| Miramax
Movie "DysFunktional Family" promotes hate and prejudice
against Sikhs
Background to this campaign action against incitement of
hate
Issue
Miramax Film Corporation, a leading film producer and collaborator,
is planning to release Dysfunktional Family, on April 4, 2003.
Dysfunktional Family, a comedy film starring Eddie Griffin, includes
scenes in which Mr. Griffin points to a turbaned Sikh man walking on
the street and shouts, "bin Laden, I knew you was around here!"
The preview trailer, available online at the Miramax website
, shows Mr. Griffin in various scenes from the film, including the final clip
in which he insults an anonymous Sikh man simply because of his
physical identity.
Background
The movie reinforces the ignorance about Sikhs and their unique identity.
Since September 11, 2001, Sikhs have endured hundreds violent hate crimes and
incidents by people who associated the Sikh turban and uncut beard
(both articles of faith for Sikhs) with the Al-Qaeda terrorist group.
Sikhs comprise a nation of 26 million people sharing
a common religion, history, and culture. Adherents to the Sikh religion do not cut
their hair or beards and wear a turban as article of faith, which has led to
the associations to known terrorists organizations.
Almost all individuals in North America that wear turbans are Sikhs.
The movie is likely to spark a wave of hate crimes and prejudice against
Sikhs and other minorities, especially during a time when the Federal Bureau
of Investigation has expressed concern about "vigilante attacks and other hate crimes"
against Sikh-Americans and others as backlash to current world events.
(FBI National Press Office, February 28, 2003.)
Miramax, while exercising its freedom of expression, has failed to exercise a minimum
of corporate responsibility and ethical behavior by allowing such stereotypical
statements to be made. The decision to include such offensive commentary may lead
to an increase in bias manifested through verbal abuse, discrimination, and physical
violence. It is also likely that some viewers will observe Mr. Griffin's offensive
comments and feel justified in expressing similar thoughts to Sikhs and other minorities.
The makers of Dysfunktional Family failed to recognize the explicit harm that could
occur as a result of Mr. Griffin's derogatory statements. Furthermore, Miramax has
failed to consider the indirect results that further solidify a climate of intolerance,
fear, and hate in today's post September 11th world.
Sikhs and all people in support of justice and equality around the world are
shocked and dismayed that this film is being released with this content included.
Current Situation
Miramax has failed to respond to direct outreach from various Sikh groups
in recent weeks and has made no demonstrated effort to address the concerns of
the Sikh community. Understanding that the film is currently in distribution
and the preview trailers have been screening for some time, it is imperative
that Miramax act quickly to mitigate the potential damage that may occur as a
result of this film's release.
The release of Dysfunktional Family adds to a climate of intolerance that cannot
be allowed by people of conscience. We must take a stand against bigotry and
ignorance that leads to hate. We must fight to prevent this type of insensitive
behavior from occurring again in the future.
Objective
Over 60 organizations have joined together to demand the following resolution
of this issue without controversy:
- Issue an apology to Sikhs, Arabs, Muslim and South Asians worldwide.
- Remove all objectionable portions of the film from the full-length version of Dysfunktional Family immediately.
- Remove all objectionable material on Sikhs from the aforementioned preview trailer.
- Design and implement a program to educate Miramax employees and others about the Sikh religion and its articles of faith.
- Contribute towards image-building of Sikhs, Arabs, Muslims and South Asians and make attempts to reverse the damage to the Sikh image caused by the movie's unacceptable content.
The Sikh Coalition has joined forces with numerous like-minded organizations fighting for
justice to launch an online petition. Signatures to this petition come from the
grassroots community and represent the mindset of a people unwilling to stand for
corporate irresponsibility of this magnitude.
|
