The Effects Of 9/11 On Hollywood

Sadly, the pictures portrayed by Hollywood took place on September 11th, 2001. Several American institution including the Word Trade Center were attacked by hijackers crashing a plan in to the buildings, and killing thousands. The world was shocked and so was Hollywood, there were no terrorist themed movies with Arabs in it for about 4 years. The drastic calamity and destruction of the 9/11 attacks was not digestible and not an event in the past (Elouardaoui 9). After the 9/11 attackes Hollywood remained hesitant to produce a terrorist-themed movie featuring Arabs. The memories and losses of September 11th attacks were still fresh in American minds and anti-Muslim sentiment was at it’s peak (Shaheen “Guilty: Hollywood's Verdict on Arabs after 9/11 16”). It is very clear that the depiction of Arabs in the post 9/11 Hollywood movies change dramatically, the movies were devoid of classical stereotypes and herald a new approach regarding the portrayal of Arabs on the screen (Elouardaoui
10).
In the 2005 movie Kingdom of Heaven, a fictional account of the historical crusades, there is a scene in which the Salah Al-Din, the main antagonist, picks up the cross and puts it back respectfully on the altar, upon his conquest of Jerusalem (Elouardaoui
10). The seen is unique because prior to the 9/11 attacks in the 80s and 90s the Arabs were mostly pictured truly vile religious fanatics with no sense of respect and an inner desire for mass murder.