Talk:Portrayal of Arabs in film

Amna-alh (talk) 10:14, 22 March 2019 (UTC)=== Nooralhuda's Peer Review ===

Untitled
Your introduction has a good overview for your chosen topic which eventually leads us, as readers, to what you want us to understand from the sections provided; which are 1- wrong ideas about Arab cultures from Westerns' perspectives 2- shifts their perspectives into positive that shown through the examples that you provided. You are having a clear structure and it is pretty organised where the reader can find the information that they need easily. I also noticed that you have a balanced coverage and neutral content where the examples given for the negative portrayals almost similar to the positive ones; in both amount and content. Even the years chosen are close to each other which, in my opinion, make it fair to differentiate between the films produced in that decade. I believe that your sources are reliable since they are journals, however, (((I think))) the minimum number of sources that should be used for this project are five, so try to add two more sources and expand in some of the sections that you might feel lacks some of the information that you wish to include. Good Luck! Nour AlMannaei (talk) 19:04, 21 March 2019 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 August 2020 and 1 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Amethyst072. Peer reviewers: SelAtat.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 02:33, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Amna's Peer Review
The lead of your article is clear and concise, I am very satisfied with the importance of this topic. This is because the way Arabs are being portrayed in films is different to who they are in the real world. You give a good start up in the introduction by introducing what portrayal of Arabs in film is referred or meant as. As I read the rest of the article, i can slowly understand in detail how arabs are shown in films negatively. Once, i read this, i said to myself that their must be a positive section as well. I scrolled down and a good example of arabs being portrayed in film positively is given, which is exactly what the reader would want. However, more examples of films are needed in each section for a stronger article. Also check for punctuation mistakes, such as capitalization. Your overall structure, is clear and understandable because they are put in a sensible order. Make sure to include a number of sources and the correct type of sources. Sources should be journal articles and books. The source used for your Aladdin reference is from a website and should not be used in the Wikipedia article or it will be referred as plagiarism. To find authentic sources, try looking in Jstor or the NU-Q library website. Your article has a neutral content, which is good because you don't attempt to persuade the reader to only accept or believe that Arabs are always shown negatively in film. If you include more positive aspects or examples then you will have a stronger neutral content for your article. Lastly, your article includes many great ideas, but needs improvement on the right reliable sources. Keep up the good work! Amna-alh (talk) Amna-alh (talk • contribs) 10:01, 22 March 2019 (UTC)

Wadha Al Mesalam's Peer review
A lead section

The lead section contains the right amount of information to introduce the reader to the premise of the topic that follows, it depicts a clear narrative of the topic chosen: portrayals of Arab in western film.

structure

The categories divided within the page seamlessly bleed into each other creating a coherent arc throughout the topic.

Coverage

In terms of coverage, the topics and sub-categories need more information to create a holistic overview of the categories presented; however, what is there so far is illuminating and interesting. A section that can be added is the Arab Male depictions in western film.

Neutral content

The language used it is well crafted and does not carry a bias outlook, therefore its neutral.

Reliable sources

the sources chosen thus far seem legitimate and accurate, and with additions to the this topic; the source and reference list would be much larger and inclusive of all the data and information out their that relate to the portrayal and depictions of Arabs abroad.

Overall

i think thus far this topic is extremely interesting and calls for more in depth presentations for the public to indulge in, given the fact that Arab portrayals have shaped and dictated the identity of the east for so long, since the birth of cinema and the integration of politics and religion within the world; much of the films and depictions of Arabs tie in to political and religious contexts and agendas that can be explored within this page. The sections so far are interesting and there is much more that can be added to reach a holistic overview.

AlAnoud's Peer Review
Lead

Your lead is clear and gives a brief introduction to your topic. I do actually feel satisfied knowing this topic as it is an important issue and i’m glad that someone is addressing it. Moreover, the lead does reflect the most important information mentioned in the article.

Structure

The sections are organized well and are in a sensible order, I believe each leads to the other in a reasonable order.

Balance

All sections included in the article are necessary and important, however, I feel like more information is needed in the subsections as for some their length does not portray their importance.

Neutral

The article is neutral, as you are just stating facts and giving examples.

Sources

Sources used to support statements in the article are reliable sources, however, I feel like you might need to work with more than 3 sources which will add to the quality of your article.

Overall

Overall I believe you did a great job, especially with choosing such an important topic to write about. Since you mentioned women portrayal why don't you think of adding a section on men? Good luck! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alanoudalattiya (talk • contribs) 06:42, 24 March 2019 (UTC)

Prof. PK's Comments
This is a good start for your article. As your peers have pointed out, the biggest issue right now is your lack of sources--you need many more! You also need to be citing more than once per paragraph.

