چکیده (انگلیسی):

Muslims have never ceased to be important for the West and have been depicted in vilifying and stereotypical manners
in western literature and films. However, after the tragic event of 9/11, a dramatic change has been observed in the
world’s focus towards Muslims. Although stereotypes and discriminatory actions were nothing new to Muslims, the
post-9/11 backlash was absolutely terrible and heartbreaking. People have started to consider Muslims either terrorists
or sympathetic to terrorists, and they have been suspected and distrusted. Lots of books, articles and films have depicted
Muslims in a derogatory and extreme manner. Pre-9/11 Hollywood movies True Lies and The Siege explicitly show the
stereotypical attitude of the West to Muslims while post-9/11 novels like The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin
Hamid and Once in a Promised Land by Laila Halaby depict the plight and predicament of Muslims in America. The
article aims to depict the stereotypical, vilifying and antagonistic attitudes of the West to Arabs and Muslims in both
pre- and post- 9/11 era. It also aims to prove that the depiction is highly motivated by the media, western authorities and
the West’s desire for social, cultural and political dominance over theEast.
Keywords: Orientalism, Others, Terrorism, Media