# Why are Judaism & Islam never mocked or impugned in mainstream movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537 "2009-06-22T01:11:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/21 "2009-06-22T12:59:15Z")
Re. docus such as Jesus Camp. There have been a couple in the UK about Muslims… a famous one is called “Undercover Mosque” and exposes teh crazy in extremist mosques. That’s on a par with Jesus Camp. I’d agree that most of the “anti-christian” stuff is aimed at the abuse of power; there’s very little mocking of normal, everyday faith… just the far-out Falwell / Jesus Camp aspects. Philip Pullman has said that his targets in Northern Lights are not the church per se, but the whole notion of fundamentalist thought (religious or political). He’s as much against hardline communism or islam as he is against catholicism. That’s the same as Monty Python. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/22 "2009-06-22T13:07:43Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I don’t see anyone taking on or even commenting in movies on things like the brutal WWII treatment and segregation of the Jews relative to how they regard and treat the Palestinians I hear there are plans for a blockbuster movie based on Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s autobiography “My Struggle”, with Adam Sandler playing Ahmadinejad\* and Mel Brooks as Khomeini. \*he has his own blog now! I wonder if they screen comments. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/23 "2009-06-22T13:16:26Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I think the comment that we mock it because it is close and familiar is probably the most accurate. I have yet to see anything approaching “The Da Vinci Code” or “Dogma” that picture the church and/or faithful as misguided and hypocritical or even a documentary like “[Jesus Camp"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Camp) re Judaism and Islam. Perhaps Christianity is more inherently mockable beacuse it is more hierarchical and actually proselytizes, but I don’t see anyone taking on or even commenting in movies on things like the brutal WWII treatment and segregation of the Jews relative to how they regard and treat the Palestinians, or the Islamic claim of being a religion of peace” vs exhortations to kill as many infidels as possible. Directly addressing these topics in mainstream movies seems to be forbidden whereas any hypocrisies in Christianity are fair game. Yes, the Poor Christians are being persecuted. Wah, wah. We get it! ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/24 "2009-06-22T13:20:38Z")
I’ve seen plenty of weird things on this board over the years, and “The Jews run Hollywood” is an old enough complaint, but I never thought I’d see anyone complaining the Hollywood is too positive in its depictions of Islam. > [@astro](#): > > I don’t see anyone taking on or even commenting in movies on things like the brutal WWII treatment and segregation of the Jews relative to how they regard and treat the Palestinians, or the Islamic claim of being a religion of peace" vs exhortations to kill as many infidels as possible. Muslims in Hollywood movies are usually depicted as trying to kill as many infidels as possible. Do they really need to be portrayed as hypocrites too? Isn’t it negative enough for you that they’re stereotyped as evil insane terrorist fanatics? If you’re really desperate to see a hypocritical Muslim, you can watch the only recent Western movie I can even think of that has a Muslim hero – _Slumdog Millionaire_. The hero’s brother is portrayed as being both fairly devout and a hardened criminal, and there’s a scene of him praying right before going out to do some wrong. (IIRC he’s actually about to go kill someone.) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/25 "2009-06-22T13:37:32Z")
This is all rather vague to me. Why don’t you make it more specific, so we can keep this in GQ? Give me a list of what you think are the mainstream movies with the strongest attacks on Christianity. Do the same for Judaism, for Islam, for Buddhism, for Hinduism, for atheism, for agnosticism, for Scientology, for neopaganism, and for whatever else you think has been attacked. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/26 "2009-06-22T13:46:02Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > (snip)Muslims in Hollywood movies are usually depicted as trying to kill as many infidels as possible. Do they really need to be portrayed as hypocrites too? Isn’t it negative enough for you that they’re stereotyped as evil insane terrorist fanatics?(snip) It would be hard to do both simultaneously. How would you do it? A terrorist who kills infidels, but on Shabbas he goes to temple? He’s secretly moderate, but goes along with the terror cell for the hot Al Queda babes? ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/27 "2009-06-22T13:46:41Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > Re. docus such as Jesus Camp. > > There have been a couple in the UK about Muslims… a famous one is called “Undercover Mosque” and exposes teh crazy in extremist mosques. That’s on a par with Jesus Camp. There are also some coming out about Orthodox Judaism- ‘Dying to be Thin’ covers the rising epidemic of eating disorders in the Jewish community and ‘Trembling Before G-d’ treats the topic of gay Orthodox Jews. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/28 "2009-06-22T13:48:28Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > It would be hard to do both simultaneously. How would you do it? A terrorist who kills infidels, but on Shabbas he goes to temple? He’s secretly moderate, but goes along with the terror cell for the hot Al Queda babes? I think that could be great, actually, if it were done well. We know the September 11th guys went to strip clubs, so you could just build on that. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/29 "2009-06-22T15:08:00Z")
Religious person, mullahs are pretty frequently made fun of in drama, film and TV in Pakistan. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/30 "2009-06-22T15:24:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I think that could be great, actually, if it were done well. We know the September 11th guys went to strip clubs, so you could just build on that. Okay, stay tuned for _That’s My Mullah_. You heard it here first. When it shows up on the fall schedule don’t be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/31 "2009-06-22T15:26:02Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Okay, stay tuned for _That’s My Mullah_. You heard it here first. When it shows up on the fall schedule don’t be surprised. Okay. I call development rights on _My Mullah the Car_ and _Big Imam-a’s House_. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/32 "2009-06-22T16:51:52Z")
Judging from the [Slate review](http://www.slate.com/id/2220799/), the new comedy _The Year One_ contains humor at the expense of Jewish tradition and rituals: > [@](#): > > _If Year One is about anything at all (which is debatable), it’s about the absurdity of religious dogma. As they wander through the tradition-bound world of the Israelites, Zed and Oh innocently puncture one taboo after another (the eating of the forbidden fruit, the violation of the holy temple), and time after time, nothing happens. When pompous patriarch Abraham (Hank Azaria) tries to talk up the sacred rite of circumcision, he has trouble finding takers: You want us to cut off what?_ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/33 "2009-06-22T17:11:22Z")
Another thought: the details of Jewish religion may not be well-known enough for it to be a good parody subject for non-Jews. Elements of Jewish culture like bar mitzvahs, or the Hasidim, do get made fun of in popular culture. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/34 "2009-06-22T17:13:34Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I think the comment that we mock it because it is close and familiar is probably the most accurate. I have yet to see anything approaching “The Da Vinci Code” or “Dogma” that picture the church and/or faithful as misguided and hypocritical or even a documentary like “[Jesus Camp"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Camp) re Judaism and Islam. Perhaps Christianity is more inherently mockable beacuse it is more hierarchical and actually proselytizes, but I don’t see anyone taking on or even commenting in movies on things like the brutal WWII treatment and segregation of the Jews relative to how they regard and treat the Palestinians, or the Islamic claim of being a religion of peace” vs exhortations to kill as many infidels as possible. Directly addressing these topics in mainstream movies seems to be forbidden whereas any hypocrisies in Christianity are fair game. None of those movies mock Christianity. _The Da Vinci Code_ is essentially a murder mystery which uses a (granted, somewhat implausible) hypothesis about Jesus and the Holy Grail as a motive, but neither the book nor the movie _mocks_ Christianity or the Catholic Church or believers. It’s predicated on a hypothesis that a part of Christian doctrine is historically incorrect, but that doesn’t mean it’s _mocking_. There are individual characters within the RCC who are depicted as being in on a conspiracy, but the Church as a whole is not depicted as corrupt, nor are believers ridiculed for being believers. _Dogma_ is a PRO-Christian movie, written and directed by an avowed, practicing Catholic in Kevin Smith. Have you seen it? The essentials of Christian belief are depicted as _correct_ in that movie, not as ridiculous. _Jesus Camp_ is a documentary