For decades, entertainment media has harmfully portrayed historically marginalized communities. Muslims, in particular, are frequently cast as villains, such as terrorists or aggressors, in film and television. These kinds of biased portrayals have measurably harmful impacts–and new research out today proves it.
ISPU’s new study, Stereotypes on Screen, is the first of its kind to test how portrayals of Muslims in scripted TV affect public attitudes and policy preferences.
ISPU would like to acknowledge our generous supporters whose contributions made this report possible, including the Doris Duke Foundation and the Tides Foundation.
This work was also made possible through the support of the Pop Culture Collaborative Fund, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Sohad Murrar, PhD
Primary Investigator
Lina Saud, PhD
Research Assistant
Zahra Mirnajafi, PhD
Research Assistant
Saher Selod, PhD
Director of Research, ISPU
Sarah Baker
Research Project Manager, ISPU
Katherine Coplen
Director of Communications, ISPU
Bushra Aljaber
Creative Communications Specialist, ISPU
Nour Kteily, PhD
Professor of Management and Organizations, Northwestern University
Muniba Saleem, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara & Adjunct Faculty Associate, Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
Maryam Arshad
Organizer, Writers Guild of America East
Marya Bangee
Partner, SILA, Inc.
Rebecca Littman, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Chicago
