Netflix’s talk show, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj often spread global news and discuss some of the most serious topics around the world. Its host, Hasan Minhaj often use a hilarious but sarcastic way to present those global issues. Especially, in the episode “Saudi Arabia”, Minhaj discuss the news of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, journalist for The Washington Post. In that episode, not only he analyzes what role does the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman plays in this case but also he discuss some of the tropes that people are overly using when involving Islam events.
Hasan Minhaj delivers a common Islam trope in the end section of the episode, “Saudi Arabia is only the 2% of the entire Muslim population, but everytime Saudi does something wrong, Muslim around the world, have to live the consequences.” Obviously, whatever the Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has involved in the murder case of Jamal Khashoggi, it brings new bias and stereotypes against Arab world and its people. Minhaj later mentioned, people are relating some of the violence action with “Saudi Style”. This example reminds me of one of the trope that we discussed in the lecture, “Islam is inherently violent”. The Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is known to the global as a “reformer”. He contributes his effort to the Arab world and dedicated to “reform” it. But the involved of serval violent cases suddenly crashes the figure that he has established especially when the news mentions the violent death of Jamal Khashoggi and how MBS house arrests his mother and torturing Mohammad bin Nayef, his predecessor, subject to excruciating pain until he abdicated the throne. These examples drags global attentions and not only the world is criticizing Muhammad bin Salman but also criticizing the entire Muslim community.
There are many other tropes that Minhaj discussed in the episode, the reason that my blog post focus on this one is because “Islam is inherently violent” is one of the most important and common one above others. It delivers negative impression and affection. Not to mention that its exists often because of one person’s crime, in this case, it’s Muhammad bin Salman.