American Sniper film 'behind rise in anti-Muslim threats'

[muriel_volestrangler]

The release of the film American Sniper has led to an increase in threats against Muslims in the US, according to an Arab-American civil rights group.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has written to director Clint Eastwood and star Bradley Cooper.
...
The ADC said a "majority of the violent threats we have seen over the past few days are result of how Arab and Muslims are depicted in American Sniper".

The organisation, which describes itself as the largest Arab civil rights organisation in the US, said it had collected "hundreds of violent messages targeting Arab and Muslim Americans from movie-goers", mainly from Facebook and Twitter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30972690

[JonLP24]

1. I certainly agree

The right wing are spending a great deal on criticism of "lefties" and justify all the killing & indifference as he was only doing it to the bad guys. The terrorists. Over a movie which the real life guy actually had reservations & didn't even want to watch the torture porn Zero Dark Thirty because he felt it was propaganda for the Obama administration.

[Scuba]

2. No question.

Eastwood should be ashamed of himself.

[pocoloco]

4. Why? It was a pretty good movie describing what warriors do,

and what happens to them. They don't get to choose the war,
just do the best job they can.

[Scuba]

5. Notice I didn't criticize anyone who served in the military ...

... just the guy who produced a war porn/glorification movie.

But nice job trying to smear my post.



SSGT Scuba, USAF 1970-1976

[Fred Sanders]

9. They whip out the flag real quick, don't they? Vaguely familiar strategy....hmmmm.

And if it isn't the flag it is the Cross they wield to ward off all that disgusting liberal love of truth.


Warriors and heroes when they do as instructed, kill, but widely rejected when they come home to their adoring nation, soothed by media talk of their glory as they beg in the streets for food and help, just asking that Americans start putting some money in the game and not just glory.

You can't eat glory.

Re-glorified in film with an agenda. Still can't eat it.

Pawns of war and pawns of propaganda, just pawns.

Again, all so vaguely familiar.

[Skittles]

43. it's a common tactic, Scuba

f*** 'em

Sgt Skittles, USAF

[GGJohn]

44. Agreed.

Capt. GGJohn, US Army.

[ND-Dem]

39. He volunteered. For 4 tours. He said he loved killing iraqis.

[isobar]

51. The "original" was much better.

[Fred Sanders]

3. Not a whisper of this in the American media....the war machine has its propaganda arm..of course

it does.
Meanwhile President Obama's popularity soars..........look, a saggy pressurized container made of pigskin!

[maddiemom]

7. Talk to the ha ...chair.

[Ernesto]

53. I'm starting to think that Clint really .....

thinks he is "Walt Kowalsky"

[Paladin]

6. I trust that nobody is really surprised by this development. (nt)

[Fred Sanders]

8. Yes, so it should be accepted and ignored...Eastwood was not surprised, it was his intention.

[yeoman6987]

10. They had two anti war movies a few years ago,

One called Lions for Lambs with Meryl Streep and another one called Rendition with Reece Witherspoon but nobody went to see them. Why is that? I don't think Americans like anti war movie but seem to love positive feel good movies and that include all political parties.

[Fred Sanders]

11. The demonization of Muslims is also highly popular these days in the media.

And not that many "felt good" after the movie, many felt just like what the OP is pointing out.

Eastwood must feel good, money made off of xenophobia and inciting violence was the intent, making money was just a terrific bonus, all jump started by his sympathetic buddies of the Academy and "liberal" Hollywood, a cabal that slighted "not white" folks by rejecting Selma, but his gunporn flick free publicity it richly does not deserve.

Lots of money to be made off of hate and lies these days, just ask Fox, where Eastwood is a worshipped icon of the rabid right wing.

[yeoman6987]

12. I guess. But can you blame Hollywood for making it if that is going to get all Americans to see it?

I think it is all about money.

[sabrina 1]

15. Yes, I blame them and if any innocent person dies, as they did after all the demonization of Muslims

after 9/11, I will definitely blame them and all the warmongers and those for whom money is god.

One thing is for sure, this story damages the image of the 'honorable US military' to the rest of the world. Maybe that was the intent.

I wonder why anyone would want to depict the US Military as a brutal killing machine who are 'just following orders'?

Most veterans I have ever met are nothing like this killer. Not to mention this kind of thing, like the torture videos, as one Iraq veteran told me, place US troops in even more danger.

But hey, money!!

