Weekly Reflection #2

I read an article this week that I found intriguing regarding the controversy and violence sparked by the anti-Islam video insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Iran’s culture minister, Mohammed Hosseini, has decided his country will boycott the 2013 Oscars as a result of the insulting film. He has also urged other Islamic countries to do the same. An Iranian director won the 2012 Oscar for best foreign film last year but this year, Iran will not make an entry. Last year’s win was exciting as it was the first of its kind for the country, but Iran will not have a chance to defend its title this year. The head of the cinema agency in Iran (which is controlled by the government) supports the boycott because the Academy Awards agency has yet to publicly denounce the anti-Islam film. The article, which I found here, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/iran-oscars-boycott-academy-awards_n_1909024.html, explains that the boycott may be about more than just the anti-Islam film. In the past, Iranian authorities have been suspicious of filmmakers, suspecting that they are highly influenced by western liberalism and tied to political dissent.

The article reminded me of one of the important points Tariq Ramadan made when I heard him speak earlier this month. Ramadan emphasized the importance of cultural expansion in the Arab world and the stirring of creativity in the Middle East to help aid the establishment of democracy. Ramadan saw the creation of an Arab culture and genre of film, literature, and art to be an important step in creating democracy in the region. It seems that the stifling of Arab culture may be another negative consequence of the controversial anti-Islam film that has caused so many problems already.

It is disappointing to me that Iran will not enter a film for the Oscars because last year’s victory in the foreign film category was an important step forward for Middle Eastern culture in general. I agree with Ramadan that the stimulation of Arab creativity and celebration of culture could aid in the development of democracy, but that will be difficult to achieve if governments are against the spread of such culture.