Article from Detroit Free Press on Hassan

[Chain Gang Member]

Major wrestling show rubs terror wounds raw

Detroit character a villain to many
July 26, 2005







BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER



He is an Arab American born and raised in Detroit.


But after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Muhammad Hassan was treated like an outsider: profiled at airports, ethnically insulted and shunned by a cold America. And so he transformed into a raging fiend bent on revenge.


That story -- complete fiction -- is the basis of a controversial pro-wrestling character watched by millions across the country over the past several months. Scowling, he enters arenas with an Arab headdress to the thump of Middle Eastern music and cries of "Allah Akhbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great." Despite the baying crowds, he usually wins.


But late Sunday night, Hassan was beaten bloody in a match that may be his last. After protests from viewers, TV stations and Arab-American groups, Hassan's character has been written out of the fantasy world of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).


The writers of the script say it was a sensitive portrayal of how bigotry can lead Muslims down a radical path.


But to many local Arab Americans, it was a story line that stoked hatred for profit.


"You're creating negative views of Arab Americans," said Bilal Dabaja, a 20-year-old college student of Arab descent from Dearborn who loved pro wrestling when he was younger. "We know he's performing an act, but for a lot of young kids, these stories could be seen as true."


They are stories that highlight tensions about the status of Arab Americans and Muslims living in the West after the London bombings earlier this month. But the show's provocative suggestion -- that some Western-raised Muslims may pose a threat -- is one many locally find absurd.


The character is played by Mark Copani, a tanned Italian-American from New York. The role came under intense criticism July 7, the day of the London terrorist attacks, when UPN aired a match that night featuring Hassan. He loped into the arena with five men in black ski masks and camouflage as the crowed chanted "U-S-A!"


After Hassan's manager, an Iranian Muslim, was beaten senseless by an opponent, the five men carried the manager out on their shoulders in what appeared to be a funeral for a suicide bomber.


Viewer protests followed, prompting UPN to lean on the WWE to dump the character, UPN spokeswoman Joanna Massey said Monday.


WWE officials agreed and said Monday that Hassan probably will not be back after Sunday night's match, which again featured the suicide-bomber story line. But the WWE insists the depiction was a positive one that tried to probe the bias Arab Americans have faced over the past few years.


"The writers did a fairly good job of giving background and context to the character," said Gary Davis, a spokesman for WWE. "They were trying to get across a very serious issue that Arab Americans face."


Local Arab Americans don't buy that.


Imad Hamad's three kids, ages 7 to 11, enjoy watching professional wrestling at their home in Dearborn. But they were confused, and troubled, when they started to see Hassan on the show "SmackDown," watched by 5 million viewers every week.


"My kids were saying: This is not us, this is not right," said Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which took a lead role in trying to remove the character. "There's nothing entertaining when it comes to hatred and bigotry."


Hassan made his debut in November, when he started to appear in TV promos. In the world of professional wrestling, backstories are part of the fun, giving viewers colorful tales that add to the drama.


Hassan's story was this:


Born in the United States, he wanted to fit in. But after Sept. 11, 2001, the 20-something became the victim of bias and ethnic harassment. In one clip on www.wwe.com, he and his Iranian manager, Daivari, are in a rage, glaring at the screen in what appears to be an airport.


"Because we are of Arab descent, we are singled out, we are humiliated and often we are strip-searched because my name is Muhammad," growls Hassan, played by Copani. "We are Arab Americans," he adds, putting a strong emphasis on "Americans." "And we demand the same rights that any American has. And if you don't give us the respect that we demand, then I will beat it out of anyone who gets in my way!"


Hassan played his first match in January. Weighing 245 pounds, he usually entered the arena with Arabic music and Islamic calls to prayer blaring over a loudspeaker. He was always angry.


"He was a loyal Arab American, but was treated differently because he happened to be Arab," explained Davis. "His anger caused him to take the course of embracing his roots and being defiant to his fellow Americans because of their reaction to him."


In one of his first matches, Hassan declared to a booing crowd:


"If you don't open your eyes and see what you're doing to my Arab brothers, to me, to me," he proclaims in a clip on www.wwe.com, "then my New Year's resolution will be to personally beat some sense into America."


Such stereotypes during times of foreign conflict are not new in pro wrestling. During the 1980s, as the United States squared off against Iran and the Soviet Union in the Cold War, two of the most popular wrestlers were the Iron Sheikh and Nikolai Volkoff.


The Iron Sheikh, who was actually from Iran, defiantly waved an Iranian flag and sneered at the United States. He was world champion for about a month starting in December 1983, but lost his title to Hulk Hogan. In 1985, Iron Sheikh teamed up with Volkoff, a Russian, to win the tag-team championship.


Years later, the Iron Sheikh had a running feud with Sgt. Slaughter, a wrestler who was a proud member of the U.S. Army.


This year, as the Iraq war droned on, Hassan's loyalty was often called into question by other wrestlers.


It's all an act. But to many Arab Americans, a painful one.

[moeee]

I wish the WWE would just stop doing the stereotying roles all together. Its just old, tired and pathetic. Vince will do anything to draw ratings, even if its mean by doing this Hassan angle. Hopefully, they have learned thier lesson.


im just so disgusted with WWE right now.