The events of September 11, 2001, in America not only claimed thousands of lives but also permanently changed the world of the Hollywood film industry by transforming images and plots. Previously, New York skyscrapers served as recognizable symbols in films, series, and advertisements, but after the terrorist attacks, these buildings became associated with tragedy, the pain of which remains in the memory of viewers.
Although stereotypes regarding Arab and Muslim characters already existed in Hollywood before 9/11, terrorism became the primary fear of American society after the attack, and this was reflected on screen. The image of this fear was often portrayed as a bearded man speaking Arabic, sometimes wearing headwear and armed.
As a result of this trend, opportunities for casting Muslim and Arab actors narrowed; they began to be perceived not so much as actors, but as embodiments of a certain type. Although the number of Arab characters increased after 9/11, this did not always lead to an improvement in the position of Arab-American actors, as they were often limited to the same stereotypical roles.
Actor Ali Momen, who was 20 years old during the attacks, recounted that after 9/11 his agent offered him a role in the film 'Suicide Bomber 3'. He accepted this role as a young person striving to build a career in the industry. The film was titled 'Traitor', and he still does not forget that experience.
Mesa Khouri shared a similar experience. She started working in Hollywood after the birth of her first daughter. Before 9/11, she more often played roles as a mother or a desperate woman. After the attacks, she was offered more refugee roles, requiring her to act in scenes wearing a hijab, even though she never wore one in real life.
Ali Momen also recalls a audition episode where he was asked to deliver lines in Arabic because the film required actors who spoke Arabic. Being from Iran, he speaks Farsi. When the casting director demanded he recite the text in Arabic, he explained that he did not know Arabic. Upon insistence, he politely objected that Farsi and Arabic are not the same language.
The experience of actor Maz Joberani vividly illustrates these changes. He initially saw himself as a versatile actor capable of playing any role. However, after arriving in Hollywood, he quickly realized that a different script existed for him. As soon as it became known about his origin from West Asia, he was offered dialogues containing threats of murder in the name of Allah. When he asked if he could play a doctor, he was told he could, but only if the doctor took over the hospital.
Joberani realized that the problem was not his acting skill, but the image the industry had created for him. Later, he refused roles related to terrorism, but this was not easy, as an actor's profession depends on what is offered, and losing this opportunity due to his identity presents him with a difficult choice. Subsequently, he focused on comedy, using this experience in his work.
Many of his colleagues were in an even more difficult situation. Syed Badreya stated in a 2007 interview that for a long time Hollywood offered him almost exclusively terrorist roles. He noted that for about ten years, his character constantly threatened people in the name of Allah. Paradoxically, he was often invited to die on screen: his character dies in 'The Iron Man', he is killed in 'Executive Order', George Clooney kills him in 'Three Kings', and Arnold Schwarzenegger destroys him in 'Truth'. Badreya emphasized that encountering the image of a terrorist because of having a beard was commonplace, reflecting a casting pattern where a Muslim face from West Asia often became the villain in a plot whose conclusion inevitably came through a shot, explosion, or bomb.
An even more alarming aspect was that many actors were considered suspicious simply because of their appearance—Muslim or West Asian. Actor Walid Zwaiter reported that after 9/11 he was also offered a role related to a sleeper cell.