After September 11, 2001 the presence of the Arab and Muslim character in prime time television has become increasingly popular. ABC’s hit TV show “LOST” is no exception; a principal staple of the large ensemble cast is the fan favorite Iraqi, Sayid Hassan Jarrah, played by London’s Naveen Andrews. Despite his popularity, Sayid’s representation does not stray far from the Orientalist, Arab/Muslim stereotype. Although Sayid often displays moments of kindness and good conscience, his separate portrayals as a torturer and assassin reaffirms Arab/Muslim stereotypes in popular entertainment television.
A brief explanation of the plot and formatting of LOST is necessary to properly understand the various stages of Sayid’s character development and representation. LOST is the story of a plane crashing on a tropical island and follows the struggles and adventures of the passengers attempting to survive amidst harsh conditions, living with each other, and battling a mysterious group of individuals already present on the island. Along with the present focus on the island, each episode focuses on the background story of a particular individual, allowing the viewer to learn about the character as well contextualize their current actions on the island.
Sayid’s roll on the island is quickly established amongst the survivors as callous and insensitive when he is forced to torture another character to obtain the whereabouts of a scarce medication. The episode’s back-story later establishes Sayid as a communications officer in the Iraqi Republican Guard with a specialty in torture. Throughout LOST, Sayid is the go to character for torture and brutalizing acts. He continues to torture in Season 2 and 3 (with more back-story displays of torture) despite his numerous vows to never torture again. This constant correlation between Arab and torturer establishes and perpetuates the Arab/Muslim stereotype of Arabs as angry, violent, closed-minded, and ultimately incapable of straying from such brutalizing (arguably uncivilized) acts.
Lost 1x08 : Sayid Tortures Sawyer - Watch today’s top amazing videos here
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