The BBC has abandoned plans to screen a fictional terrorist attack by Muslim suicide bombers in the primetime drama Casualty after internal clashes over whether the highly sensitive subject matter would cause offence.
BBC drama executives were keen to push the storyline and may even have started filming, a source close to the production told The Observer. But they were overruled by the corporation’s editorial guidelines department, which ordered that the episode be changed so that the Muslim characters were replaced by animal rights extremists.
Apparently some staff members wanted to keep the suicide bombers in the storyline, but “were overruled because of concerns that the story would perpetuate stereotypes of young Muslims in Britain.” Instead, in the revised plot, animal rights activists plant a bomb on a bus, murdering innocent people. (Something, it should be noted, animal rights activists have never done.)
In some ways, I think it’s a positive sign that some studio execs are considering how the persistent portrayal of Muslims as “terrorists” impacts public opinion. Arab Americans have been the victims of racial profiling and violence in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and that profiling continues–even shaping official government policy. Questioning the use of Muslims as token terrorists in TV dramas is a positive step in combating more systemic stereotyping.
But what struck me about this story is the fluidity of terrorist scare-mongering. How easily one group can replace another as the “terrorist threat.” In some ways the identity of the enemy doesn’t matter: it’s the fear that counts.
I can just picture some BBC folks sitting in a conference room brainstorming:
Exec 1: “Ok, so this new show. I like the concept, it’s got a good storyline, good action. But I don’t know if we can keep using the Arabs as terrorists all the time.”
Exec 2: “Well, um, maybe we can have someone else plant the bomb. Labeling animal and environmental advocates as terrorists is pretty hot right now…”
Exec 1: “Perfect! Swap out the Arab terrorist for the animal rights terrorist, and let’s get these liberals off our back. We can always use the Muslim terrorists next season.”
The BBC clearly felt they were making a socially-responsible decision in replacing the Muslim suicide bomber with “animal rights militants.” But they missed the point. The point is that, in this political climate, labeling people as “terrorists” has serious political and cultural consequences. It shapes public opinion. It creates fear. It can distort perceptions of reality (leading people to think that the Arab-American next to them on the plane is a terrorist, or the animal rights demonstrators down the street are terrorists). Mainstream media have a responsibility to foster a real, meaningful discussion about terrorist threats… not just swap one token terrorist for another.