[Bluenorthwest]

25. Every day, innocent LGBT people die and are jailed as a result of religious hate speech, much of

which comes from the Pope and his Bishops. Uganda is 43% Catholic, the Bishops call for elimination of gay people, gay people get beaten, arrested and killed. That's just Uganda.
So are you against all denigration of others or are you not?

[DustyJoe]

38. demonization

The extremists, jihadists, combatants whatever name anyone wishes to a list describing the maelstrom of the middle east do more to demonize themselves in words and deeds than any outside entity could.

Ask the Japanese man suddenly missing his head for his thoughts on who the Demon is.

[99Forever]

13. Does your morality and ethics depend or which movie does best at the box office?

Mine certainly doesn't, but then I'm one of those "bleeding heart" liberals that thinks murder, even state sanctioned murder and the monsters that perpetrate it are base evil. Regardless of what the cow-eyed "fans" find "popular" at the cinema this week.

[yeoman6987]

17. I am very liberal with Hollywood

Which is why I go to almost everything they put out. I love going to a wide variety of movie but I am a liberal so of course I am fair and see them all.

[99Forever]

20. Way to sidestep the question.

I don't give a damn how many movies you go to. That isn't even close to what I asked you, but if it embarrasses you to honestly answer, I understand why.

[yeoman6987]

21. What was the question?

[99Forever]

22. That would be the sentence ending with...

?

[yeoman6987]

23. You only put a question mark with no question

You missed some words on your reply. Please proof read your next reply so you get an answer. I know you are typing fast but just breath and start again.

[99Forever]

24. As I said, I understand your embarrassment.

Feel free to pretend it's otherwise. I'd be embarrassed too, if I showed my ass in public too.

[yeoman6987]

27. What on Earth are you talking about?

Seriously! Are you mad I liked the movie? Is that it? Well you really need to get over that because if you are upset that an anonimous person on the Internet likes something you don't....that is a problem that you need to get over. You cannot possibly want me to agree with you on everything. That is just not going to happen no matter how hard you try. Life is not like that.

[99Forever]

30. I asked you a simple question.

You failed to address it. Instead you went into a word salad about something else I couldn't care any less about. I'm amused by your apparent lack of comprehension of the English language and the grammar and punctuation it uses. You have no ability to make me "mad."

BTW, I don't care if you "agree" with me about anything, much less, everything.

[yeoman6987]

31. English is my second language

Thanks for pointing out that I am dumb.

[99Forever]

32. Well then...

... go to my FIRST reply to you, find the ?, the question is the sentence just in front of it.

I look forward to your answer to it.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

36. Does your morality and ethics depend or which movie does best at the box office?

Was the question.

[Android3.14]

14. And the murders in France had nothing to do with how people perceive Muslims and Arabs, suuuuure.

While I despise anyone lashing out at another ethnic group, even the ADC should acknowledge there is more going on here than just a movie.

[PumpkinAle]

16. American Sniper - racist propaganda

for an illegal war and to stir up the mindless who think they are patriots.

What is done in the name of patriotism is often done with prejudice and a false sense of superiority.

[yeoman6987]

18. Lol. I think you are wrong on the rasist part.

[PumpkinAle]

26. Nope - Kyle was a bigot and a racist

..........."damn savages" he took pleasure in dehumanizing with his inane, bigotted and yes, racist comments.

In the book, Kyle refers to everyone he fought as “savage, despicable” evil. He writes, “I only wish I had killed more.”

[DustyJoe]

35. islam

Never knew islam or muslim was a race.

[MohRokTah]

37. Chris Kyle was majorly a racist bigot. eom

[oberliner]

19. Idiotic

It's a movie.

Don't like the idea of artists feeling restrained by what interest groups might have to say.

Don't like the movie - don't see it. Or protest outside of it. Or make your own movie.

[PumpkinAle]

29. It is propaganda

just like any "rah, rah, we are right, "they" are wrong".

It is revisionist history and only feeds the minds of the feeble, ill-educated who think they need to act out.

[Enrique]

48. what if the claim is factually true?

what if the movie is causing violence against Muslims? Is it idiotic to be concerned about that?

[oberliner]

49. Batman caused violence against innocent people

Deranged people can come up with any excuse to kill and/or commit violence.

Movies are movies.

[Enrique]

52. you realize they're not calling for a ban on the film, right?

your response doesn't match the story. I'm trying to figure out why someone would object to this:

The letter asked Eastwood and Cooper to speak out against such messages "in an effort to reduce the hateful rhetoric".

