Survey criticises 'Islamophobic' film industry

There was a time, after the Nazis, when every Hollywood bad guy seemed to be German.

With the onset of the Cold War, they became Russian.

David Suchet plays a terrorist in the film Executive Decision

David Suchet as a terrorist in the film Executive Decision, said to portray Islamic and western values as incompatible

Now the blockbuster bogeyman is Muslim, according to a study published today.

Popular films, from action movies to cartoons, are portraying “crude or exaggerated stereotypes” of Muslims who are shown as the “enemy within” bent on “attacking” the western way of life, the report claims.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission said films as diverse as The Siege, a portrayal of a terrorist attack on New York starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis, the British comedy East is East and Disney’s Aladdin are reinforcing impressions that Muslims are violent and dangerous.