Ben Shapiro’s anti-Muslim film is nothing new

What the report says

Al Jazeera published an opinion article on Aug. 27, 2026 arguing that Ben Shapiro’s newly promoted film is part of a long-running pattern of anti-Muslim storytelling rather than a fresh idea. The piece says Shapiro, the pro-Israel commentator and co-founder of The Daily Wire, has framed the project as exposing a neglected “threat of radical Islam,” while the author contends the film instead revives older stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs.

The article situates the criticism in a wider media history, citing earlier academic work on Hollywood’s portrayal of Arab and Muslim characters and pointing to films and television shows that often cast them as terrorists, extremists, or side characters who validate American action. It argues that more recent, more nuanced productions have broadened representation, but that decades of negative depictions have already shaped public perceptions and contributed to real-world harm.

According to the Al Jazeera piece, the trailer for Shapiro’s film uses imagery linked to ISIS and the September 11 attacks while showing a Gaza solidarity campus encampment being overtaken by extremists. The author says this merges contemporary pro-Palestinian protest with terrorism narratives and treats Muslim, Palestinian, and anti-genocide activism as a security threat.

The article also places the film’s promotion in the context of rising anti-Muslim hostility and intensifying political conflict over Gaza in the United States. Its central claim is that the project repackages an old far-right conspiracy theory for current audiences, rather than offering a new or original cultural critique.