Crime shows and Islam: the modern and the medieval

Crime shows and Islam: the modern and the medieval

The medieval appears on our small screens in many guises, some more subtle than others. One of the more subtle medievalisms is evident in the very modern US crime shows: Criminal Minds, Numbers, NCIS: LA, Bones and Castle. All five shows use modern technology and innovative methods to solve serious crimes, and across their seasons, have addressed the issue of terrorism. Typically, the detectives of the shows catch the terrorists and prevent another serious attack on American soil, but in the process, they opt for a depiction of Islam that is surprisingly similar to the medieval depiction of Islam and the Muslims. In this version, Islam is portrayed as a religion of fanatics, prone to holy war, and devoted to attacking Western civilisation in the form of the USA. This crusading approach is matched by the detectives' Christian or Judaic affiliations, and whose own violent actions are justified by the need to protect the innocent. As in the medieval Crusades, the target of the attack - substituting the USA for Europe - has done nothing to deserve such violent attentions. There are, however, some serious problems with the popular continuation of this medievalist approach to Islam, the foremost being the unbalanced depiction of a global and largely peaceful religion, particularly as practiced by Muslims resident in Western countries. Greater awareness of the ideology carried by medievalist Islam
in these crime shows is an important part of grasping how the modern West understands this Abrahamic religion.

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