Are Muslims the new stereotypical big screen bad guys? And, if so, should some movies be banned?

Films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and East is East that show Muslims in a less than favourable light should either be heavily censored or refused a certificate, says an Islamic pressure group.

The Islamic Human Rights Association claims in a report Muslims are demonised as violent, dangerous and threatening by movies such as the British comedy East is East, the Disney cartoon Aladdin and The Siege, which depicts a terrorist attack on New York and stars Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis.

Its authors want censors to have more power to restrict content with the ultimate sanction of refusing a certificate for material considered objectionable.

They also want increased vigilance on the reporting and coverage of issues involving Muslims by newspapers and television.

More than 1,100 Muslims were reportedly questioned by researchers. They found there was unashamed bias' in the media against Muslims, with 62 per cent of those interviewed believing the media was Islamophobic. Only four per cent considered the media to be fair.' Some of those interviewed regarded the movie industry as a tool of foreign policy.

A 35-year-old Bradford man said the industry needed a new bogeyman after the collapse of communism.

Arzu Merali, head of research at the commission and co-author of the report, said: "You don't get a good Muslim in a movie." The fact that The Siege pre-dated the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks indicated that negative stereotyping had been going on irrespective of the London bombing and other atrocities.

The report's authors took exception to Raiders of the Lost Ark because of the street scene featuring veiled women and bearded men in traditional dress, all set to snake-charming music.

The depiction of an Anglo-Pakistani family in 1970s Salford in East is East represented the husband as a polygamous wife-beating tyrant that fitted many of the negative perceptions people have of Muslims.' Irfan Ajeeb, director of Bradford's Bite the Mango Bollywood film festival for seven years, said the report was only likely to create more friction and was unnecessary.

"It's unfair to say that Muslims are always portrayed in a negative way. I can see nothing wrong with East is East; it is an accurate portrayal of how some people live," he said.

Victor Banerjee's role as the Muslim Dr Aziz in David Lean's 1984 film A Passage to India and Morgan Freeman's role as a Muslim and loyal friend in Kevin Costner's movie Robin Hood proved that the claim that Muslims never appeared as good guys' in mainstream Western movies was unfounded, he added.

"We don't really need reports like this. Who are these 1,100 Mulsims? I am a Muslim and no one asked me. There are plenty of black and Muslim actors who are not stereotyped. There are so many films in Bollywood where Muslims are portrayed as good guys," he said.

In March Mr Ajeeb will be flying to India to act in a film by the acclaimed Indian director Mahesh Bhatt.

"We are living in a sensitive time after 9/11 and 7/7; Muslims do feel picked on, asked where their allegiances lie; this is an awkward time; but to point the finger at films and say they are responsible for the way things are is ludicrous.

"The Siege was made in the Nineties(1998), so was East is East. Films have always been an easy target. I don't think directors do demonise a particular race. Any major event people will make movies about. They are still making movies about World War II. That's the way it is.

"The average person couldn't give two hoots if you're a Muslim. But certain groups are making an issue out of this and what good does it do? It feels as though some people want trouble to happen."

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