Exploiting It?

A look at the fetishisation of Muslim women in the mainstream media

Description

Exploiting It is a short documentary explores the effects of Islamophobia on women and the fetishisation of the Muslim woman. Some of the liberal justification for the contemporary persecution of Muslims is the common perception that their faith oppresses women. However, through the perspective of our participants, one is able to see where their self censorship comes from and where their freedom of expression is really curtailed.

With many of the participants expressing that they feel that there is one narrative afforded them by the mainstream media, the short film raises the question of who is really free to create and whether people have any choice but to accept the identities offered to them by hungry consumers. Furthermore, this short film offers an insight into how governmental legislation, such as Prevent and the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill, is seeping into intended areas of life and institutionalising racist stereotypes.