Middle Eastern people have long been used as archetypes of hatred from the CIA-scripted paranoia of Homeland to the endless stream of nameless brown “terrorists” in shows like 24, Western media has choreographed a decades-long spectacle of othering. Homeland alone—winner of Emmys and Golden Globes—built its success on the fantasy that every Arab is a potential threat, every Middle Eastern city a breeding ground for "chaos". It turned suspicion into plot structure and made Arab, and specifically Arab Muslim identity synonymous with violence.
Artists write 'Homeland is racist' graffiti on set