see that the Hollywood is portraying islam in negative ways, but can you really blame them? I mean look at happenings like 9/11. Am I saying that US is perfect while every muslim is evil? No. Is that Hollywood's intention? I doubt it. The fact of the matter is, there has been much conflict between US and islam, whether people want to accept or not. It's just the truth. Now, of course the fundamentalists don't represent all of Islam, and I understand that. But you have to remember, film industry is....A BUSINESS. It tries to tap into people's emotions and bias. Think about the movies around the 70s and 80s. Who were the main villains? THE RUSSIANS. Why? COLD WAR! Does every American HATE Russians? Not true. I believe it is the same way with muslims. Is Hollywood portraying muslims the right way? No. But when has hollywood ever been realistic? I am quite appalled at how much emphasis you're putting on this. It's just a movie...A FILM! You want to pick part hollywood and its misrepresentation of things, there are TONS of stuff. How about the way it portrays women? Drugs and alcohol? Sex and violence? Misrepresentation of islam isn't any more critical than any of these.

[–] Ramaadi 12 years ago

"there are TONS of stuff. How about the way it portrays women? Drugs and alcohol? Sex and violence? Misrepresentation of islam isn't any more critical than any of these."

wrong does not excuse other wrongs.
if i stole from 5 store and the fifth one complained .
is't logical if told him "will the 4 stores before you did not say a thing .so stfu"?

"It's just a movie...A FILM!"

If took your 7-yo brother everyday for a year and joked with him for 2 hours about how African-american should be slaved and killed and how bad they are.
you think after a year it will still be just a joke?

[–] palee87 12 years ago

haha wow Ramaadi..your chain of logic is so off that it baffles me....your store example already has a premise, or is under the assumption that a wrongdoing was committed so you can't apply that example to what i said. What I said did not have that premise..in fact my line of "its just a movie" says it all. Everything in hollywood is FICTIONAL.

With that said, i have NO IDEA as to why you said all that thing about lying to your 7yr-old boy because there is really no connection here. First of all, if your the formation of your child's mentality and thinking were left up to the popular media to fill it, it's your parenting that has an issue more than anything else. Besides, African-american being slaved and killed is such a horrible example. Let me ask you something...you're telling me that the religion of Islam hasn't done significant damage to US? 9/11 ring a bell? It's a FACT that wrongdoings have been committed behind the motivation and ideology of fundamentalist Islam. Lets get even more down to it...Islam in general is at war against US. I'm talking ideology here...so many muslims try to cover this up in this country...but it's just the reality...I've used the Cold war example with regards to the bad portrayal of Soviets...there are historical meaning that plays a role here in these ideology. What i'm saying is...relax. Movies won't take away rights...muslims can worship here in the States..but it's a longshot if they think they should be looked upon with FAVOR. Not in this country. So accept it...again...HOLLYWOOD IS IN AMERICA!!!!

[–] tuba-aka-odtu 11 years ago

you may be right about us being more sensitive about this
the world is a giant town now and we don't even know our neighbours, still....
people have biases based on what they see on the screen only, they don't even bother to learn other cultures. as someone who is interested in learning about different cultures, I hate this. I hate people's indifference to the ones that aren't one of them. Eveybody should watch My name's Khan, this way you can understand.

[–] kibagami_genjurooo 12 years ago

Should have gone to their freaking muslim village and kill every piece of *beep* pisslamic man, woman and children that had ties with those kidnappers.

To the OP: Middle east gone to ruins since the pisslamic religion of peace converted it with murder.
Hollywood is too lenient on these animals.

God promises eternal life, we deliver it.
How I rose from the dead in my spare time so can YOU.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Ramaadi 12 years ago

"Middle east gone to ruins since the pisslamic religion of peace converted it with MURDER"

"Should have gone to their freaking muslim village and kill every piece of *beep* pisslamic man, woman and children "

!!

[–] totalbollacks 12 years ago

Its just a passing Hollywood fad, in a year or two it will be South American bad guys again. Maybe even some Australian scum types, British are usually in the frame for power mad psycho types. When the Chinese pop up as the villains you should beware, it means Hollywood no longer gives a hoot as to who owns America.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Radalan 12 years ago

I don't remember a muslim call to prayer being linked to the bad guys in this one.
They just happened to drive near a minaret when Bryan hears the call to prayer.

What I found more awkward was that the man as a field agent didn't recognize it as a call to prayer but as a man singing.

!

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] excalibur1814 12 years ago

You're talking rubbish.

When I watch a film based in the UK I automatically don't believe that every single person in the UK is a bank robber, terrorist, or bad person.

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