representation

What is representation?

According to BBC, representation is "how media [deals] with and [presents] gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, social issues and events to an audience."

Why does representation matter?

Representation is important because:


Good representation can reinforce to the audience that everyone has a place in our world.


REMEMBER: Muslims are a very diverse group of people. Just as there are people of other faiths that may not be very religious, the same goes for Muslims. Some muslims drink, some don't. Some muslims smoke, some don't. Some Muslims are visibly Muslim, while others are not. Many muslims are satisfied with their religion, while others may not be. The list goes on. Why do films insist on hammering home one tired portrayal when there are so many stories that could be told?

To learn more about Muslims in media, keep on reading. To explore Muslim voices in media, visit the Muslim Voices page.

Take me to Muslim Voices

Muslims in Media

For some video commentary on Muslim representation, check out this video by Aissata Amadou on YouTube.

Table of Contents

Muslims in Film

Tests

Riz Test

The Riz test is a five question test dedicated to measuring Muslim portrayal on screen. Named after Riz Ahmed, the first Muslim to be nominated for best leading actor at the Oscars, the test is inspired by the actor’s inspiring speech as the House of Commons in 2017.

The test asks the following five questions based on whether a character is identifiably Muslim:

  1. Talking about, the victim of, or the perpetrator of terrorism?
  2. Presented as irrationally angry?
  3. Presented as superstitious, culturally backwards or anti-modern?
  4. Presented as a threat to a Western way of life?
  5. If the character is male, is he presented as misogynistic? or if female, is she presented as oppressed by her male counterparts?

Results: if the answer was “yes” to any of the questions, the show/film has failed the test.

Muslim Women Onscreen Test

“Surviving” to Thriving, the Muslim Women Onscreen Test, was created through a partnership between the Geena Davis Insitute, the Pillars Fund, MuslimGirl, and Muslim Casting. Unlike the Riz test, the Muslim Women Onscreen test is specific to Muslim women.

Presented in an online quiz format, the test goes through the following stages:

  1. Asks for the name of the show and for the user to identify if there is a Muslim character.
  2. Users look through a list of HARMFUL portrayals and select all that apply.
  3. Users look through a list of NUANCED portrayals and select all that apply. Here users can enter their email address for additional resources.
  4. Users then press submit and are given a score on a letter scale from A to F, with raw scores ranging from -9 to +9.

For shows/films that score C or below, the test provides a list of resources. These resources are meant to help craft better portrayals of Muslims women and help those looking find Muslim artists and writers.

Ms. Marvel on Disney+ has been making waves for its Muslim representation. Let's see how it holds up against some tests.

Does Ms. Marvel pass the Riz Test?

Ms. Marvel is a show with many identifiably Muslim characters. For the sake of the test, let's evaluate the character Kamala Khan or Ms. Marvel

  1. Do they talk about, are the victim of, or are the perpetrator of terrorism? - NO, while Kamala, her friends, and her family experience potential Islamophobia, there is no terrorism mentioned.
  2. Presented as irrationally angry? - NO, Kamala's emotions make sense to the viewers. If she is angry, it is rational.
  3. Presented as superstitiouos, culturally backwards, or anti-modern? - NO. Kamala is regular modern teenager, including being a lover of Marvel, specifically Captain Marvel.
  4. If the character is male, is he presented as misogynistic? or if female, is she presented as oppressed by her male counterparts? - NO. Kamala is not oppressed by her male counterparts. She has strong female figures in her life. One of her best friends is even a male character named Bruno who always supports her.

RESULTS - All questions were answered with "no." Ms. Marvel has passed! However, just because it passed the test, it doesn't make it perfect. To learn more, check out further reading.

Further reading