that depicts particular group of believers exactly as they are. There is no mocking tone to it. It tries to be fair and objective. Nothing is invented or manipulated, and the leaders of the particular church in question went on record as saying they thought the movie depicted them accurately, and that they were pleased with it. So how is it mocking? What kind of ridicule or mocking of Christian belief do you see in any of those movies? I think you’re seeing things that don’t exist (or maybe you haven’t actually seen those movies at all?) By the way, every single movie about Jesus – from _The Greatest Story Ever Told_ to _The Passion of the Christ_ is an _ipso facto_ statement that Judaism and Islam are false religions. Can you name a single mainstream movie that’s ever depicted either Judaism or Islam as definitively right and Christianity as definitively wrong? By the way, there is nothing in the Koran or in Islam which says to “kill as many infidels as possible.” You are misinformed. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/35 "2009-06-22T17:17:02Z")
What about [_the Hebrew Hammer?_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hebrew_Hammer) ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/36 "2009-06-22T17:17:45Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > What? You never watched a Mel Brooks movie? > > _“Jews in Space!”_ Was going to say the same thing. Judaism itself isn’t mocked that often, but Jewish _culture_ in the United States – specifically, Ashkenazi culture in the New York, Miami and Los Angeles areas – tops the list. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/37 "2009-06-22T17:29:42Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > If you’re really desperate to see a hypocritical Muslim, you can watch the only recent Western movie I can even think of that has a Muslim hero – _Slumdog Millionaire_. The hero’s brother is portrayed as being both fairly devout and a hardened criminal, and there’s a scene of him praying right before going out to do some wrong. (IIRC he’s actually about to go kill someone.) The same film also includes a brief but brutal scene depicting a (Hindu) mob attacking the Muslim part of the slum. Not a film, of course, but _The Satanic Verses_ is surely the best known work of fiction attaching any religion - though it’s supposed to be a mockery of all closed belief systems, not just Islam. **astro** , you’re being a little bit dense. Christianity is a popular film topic in the _American film industry_ because most Americans are (nominally) Christians. If you watched Bollywood films you’d see lots of criticism of Islam (and Hinduism, to a lesser extent). ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/38 "2009-06-22T17:50:14Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > phouka Living down South years ago my only ideas about Jews/Judaism were from Catskills-type comics or from seeing pilies of dead bodies in WWII films, at least from popular culture. It was only when I interacted with Jewish people that I got a feeling for the religion and what it could mean to various Jews. The same is probably true of Christianity - that people have a skewed view from pop culture until they actually discuss with a participant. Do you really think that there are people in the US who are so insular that they do not know enough about Christians or Christianity? I’d say the opposite is true: Christianity sounds great (forgiveness, don’t judge, turn the other cheek) until you actually meet some of the people who practice it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/39 "2009-06-22T18:22:11Z")
Seriously, the vast majority of Americans _are_ Christians. It’s not something people learn about from “pop culture.” It’s their _actual_ culture. Where do some people get this idea that Christians are a minority? They’re 70% of the country. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537/40 "2009-06-22T18:43:02Z")
> [@athelas](#): > > _Team America_ had a pretty easy time of it, but then they were deliberately setting out to be politically incorrect (and subversive at the same time, so it wasn’t even pure mockery). For the most part producers abstain for reasons of political correctness, not because it’s hard to do. I also don’t think that the [Danish cartoon fiasco](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_cartoon) is much of a constraining force in the US, but in parts of Europe it might lead to a bias in the direction of over-censorship rather than pushing the envelope. But most of these mock _terrorists_ or _arabs_, not Islam. You don’t see anyone making mocking jokes about Mohammed’s wives, or his flight to Medina, or the Imam. No one would get it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-judaism-islam-never-mocked-or-impugned-in-mainstream-movies/500537.md?page=3)