Chris2K Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 http://capwiz.com/adc/home/ Would You Like to See Positve Portrayals of Arab Americans in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)? Then Take Action Today to Stop the Negative Storyline of Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari BACKGROUND On Jan. 5, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) wrote to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) regarding concerns about the depiction of Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari, two WWE characters depicted as Arab Americans. In a follow-up phone call, ADC Communications Director Laila Al-Qatami discussed the development of these characters with WWE and ADC appreciates that WWE has taken the time to consider the issues raised. However, this issue is far from being resolved and we are asking you to take positive action to stop what is planned. During the course of the phone call, it became clear that WWE plans for these characters, neither of whom is actually Arab American, to become increasingly more "evil" over the next six months. In previously aired episodes, the characters lament increasing infringements on the civil rights of Arab and Muslim Americans. Their angry outbursts are met with boos from the audience. Over the coming six months, Hassan and Daivari will garner even further negative attention when they "turn their back on" America in response to the discrimination they feel is being directed at them. As such, ADC worries that this plot will fuel mistrust from the average American who may view these characters as representatives of all Arab Americans. However, it was clear to ADC that WWE does listen to viewer feedback and will consider a different course for the characters, if they hear from the audience. ACTION REQUESTED ADC urges you to contact WWE creators Vince and Stephanie McMahon to voice your concern on this matter. We feel that original letters will carry more weight. We have drafted the following talking points to use a reference. We recommend that you use your own wording. Talking point should includes: 1. WWE depicts wrestler Muhammad Hassan and his manager Khosrow Daivari as Arab Americans. In fact, neither is Arab American. A turban and Arabic inscriptions are used as representations of Arab American markers. When Daivari launches into tirades, viewers are led to believe he is speaking Arabic, but he is actually speaking Farsi 2. As evident by the audience's loud boos and chants of "USA," the wrestlers have already had an adverse effect on the image of Arab-American. Average viewers will equate the characters disloyalty to America as representative of all Arab Americans. 3. WWE has a responsibility to its younger, and more impressionable audiences, not to undermine the seriousness of public concern about the worsening problem of racism and prejudice towards Arabs, Muslims, South Asians, and those perceived to be. The ramification of this is tantamount to conditioning young people to resent and be frightened of Arab Americans, Arabs and Muslims. 4. Wrestling matches may be form of a theater with self-conscious displays of caricature and parody, but when audiences enter into the match, real emotions are unleashed. Mock racism can awaken real racism, and there is a danger that mock violence can result in real violence. They then ask you to fill in a form which gets sent to the WWE. People really do believe things easily, don't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anime Otaku Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 they don't seem to realise that most Fans are smart and know that Dara Daivari speaks Farsi rather than Arabic, but then one person did go on his website and threaten him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenmark Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I think Hassan and Daivari come across as totally babyfaces - with clear and concise points being made in an 'attempt' to eccencuate their heel characters. It doesn't work though. Especially when Jericho's put downs are really lame. It's like an argument in school: HASSAN: You pick on me because the media has created a folk devil with people of Arabian descent and as such has created a racial stereotype. JERICHO: Yeah, well you smell - Assclown. I like Jericho, and it's clear he's being fed lines similar to the above. Er...what was my point? I forget - whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anime Otaku Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 yeah i agree unless they activly go out to insult a non US audience they will go over as faces easily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quote the Raven Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 they don't seem to realise that most Fans are smart and know that Dara Daivari speaks Farsi rather than Arabic' date=' but then one person did go on his website and threaten him[/quote'] It's people like that person who threatened Daivari that mark some Americans as racist and byast, why must there be so much hate? :( And most uneducated people probably don't know the difference between Farsi and Arabic as you do, take me for example. :xyx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestiger99 Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I think they do raise some valid points in the article though. Most fans aren't going to seperate WWE from real life and are going to mistrust all arab-americans as a result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malaphesto Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I'm not arabian but i'm a daivari fan. Hassan can suck a lemon as far as i'm concerned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buff Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 It's people like that person who threatened Daivari that mark some Americans as racist and byast, why must there be so much hate? :( And most uneducated people probably don't know the difference between Farsi and Arabic as you do, take me for example. :xyx i don't know the difference either and don't really care.i semi like the gimacks the 2 have.they get good heat with the crowd.just amazing how far some people take gimacks like that.i believe nothing happened when the un-americans were doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anime Otaku Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 it was actually a statement on http://www.shawndaivari.com (i think) where he said that what he was speaking was Farsi so i'm not that clever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 Bla bla bla, whine whine whine. Who cares what they say. I mean I'm sure for instance Kazakstanis don't like Borat, and we know Borat's talking Polish instead of Kazakhi or whatever, but that doesn't stop him being entertaining. Lighten up arabs, I'd be more worried about things other than wrestling for giving you a bad name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vaile Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 daivri, why aint he wrestling? does hassan have a website? and why do stupid people take gimmicks/storylines of an entertainment company so seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_orton_mark Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I think they should be faces. Everything they say is true. just assclown americans are to busy sleeping with their sisters to realise this. Not all americans are, just the assclowns. Personally if they came here I would cheer. but they would just have to insult the Irish to get heel heat which would make no sense. Althought the arabs have a point to defend themselves from further persecution that might stem from hassan and Daivari, they don't have much to worry about. After mania they're probably gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooneronastick Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 daivri' date=' why aint he wrestling? does hassan have a website? and why do stupid people take gimmicks/storylines of an entertainment company so seriously?