According to a news report in the Michigan Daily, a showing of Clint Eastwood’s box-office blockbuster American Sniper has been cancelled at the University of Michigan.
“The Center for Campus Involvement announced Tuesday afternoon they would cancel a planned showing of American Sniper at UMix following a student petition over the depiction of certain communities in the film. . [T]he organization said the choice was made in response to concerns raised by students about the film in the petition.”
“‘Student reactions have clearly articulated that this is neither the venue nor the time to show this movie,’ the statement read. ‘We deeply regret causing harm to members of our community, and appreciate the thoughtful feedback provided to us by students.'”
“Mekkaoui, who is a a member of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality and the Middle Eastern and Arab Network on campus, said she found the choice of film disconcerting because of its depictions of the Iraq War and residents of the Middle Eastern and North African region. . . ‘As a student who identifies as an Arab and Middle Eastern student, I feel that ‘American Sniper’ condones a lot of anti-Middle Eastern and North African propaganda,’ Mekkaoui said.”
Writing in The Daily Caller, Rachel Stoltzfoos reports that “instead of showing American Sniper, The Center for Campus Involvement will instead show Paddington Bear at the event Friday, which is part of a program dedicated to providing students with alcohol-free Friday nights.”
Ms. Stoltzfoos also noted that “conservative students started their own petition in response to a decision Tuesday by The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor to cancel a planned screening of American Sniper after a few hundred students said the film made them feel uncomfortable and unsafe. . . So far the petition has 111 signers. ‘[American Sniper] is not anti-Muslim by any means,’ UM YAF chapter Chairman and national board member Grant Strobl told The Daily Caller News Foundation. ‘It’s anti-radical Islam and that’s something that all religions — Muslims, Christians and everybody — can agree on, because our troops are fighting overseas for the freedom of all people.”
In response to the cancellation, Floyd Abrams, a noted First Amendment lawyer, stated: “Surely, this is the best evidence yet that a speech-destroying storm is sweeping across American campuses. The students who seek to ban speech have much to learn but a university that yields to their demands can hardly be trusted to teach them.”
See also:
- Carol Noah, “Student launches petition to reverse decision to cancel UMix film showing,” April 8, 2015
- Ibrahim Ijaz, “Letter to the Editor: Love for all, hatred for none,” Feb. 15, 2015