Stylistically, you should not be bolding film titles; they should be italicized, and any that have their own Wiki pages should also be linked.

Why is Animated Film the first section? And why does it only include one film? Any section you include should have more than one example. You also do not need to label your opening section "Introduction." The lead should stand on its own--look through some other Wiki pages as models.

Finally, you need to work on your diction. Right now, the text reads more like the overview you might give to your peers in class. An encyclopedia entry should include only facts, not generalizations or unsubstantiated opinions like "not many people are aware of...." So, stick to specific facts and information that you can back up with citations.

Pkrayenbuhl (talk) 22:50, 30 March 2019 (UTC)

Evaluation and Suggestions.
The article provides a good variety of different depictions of Arabs in various types of films, including how they are presented in the West and Middle East cinema. In the lead section, there is satisfactory insight in terms of the topic of the Wikipedia article. However, the writing does not read very well as there are many ideas in one paragraph. I would recommend an extension to the introductory paragraph in which it should be two to three paragraphs to summarize the article effectively. The table of contents is well organized and provides the structure of the article, as well as the subheadings.

Concerning the body of the article, the language used is clear and understandable by the reader. However, the text is not always straightforward, as there are some weasel words throughout the text. An example of this is the use of the phrase “the most” controversial, “the most” famous. This makes the text used considered an original argument as it is not relevant to the facts. The body of the article is broken up into different sections with subsections to go into further detail. There is the use of key concepts linked to other Wikipedia articles that can be beneficial to the reader. Although there is no usage of images, which is a point that can be improved upon. Illustrations can be a useful tool as the article contains a length of text, in which visual explanation can help the reader comprehend the concepts explained.

In addition, the text, despite having useful factual information and examples, there are needed references and citations to the sources that you have obtained these facts from. In terms of the references at the end of the Wikipedia article, there is a wide range of sources cited listing to sixty. For the citations provided, there is an efficient balance between print sources as well as online sources. These citations range between scholarly articles, news sources, and film reviews. There are some statements referenced with footnotes in the text, but this is not consistent throughout the entirety of the article. Therefore, I would recommend that a reliable source cites every claim. There are no external links for the readers to be able to do the further reading; thus, it may be useful to include them.

It is evident that the article has last been edited on the 16th of August 2020, which shows that there is active participation on the Wikipedia page. On the talk page, there are several contributions to feedback to the article. There is a discussion going on based on additional topics that can be discussed in the article. In addition to the need for expanding on the header section, which I would agree with.

Overall the article is good but has the potential to improve further. --Amethyst072 (talk) 10:59, 29 October 2020 (UTC)

Planned improvements
After reading the article, I see that it has excellent potential with a few improvements. Firstly, I would like to improve the introductory paragraph. The introduction consists of one paragraph and could benefit from an extension of another section to provide a better insight into the article's topic. The majority of the article talks about the depiction of Arabs in Hollywood films, but these concepts are not apparent within the introduction. Thus, mentioning background facts upon representing the Arab race, class, and gender will provide a sound basis for the upcoming subheadings. Also, minor edits in the introductory paragraph regarding the order the different subheadings are stated and the order the article is in. This is an easy and quick fix but will improve the structure and flow of the article.

Secondly, I plan to add a few images distributed among the different sections. As the article is about the portrayal of Arabs in film, there could be images from the examples of films explained in the article. An example of this could be an image of how Arabs are barbaric in the films "Rules of engagement" and "Death before dishonor". By having visuals, the readers can further understand the different examples explained.

Lastly, the article provides a significant variation of the depictions of Arabs in different film types. Many of the subheadings give a great length of information with the use of examples. However, this is not consistent throughout all the subheadings, especially towards the stereotypes of Arabs in American film. I have already edited the subheading “Efforts by the United States” by adding two sentences that briefly discuss singular representation strategies evident in American media. Still, I would like to provide more techniques explained by the author Evelyn Al-Sultany. I believe that I could also further improve the section by adding content and examples of American film diversity. The subsection “How Arabs are identified in mainstream Hollywood films” only provides one connotation of Arabs as barbaric; thus, I can put the different representations of Arab-Americans presented in Hollywood films. An example of this could be Arabs presented as villains.

Overall when I complete editing this article, I expect it to have an introduction that effectively summarizes the article and the topics that will be covered. Moreover, it will consist of different images distributed throughout the sections. Lastly, all the concepts will be developed within the subheadings and supported with facts and examples.