[/quote'] answer to q1, dunno, could be an injury. answer to q3, because most people believe the things they see on TV as truth. think about the people that think the soap operas are real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malaphesto Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I think they should be faces. Everything they say is true. just assclown americans are to busy sleeping with their sisters to realise this. Not all americans are, just the assclowns. Personally if they came here I would cheer. but they would just have to insult the Irish to get heel heat which would make no sense. Althought the arabs have a point to defend themselves from further persecution that might stem from hassan and Daivari, they don't have much to worry about. After mania they're probably gone. problem is 97.4% of americans are assclowns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenmark Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 problem is 97.4% of americans are assclowns Well Done. That is racist crap. Whether you meant it as a joke or not, i can guarantee that if someone came on the boards and called Brits 'Assclowns' (Because this is a majority British board?) not only would that person be ridiculed for a crap insult, but they would be flamed for insulting British people. Sorry to get on my high horse so to speak, but I hate racism in any form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GENE Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 can davari wrestle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malaphesto Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 yep he's better than hassan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malaphesto Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 Well Done. That is racist crap. Whether you meant it as a joke or not, i can guarantee that if someone came on the boards and called Brits 'Assclowns' (Because this is a majority British board?) not only would that person be ridiculed for a crap insult, but they would be flamed for insulting British people. Sorry to get on my high horse so to speak, but I hate racism in any form. i dont mean it as a racial thing. when ever i go onto U.S forums i cant post anything without somebody starting something. my post would say something like "Hogan rules" and they will reply something like "No he dosent you should be ashamed to be alive. go kill yourself" so that's why i dont like them. there are kind americans though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Rules Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 I think Hassan and Daivari come across as totally babyfaces - with clear and concise points being made in an 'attempt' to eccencuate their heel characters. It doesn't work though. Especially when Jericho's put downs are really lame. It's like an argument in school: HASSAN: You pick on me because the media has created a folk devil with people of Arabian descent and as such has created a racial stereotype. JERICHO: Yeah, well you smell - Assclown. I like Jericho, and it's clear he's being fed lines similar to the above. Er...what was my point? I forget - whatever. Well said mate! Also when JR says "you either love it or leave it" speech is stupid. He says that to every anti american gimmick and the idiots still applaud it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestiger99 Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 So you want us to boo our own country? This causes two problems. 1. Most Americans won't do it because we like our country. 2. If kind of kills the heel push they are trying to give Hassan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenmark Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 I wasn't saying that Americans should boo their own country. I was saying the points that Hassan and Daivari come out with make us percieve them as babyfaces. They are coming out with consistent arguments - and they haven't said they hate america, just that they hate the way that arabic people and asian people have been treated in america since 9/11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 I dunno, I can understand why Americans would boo them, its just wrestling after all. I mean if some wrestler came out in Scotland and started saying "You guys thrive off failure, stop feeling sorry for yourselves, you're a crap country bla bla" I would boo him even though deep down, what he was saying was probably right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Franchise Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 I dunno, I can understand why Americans would boo them, its just wrestling after all. I mean if some wrestler came out in Scotland and started saying "You guys thrive off failure, stop feeling sorry for yourselves, you're a crap country bla bla" I would boo him even though deep down, what he was saying was probably right. If the war in Iraq wasnt going on the Hasaan character wouldnt even get as much attention. Remember Tiger Ali Singh? Same character has been done before. Only difference was nobody paid much attention to him.So the character disappeared as fast as he came to the WWE. And to be honest nobody really cares about Hasaan either. The WWE is juicing the bad taste in our mouths from of the War of Iraq to fuel the fire of spectators through the Hasaan character on Raw. Vince maybe thought this would be ingenious.Instead its basically as entertaining as a cold sore on a huge pair of lips. Some of the things he say is true.But seeing him beat Jerry Lawler,Rhyno,Sgt. Slaughter,and Chris Jericho doesnt make him like him,hate him, or respect him any more or any less. Hes simply the part of the show I decide to go take a dump or go play a game on my Xbox until his five minutes of the show is up. The WWE need to face the music here. Hes simply not OVER. Its time to pull the plug on this character and move on. Muhammed Hasaan is just like the XFL,The Red Rooster,Man Mountain Rock, and every other hairbrain scheme from the WWE dark past:It simply sucks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Rules Posted March 3, 2005 Share Posted March 3, 2005 I would boo England! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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