Ahmed made his remarks after a newly published study documented the underrepresentation of Muslims across 200 popular films.
Sound of Metal star Riz Ahmed spoke out against the “stereotypical” depictions and underrepresentation of Muslims in the film and television industry, stating such “dehumanizing and demonizing portrayals” end up in lives lost. Ahmed, who is English-Pakistani and Muslim, made his remarks in a video as a new study examining Muslim portrayals on screen was unveiled on Thursday. The study was conducted by the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with Ahmed as one of its backers. The actor and his production company Left Handed Films also partnered with the Pillars Fund—a grant-making organization that invests in Muslim community initiatives—to create a $25,000 fellowship for Muslim artists in the U.S. and the U.K. The USC Annenberg study, which surveyed 200 popular films rom the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand between 2017 and 2019, found Muslims made up 1.6 percent of nearly 9,000 speaking characters, despite accounting for 24 percent of the world population. Across 100 U.S. films, only 1.1 percent characters were Muslim. Of the 200 films, only five featured a Muslim man as a lead or co-lead. One had a Muslim woman as part an ensemble lead role. A look at 41 primary and secondary Muslim characters involved in violence found 53 percent were “targets” and 39 percent were “perpetrators.” Nineteen percent of primary and secondary Muslim characters died by the end of the film. In the 13-minute YouTube video, Ahmed recalled his Oscar nomination—the first time a Muslim earned one in the Best Actor category—as a “bittersweet moment,” despite his personal gratitude and Muslims viewing his win as a point of pride. Ahmed earned the nomination at the 2021 Academy Awards for his lead role as a heavy metal drummer who loses his hearing in Sound of Metal. “Alongside that gratitude and their pride, I also felt tremendous sadness,” he said.
