Study: Middle Eastern Actors Ignored, Stereotyped by TV

Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek. (AFP)
Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek. (AFP)
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Study: Middle Eastern Actors Ignored, Stereotyped by TV

Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek. (AFP)
Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek. (AFP)

Actors and characters of Middle Eastern and North African descent are either ignored by TV or stereotyped, according to a new study.

The few such actors who get work are largely confined to playing tyrants and terrorists, said the university-funded study released Monday.

One percent of regularly seen TV series actors have roots in countries including Egypt, Turkey and Israel. But estimates show about 3 percent of the US population, 10 million people, are from the region, said the study's lead author, Biola University associate professor Nancy Wang Yuen.

Researchers who examined 242 scripted prime-time series on broadcast, cable and streaming during the 2015-16 season found that between 90 percent and 97 percent had no characters of Middle Eastern or North African ethnicity.

When those characters do appear, 78 percent are tyrants or trained terrorists, agents or soldiers, the study said. Most speak with obvious foreign accents.

Ninety percent of shows with such characters feature just one — with the now-ended "Tyrant," a drama set in the Middle East, among the exceptions.

The study warned that such depictions can contribute to the rise of anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant sentiment in American society.

Three instances were described as "exemplary" in the report: Iranian-American actress Necar Zadegan's portrayal of an attorney on Bravo's "Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce," the cyber-security engineer played by Egyptian-American (and Emmy-winning) actor Rami Malek on "Mr. Robot" and a tennis pro on Amazon's "Red Oaks" played by Turkish-American actor Ennis Esmer.

"His ethnicity doesn't define the role, and he gets to be a full person aside from that, and in fact because of that," Esmer said of his character in a statement.

The entertainment industry as a whole must seek change, the study said. It recommended steps including the hiring and mentoring of Middle East and North African actors, directors, executives and others.

The study cited the work of actress Azita Ghanizada, who founded an advocacy coalition that successfully lobbied Hollywood guilds to include Middle East and North African performers in casting data reports.

The study received funding from schools including Biola University in La Mirada, California; California State University Fullerton; and San Jose State University, along with CBS Entertainment Diversity.



Monkey Business Delays Sri Lanka's Wildlife Survey

Officials in Sri Lanka said they were withholding the results of a survey of crop-destroying wildlife because monkey business appeared to have distorted some of the data. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP
Officials in Sri Lanka said they were withholding the results of a survey of crop-destroying wildlife because monkey business appeared to have distorted some of the data. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP
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Monkey Business Delays Sri Lanka's Wildlife Survey

Officials in Sri Lanka said they were withholding the results of a survey of crop-destroying wildlife because monkey business appeared to have distorted some of the data. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP
Officials in Sri Lanka said they were withholding the results of a survey of crop-destroying wildlife because monkey business appeared to have distorted some of the data. Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

Sri Lanka is withholding the results of a survey of crop-destroying wildlife, including monkeys and peacocks, because data collected from some farmers appeared unrealistic, a minister said on Monday.

Deputy Environment Minister Anton Jayakodi said authorities had begun a review of the nationwide survey conducted on March 15, the first of its kind, because "some of the data was unbelievable".

Authorities suggested some enraged farmers might have exaggerated the numbers to suggest that the problem was even bigger, AFP reported.

Data in some places appeared "unusually high", officials said.

Residents across the island country were asked to count wild boar, peacocks, monkeys and lorises -- a small, largely nocturnal primate -- spotted near farms and homes during a five-minute period.

"We started the survey to understand the size of the problem," Jayakodi told reporters in Colombo. "But we now have to review the results... there have been issues with some unusual data."

Jayakodi said officials would return to assess data before releasing the final results of the survey, which was aimed at drawing up a national plan to deal with nuisance wildlife.

Opposition legislator Nalin Bandara said the survey was "a complete failure, a waste of money".

Officials say more than a third of crops are destroyed by wild animals, including elephants that are protected by law because they are considered sacred.

While elephants are major raiders of rice farms and fruit plantations, they were not included in the March count.

The then agricultural minister proposed in 2023 exporting some 100,000 toque macaques to Chinese zoos but the monkey business was abandoned following protests from environmentalists.

Sri Lanka removed several species from its protected list in 2023, including all three of its monkey species as well as peacocks and wild boars, allowing farmers to kill them.