01-26-17 The Power of Hollywood Movies

The Power of Hollywood Movies in the Palestine & Middle East conflicts

Ray Hanania's podcast is an audio version of his column published  Jan. 26, 2017  in th Arab News in Saudi Arabia. It discusses the power of movies and how they can significantly alter, change and impact the beliefs of the American people. Why are not stories of Arab, Muslim and Palestinian suffering told to the American people in Hollywood Movies the way the Israelis use movies to distort and exaggerate theirown stories. The Israelis lie but all Palestinians need do is tell the truth through film to make a significant difference in the American understanding of the Palestine and Middle East conflict.

How Hollywood movies define American policies

Published in the Arab News Jan. 26, 2017

By Ray Hanania

The battle between the biased American news media and President Donald Trump wasn’t the only thing on the minds of Americans during these past few weeks.

Nearly 20 million Americans went to theaters to watch “Patriots Day,” a dramatization of how two Chechen Muslims killed four Americans and injured hundreds more during a five-day terror campaign that began at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.

Although the 143-minute movie vaguely presented some of the motives of the two bombers, brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the focus was on the suffering of the victims and the people involved in capturing them. In the end, the film brought American audiences together against terrorism by Muslims.

It was a very emotional film, only one of a dozen of movies that define Arab and Muslim terrorism against Americans.

Movies like this strengthen the American resolve against terrorism while reinforcing stereotypes such as the false notion that terrorism only occurs when an Arab or a Muslim kills and American civilian. Most Americans don’t consider it terrorism when an American or an ally like Israel kills Arabs or Muslims. ...

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