Book discusses how imaginary Muslim monsters promote hate

Source: OUP website.

Muslims in the Western Imagination by Sophia Rose Arjana, is due to be published by OUP USA in February 2015. The £19.99 hardback, which will also be available as an e-book, discusses imaginary Muslim monsters and explains how these creatures aid in the dehumanisation of Muslims.

Muslim men have been depicted as monsters in medieval tales, Renaissance paintings, Shakespearean dramas, Gothic horror novels, and Hollywood films. Arjana surveys medieval, early modern, and contemporary literature, art, and cinema, presenting a Foucauldian genealogy of these creatures, from the demons and giants of the Middle Ages to the hunchbacks with filed teeth that appeared in the 2006 film 300. 

The book argues that constructions of Muslim monsters constitute a recurring theme, first formulated in medieval Christian anti-Semitism. Arjana, who is Visiting Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Iliff School of Theology, shows how Muslim monsters are often related to Jewish monsters, and more broadly to Christian anti-Semitism, which involves both religious bigotry and fears surrounding bodily differences. 

Arjana also discusses the impact such representations have on perceptions of Muslims, arguing that these dehumanising constructions become internalised and contribute to the culture of violence against Muslims.