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Saginaw Valley State University

September 13, 2024

Guest lecturer to discuss the depiction of Muslim characters in film and media since 9/11

Main in plaid shirt standing with green tree in background

As a part of the Raana Akbar Memorial Lecture Series, Saginaw Valley State University will host Fareed Ben-Youssef, assistant professor in film and media at Texas Tech University, for “‘The Beauty and the Horror’: Sensing the Muslim as Enemy and as (Super)Hero in Post-9/11 Film.”

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall in SVSU’s Curtiss Hall. A book signing will follow the lecture; refreshments will be available. The lecture can be viewed online at svsu.edu/akbarlecture. 

Ben-Youssef will discuss the depiction of Muslim characters in film and media since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on U.S. soil, specifically on how Muslim and Arab characters tend to be “othered,” even in films that aim to portray a positive representation of Muslim and Arab cultures.

“I’m excited to introduce this year’s topic and our speaker, Dr. Ben-Youssef, to this lecture series,” said Dr. Waheed Akbar, a Saginaw orthopedic surgeon who established the lecture series. “We are into a decade and a half of this ongoing series, and I am proud we are able to host a diversity of topics and speakers. I remain grateful for our community and to SVSU for their support over the years.”  

Ben-Youssef holds a Ph.D. in film and media from the University of California, Berkeley. He has published books and academic articles on the topic of film and media. His first project, “No Jurisdiction: The Law and Post-9/11 Genre Film,” examines the treatment of law in films following 9/11. At Texas Tech, Ben-Youssef has organized multiple university film series and hosted master classes with award-winning directors.

The Dr. Raana Akbar Memorial Lecture on Islam and Culture was created in 2011 by Dr. Waheed Akbar in memory of his wife, Dr. Raana Akbar, a former SVSU Board of Control member, physician and community leader.

This lecture is presented with support from the Dow Visiting Scholars and Artists Endowment, established by the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation to enrich our regional cultural and intellectual opportunities.