Representation of Islam and Muslim characters in American film and television post 9/11

Each and every national institution in United States of America serves the 'Manifest Destiny'. What sustains the destiny written by the WASPs is the firm belief in the sacredness of being an American and embracing the American way of life. Country's existence relies on an idea of an enemy and from its first other 'the redskins', to its last, 'the barbarian Arabs', United States has implemented the same strategy that manufactures fear and creates threat which dominates both domestic and international politics. The main objective of this study is to analyze the representation of Islam and Muslim characters in films and on TV in parallel with the representation of the 'other' before and after September 11, often referred as the 'Apocalypse'. It presents the basis and the references of Islam identified with terrorism starting from Reagan administration and intends to challenge the terms and concepts such as Orientalism and Islamofobia. In United States of America image has become the life itself rather than its interpretation. Accompanied by a mentality mainly based on national security American film and TV create the perception of Islam mostly according to the 'clash of civilizations' theory which is often used for identifying and determining the 'other' conveniently to serve their own agenda. United States has portrayed itself as the melting pot since the beginning and it is the same pot American Muslims are in. This study claims that one of the best tools to decipher all codes (past, present, and future) related to Islam and Muslims is the narrative structure of American cinema and television as in all social transformations in the country.