Word: muslim
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Billed as a "reality" movie, The Siege presents the all-too-plausible scenario of a group of terrorists wreaking havoc in New York City while our government leaders fumble and search for ways to cope. Following the bombing of American embassies in Africa by Muslim extremists and other escalating terrorist advances against the U.S., the film depicts events very similar to those that are happening around us, much as Primary Colors did about the Clinton sex scandal. An action film taught with suspense, The Siege has also raised the ire of Arab-American groups fuming at yet another portrayal...
...Zwick intended his movie to explore the contradictions of an American culture "whose central founding myths involve liberty and tolerance," many Muslim- and Arab-Americans across the country feel it also perpetuates Hollywood's malignant portrayal of their religious and ethnic culture...
...Muslim, a lover of film and television, and a sucker for military intrigue movies, I decided to see the movie for myself. To get a more objective perspective, I invited Ramy M. Adeeb '00 and Mustafa M. Siddiqui '00 to join me. Adeeb, a Christian, is from Egypt, and Siddiqui, a Muslim, lives in Houston; his family is originally from Pakistan...
...Siege reinforcesthe public's association between Islamic practicesand terrorist activity. "The movie tried to getcloser to the substance of Islam, but in the end,"Siddiqui says, "it was quite flawed, unbalanced."Only terrorists speak of religious matters, andtwo imprisoned characters recite the seminalprayer from the Qur'an (the Muslim scripture)."The practicing Muslims were terrorists, anddespite the portrayal of families praying [duringmontage sequences of community life], the familiesweren't developed," he explains. "There was enoughsuspicion raised in the movie to make even thesefamilies suspect; there's nothing to say thatthese are good people...
...first weekend, The Siegepremiered with box office receipts second only toAdam Sandler's The Waterboy. In its second,the film had dropped to fourth. Industry reviewshave been mixed, while many in the Muslim and Arabcommunity remain disappointed and vociferouslycritical. "I don't think you ever work expectingthe reaction, I think you just do the work thatyou do," Zwick says. "I think if you work with oneeye cast in anticipation of a particular response,it'll never get there. I think you just try to beas involved in the material and as honest as youcan...