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Muslimer på film har en lång historia fylld av stereotypa klichéer utifrån ett i huvudsak fientligt och fördomsfullt berättande. Det finns dock tecken på att filmskildringar bryter ny mark och skapar nya berättelser och förändrade bilder av muslimsk religiositet (Alhassen2018, Petersen 2021b, Axelson 2022). Det huvudsakliga intresset i följande kapitel ägnas åt ett antal filmer som lagt stor möda på att inte trampa på i en upplöjd fåra av islamfientlighet. I denna del behandlas filmer som Cecil B. DeMilles skildring av Mose liv i The Ten Commandments (1956), Ridley Scotts hantering av korsfarartiden i Kingdom of Heaven (2005), den mauretanska regissören Abderrahmane Sissako och hans berättelse om jihadismens inbrytande i Timbuktu (2014) och slutligen den svenske regissören Tarik Salehs uppmärksammade film Boy from Heaven (2022) om konflikter mellan sekulära och religiösa makteliter i dagens Egypten. Kapitlet syftar ytterst sett till att lyfta fram filmberättande som bidrar till nyansrikedom i skildringar av muslimsk tro på film, dvs, filmer som bidrar till det som journalisten och medieforskaren Maytha Alhassen kallar cultural change, “to challenge hegemonic cultural narratives and hopefully also change behavior” (2018; 45).

This article analyzes how movies have been reproducing a pejorative and stereotypical storytelling regarding Muslims and Arabs for more than a century, mainly along a narrow-minded dichotomy between “bad” fanatic religious extremists or “good” non-religious secularized Muslims. The aim has moreover been to explore alternative storytelling combined with applying a model to discuss emotional engagement among movie goers. The conclusion is that mainstream movie culture is still indebted to stereotypical images of Islam/Muslims. But things are changing. More nuanced storytelling has been taking place lately, giving room for a broader spectrum of Muslim religious identity positions, including examples of religious wisdom and spiritual integrity, offering the audience imagery beyond the stereotypical “good” and “bad” dichotomy. Looking outside Hollywood and European mainstream films, new voices are heard, making way for a larger spectrum of positions.

This article presents the Swiss-Iraqi director Samir Jamal Aldin and his thriller Baghdad in My Shadow (2019) and puts it into a context of the re-negotiation of identities in a culturally diverse Europe. The director’s intention is presented as a wish to deal with taboo issues related to gay rights, women’s emancipation, and religious fundamentalism within an Iraqi community in contemporary London.

The film is analysed with the help of (1) theories analysing tensions between liberal-secular and religious-fundamentalist standpoints, and (2) theories about film viewers’ engagement, amplifying audiences’ emotions and thoughts about complex societal issues.

The film could be said to advocate a standpoint of dynamic secularism promoting individual rights. The article argues, furthermore, that Samir as a Swiss-Iraqi filmmaker encourages thick viewing through his thriller format and invites the audience to a deeper emotional and intellectual understanding of liberal principles, honour culture, and hybrid identity positions in contemporary Europe.