"Your visibility, influence, and connection to the film would be a tremendous force in drawing attention to and lessening the serious dangers facing the respective communities," ADC president Samer Khalaf wrote.

Your responses might make sense if they were calling for a ban on the movie, but that's not what they're doing.

[Bluenorthwest]

28. Have they considered Paris, ISIS, Boko? The lashings given to bloggers, the stoning of gay people?

I mean, I have not seen the film and of course threats are very bad. But it seems self serving to claim that were it not for this movie all would be well. Just a tad.

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. The threats mention the film

“Great fucking movie and now I really want to kill some fucking ragheads,” read one tweet, in a set of screenshots that quickly went viral after being collated by journalist Rania Khalek for the online publication Electronic Intifada. “American sniper makes me wanna go shoot some fuckin Arabs,” read another.

One tweet read: “Nice to see a movie where the Arabs are portrayed for who they really are - vermin scum intent on destroying us.” While the word “vermin” is not uncommon in threads about the film, that tweet was tagged not only #AmericanSniper but, mystifyingly, #DeBlasio as well.

Even the actor James Woods got in on the action, tweeting: “Every time an American Armed Forces sniper pulls a trigger, those who would kill or maim an American warrior are no longer a threat.”

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/24/american-sniper-anti-muslim-threats-skyrocket

[Bluenorthwest]

40. Sounds like everyday crap said about LGBT people in houses of worship around the world.

If LGBT people lost our lunch over internet comments, we'd never stop puking. I'm very familiar with the position they find themselves in. I do not entirely care for their approach. They will figure it out, maybe.

[Violet_Crumble]

47. I'd hope all decent people would condemn hate speech no matter which minority group it's aimed at...

There shouldn't be blame or attempts to minimise the hate speech thrown at the minority group the hatred's thrown at.

[DustyJoe]

34. yeah ok

Just like 'Band of Brothers" resulted in an increase of anti-German sentiment and threats against Germans
and
"We Were Soldiers" ended up in the threats against Asians in the US
.
well .... they didn't
.
How about the fact that it just looks like the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee just wanting to get their perpetual victimhood whine recorded. The movie shows war combatants getting whacked just like all war movies show combatants getting killed. One thing about American war movies though is they show both sides sustaining casualties. Just like real life. Seems you can't make a film, write a book or article or blog without some poor soul getting all butthurt and demanding retractions. Next will be the litigation threat.

[bigtree]

42. well, we're a great deal removed from war with Germany and the Japan

...but, in their time, propaganda was used quite effectively to demonize and marginalize the German and Japanese people here in the U.S. though movies and other media; many times with devastating and consequential effect.

It would be a mistake not to recognize how the correct objections and outrage expressed toward terrorists using Islam as their justification and banner are being conflated with all Muslims, here in the U.S. and elsewhere. That's a dangerous and worrisome trend for all of us who care deeply about freedom of religion and the defense of the diversity of our nation's population.

[Initech]

41. Got to love the wannabe Rambos in this country.

[BlueJazz]

45. I doubt if I'm going to watch the film. Maybe I'll watch "Enemy at the gate" again.

(Sniper movie with Jude Law/Ed Harris)

[Generic Other]

46. As the great American hero Rambo once said

"Do we get to win this time?"

Piles of propaganda.

My heart goes out to any Muslim Americans who must live in fear because of Eastwood's heroic attempt to make a buck.

[oberliner]

50. This is seriously off the charts

The movie is causing Muslim Americans to live in fear?

This is just beyond the looking glass stuff.

[Generic Other]

54. Have you read some of the hateful crap posted about this movie?

Muslims are facing increased threats in the United States after the release of the movie "American Sniper," an American-Arab organization said in letters to director Clint Eastwood and star Bradley Cooper.

In the open letters released earlier this week, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) said there has been a spike in violent threats against Muslims due to the film that portrays the story of an American sniper during the Iraq war.

"A majority of the violent threats we have seen over the past few days are (a) result of how Arab and Muslims are depicted in American Sniper," the ADC said.

The group said it had received hundreds of violent messages from viewers of the film, many of them through social media.

The ADC notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and local police about the threats and asked the two Hollywood stars to condemn the violent rhetoric used by filmgoers.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-muslims-threatened-after-american-sniper/ar-AA8yeUj

Death threats over a movie. Every reviewer attacked by frenzied nitwits. Matt Taibbi. Go read his tweets. Or Michael Moore. The haters are howling. Why do you think people don't fear Eastwood's brand of shit stirring?