“By saying that only Middle Easterns should play Middle Easterns etc. you end up discriminating in my opinion. ”

Actually, in my opinion the opposite is discrimination. For a few reasons:
1) There are so few roles for people of colour as it is that when Hollywood gets White people to play people of colour they are denying POC opportunities and exposure to mainstream society – something which POC need.

2) Even if Hollywood gets a POC to play another POC not of their ethnicity, what they are saying is that all POC are the same – in other words Indian = Middle Eastern. “You’re all the same.” This is racist. This denies the diversity of people and dehumanizes us.

In the end it is not how well the person plays the role but what this means to the politics of race and ethnicity.

Btw…what Fatemeh and Ferial said were very different things.

Btw again…Ben Kingsley is half Indian.

What’s wrong with an Indian lady playing a Middle Eeastern character? She is an actress, that’s what they are trained at-playing roles that are completely different from their culture and identity. I mean look at Ben Kingsley playing Gandhi (which was marvellous acting indeed) or Irene Papas in Mustapha Akkad movies..and many other examples out there. By saying that only Middle Easterns should play Middle Easterns etc. you end up discriminating in my opinion.

I agree with the fact that this movie is again main-stream bunch of clichés……

It’s unfortunate that Bill Bannerman doesn’t have a publicly listed email as I’d have loved to send in my thoughts about the upcoming movie. It probably wouldn’t have caused any difference, but ranting is relieving at times.

I can’t shake the feeling that you are being racist toward South Asians.

You’re upset that an Indian woman is playing a Middle Eastern woman. Fair enough. I would assume this would be because she would not understand the nuances of Middle Eastern culture but also because it takes away roles from Middle Eastern actresses. All of which I agree with. But then your comment “’its unfortunate that many roles are not available to middle easterners, again b/c they’re too pretty, fair skinned and modern” makes it sound like to me you are saying that they gave this role to an Indian woman because she was not “too pretty” as Middle Eastern women are too pretty to play the stereotypical Middle Eastern woman but Indians are just unattractive enough to do so.

And I think the main reason Laila was upset with your comment was because you said this:

“The last group of people in the middle east to represent Muslims should be Indians b/c their culture is not a Muslim culture”

Although you did seem to retract that later. Here you say Indians should not play Muslims, but later, I’m assuming you corrected and said it was fine for Indians to play Muslims.

I sense that you do not intend to make any racist statements but I hope that you can see how some of your comments are coming across that way.

Also, I don’t have anything against dark skinned people, I mentioned that it is hollywood that thinks everybody in middle east is dark skinned and they only accept actors with such skin tone. Having a darker skin is not an issue, but it doesn’t represent all of us, and we don’t want to be stereotyped into all being of a certain look.

Finally, I do travel a lot and I’ve been to India three times and Indians are only 12% Muslim (150 million) and 80% Hindu. This is out of more than 1 billion people. You should agree with that. So I didn’t sabotage your culture, as you can read in my second argument, I mentioned that Indians should not represent middle easterners because you are not.

I also don’t appreciate putting middle east under the umbrella of Islam. There are many religions and cultures in middle east and Islam is not a conclusive way to define it. Also who said being Muslim is believing in the religion anyway.

I feel Iranian, not Muslim. Just b/c I was raised in a Muslim family, it doesn’t make me appreciate it and like it. It offends me to use Islam to stereotype and group everyone into one category.

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“The last group of people in the middle east to represent Muslims should be Indians b/c their culture is not a Muslim culture at all…”

And who’s culture is a “Muslim Culture”? Besides what is a “Muslim Culture”?

“Stop insulting my culture in front of my face…” yet you want to be free to insult other cultures. You should check your own self-righteous baggage at the door!

You know what shit is also tired, when some Arab Muslims and some ignorant Non-Arab Muslims believe the “Arab culture” as the only “Muslim Culture”. That Indians are not real Muslims, that Blacks are still savages etc etc.

Get over yourself, nobody is singing your praises.

“Stop being fools and start traveling a bit.” I suggest you take your own advice!

As far as Indians playing Middle Easterners, that arguement makes more sense. Yes, it would be best to have had a Middle Eastern actress as even if an Indian woman could look Middle Eastern (which many can – some Lebanese people have thought I was Lebanese) she will not understand the intricacies of being a Middle Easterner.

And I’m also getting a sense that you are painting ‘dark skinned’ as bad. I’m also getting a sense that you are implying that Indian people are not good looking. Maybe I’m reading too much into your comment.

I’ve also studied acting as a hobby and its unfortunate that many roles are not available to middle easterners, again b/c they’re too pretty, fair skinned and modern. Also they have to fake a middle eastern accent even if they don’t have one to get the only roles that are available to them and that is either the wife of the terrorist or a battered wife or daughter of a Muslim man.

There are some exceptions though, like Catherine Bell from JAG and Sarah Shahi from “Life” and Nazanin Boniadi from “General Hospital” also Bahar soomekh from “Crash” or “Saw I-V”. Emmanuelle Chriqui in “Don’t mess with Zohan”. Shohreh Aghdashloo in “the house of sand and fog”

So the situation is getting better in hollywood, its just that once in a while some moron decides to make a movie like unveiled.
We need more female screenwriters and filmmakers in this day and age. Not only women are being discriminated against their race, but also their age as well. Women need to take charge and start their own businesses and support other women. Next time you see a female in lead role, go watch it and support it, b/c guess what the big Studios think women lead actresses are not profitable, so they’re thinking about almost eliminating them. How many movies have you seen during the past month with a lead female charachter compared to male counterparts. See what I mean? Not only man are against us, our female friends also don’t appreciate us. Support women for good.

Besides, we middle easterners are Americans too and if they don’t want to see that, just like Italians and Greeks before us, we will make them too. That is by adapting to their culture and learning their skills and contributing our efforts to their society and if we’re good at what we do, in time they have to accept us. Money and high positioned jobs are the way to go. Also starting your own business is even better.

But I agree with you on the “not looking Middle Eastern enough.” That shit is TIRED.

I’m sick of walking around L.A and people telling me that I don’t look middle eastern enough because I’m too white and dress well. Well, believe me it wasn’t your western culture that influenced me, I came here looking like this. Stop insulting my culture in front of my face by telling me that I’m not supposed to look good b/c I’m middle eastern and should look depressed, dark skinned and veiled.

Feel free to make movies about middle eastern families that aren’t wearing veil who are educated and good looking. People here don’t even believe that in middle east, people ski, drive nice cars, look great and are educated. Stop being fools and start traveling a bit. Not all middle easterners are Arabs and not all of them Muslims and not all Muslims are religious. Stop grouping them together.

The last group of people in the middle east to represent Muslims should be Indians b/c their culture is not a Muslim culture at all and certainly not the stereotypical middle easterners that you want to see. Believe me I’m well traveled. Hey Israel is part of middle east too, let’s not forget that folks. Middle east is a vast region with different cultures, languages and backgrounds. I know you like to group us, so that you can hate us for an excuse to bomb us to take our oil and put it in your SUV’s, but enough with the cruelty.

So give me a break, if you can’t make movies to make life better for us living here in the west, then please don’t make anything at all. I saw the movie, The Visitor, last week and I was impressed and hopeful, but now after this article I’m feeling disappointed again.

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