Amethyst072 (talk) 14:44, 13 November 2020 (UTC)

Area of development in portrayal of Hijabi Women
The portrayal of Arab women in film is a great section for development. The Hijab factor is one that does not have much light shed on, although there is so much information about it. I believe that the religious factor can play a major role in it, as many Arab women are misrepresented through a religious perspective. Hijab has been attacked in various western environments, not just by media, but also by the laws of some governments. A great example of this can be manifested by the violence women receive in western Europe when they are out in public with their Hijab on. Many laws and legislations banned the Hijab in places like schools, young Muslim Arab girls were restricted to wear Hijab only because the government felt uncomfortable with that. Elite, a Spanish TV series has a character of a female Muslim called Nadia. Part of her character development is to take of her Hijab as part of her “empowerment”. That received many backlash as it touched upon the Hijab concept. Many women wear it for modesty and are convinced with it. However, such TV series make it seem exactly the opposite. It misrepresents Hijab as this barrier and suppression of a woman being her true self. Another issue that seems to arise is the fact that none of the writers were Muslim. The writer of the article expresses her concern with them plotting a Muslim Hijabi character with such developments of a religion that is not theirs. Another article explores how many media in the west “create” a Muslim woman, rather than candidly learning and interacting with them.

It gives this idea of their religion taking power over them and not allowing them to be free with their lifestyles, and the western lifestyle comes into the rescue. That further demonstrates the dominance of the West lifestyle as the solution for the Hijabi women's misrepresented oppression.

SelAtat (talk) 19:36, 14 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Per WP:SOAPBOX and WP:NOTFORUM ... a Wikipedia talk page is not the place to criticize that films made in Western or European countries follow Western lifestyle themes. A Thousand Words (talk) 00:10, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Besides, an Arab can be secular, Christian, Muslim or anything he or she chooses. It is not necessarily so that Arab equates Muslim. The topic of the article is Arabs in film. A Thousand Words (talk) 00:14, 16 November 2020 (UTC)

What you have said is correct. A Wikipedia page is an area for suggesting improvement. While reading this article, it focuses on Arabs as a whole, however, a huge part of Arabs are Muslims, and they are the one that seem to be misrepresented, especially by the West. It is an area worth of giving attention to and working on to educate people on how religion does come into play. My earlier suggestions do not state that Arab equates Muslim. Various Arabs of vast religions are portrayed through film. But why limit the paper and generalize types of Arabs? They are minority groups such as women, not only that, but some Arabs are discriminated against through film based on their clothes, such as their Hijab. A nationality must not restrict of mentioning the religious aspect of their portrayal nor misrepresentation. SelAtat (talk) 12:51, 20 November 2020 (UTC)
 * You misunderstand, it is not a strange thing or "bias" that films produced in Western countries feature Western lifestyle themes, just as films in Muslim countries feature Muslim lifestyle themes. Women aren't a "minority" in Western countries. Women have been heads of state in Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, New Zeeland, the United Kingdom to name a few Western countries. A Thousand Words (talk) 06:19, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
 * It is not a strange thing that Western film feature Western lifestyles, just as films produced in Arab or Muslim lifestyles feature themes accordingly. So your ideas aren't an improvement, they appear to be pushing a certain narrative and your suggestions would make the article worse. A Thousand Words (talk) 06:27, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

My focus is not about the western lifestyle, but how Arabs' lifestyles are perceived as oppressive in some western films. If Western movies are accurately representing western lifestyles, then they are misrepresenting the Arabs' lifestyles that they try to portray in their movies. In the example I provide above, I clearly state how a Western movie has an Arabic female that adapts to the western lifestyle by going against her Arabic beliefs. If you think that challenging such a topic would make an article worse, then you must explore how various Arab women go against Arabs' norms in western films to adapt to such " western lifestyles". There is no explanation as to why the Palestinian character I gave an example of is written by non-Arabic writers who decided that the solution to her struggles is to neglect her own traditions to adapt to the westerns around her to be "free". It is a topic that should fall under such an article since it examines the group of Arab women, regardless of their religion. SelAtat (talk) 17:20, 27 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Again, you are pushing a certain narrative: when you wrote neglect her own traditions to adapt to the westerns around her to be "free" ... the film is set in a Western country, right? So it seems that you are pushing a multiculturalist agenda where people who arrive to a new country never adapt to its lifestyle. It is not the purpose of an encyclopedia to take a position for or against multiculturalism, that's the purpose of activists and their blogs. A Thousand Words (talk) 04:20, 28 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Take another example, the A Man Called Horse (film) from the 1970s, in which an Englishman who is captured by a Sioux tribe in North America eventually adopts their customs and becomes a member of the Sioux tribe. Is this encyclopedia to write that this Englishman was discriminated against and that he "neglects his own traditions" in order to be "free"? This would be absurd description of that film. A Thousand Words (talk) 10:41, 28 November 2020 (UTC)