University of Michigan (Almost) Cancels ‘American Sniper’ Screening

In the University of Michigan’s most recent effort to avoid hurt feelings, university administrators canceled an on-campus screening of the critically acclaimed movie “American Sniper” after a bevy of student complaints. The university claimed that the film’s “content was harmful,” and that it “made students feel unsafe and unwelcome” due to the film’s perceived negative portrayal of Muslims.

Former president of the Muslim Student Organization Farah El-Jayyousi told The Maneater, “This film is blatant racist, colonialist propaganda that should not be shown under any circumstances and especially not endorsed by a branch of student government that purports to represent me and have my best interests in mind.”

Sophomore U-M student Mekkaoui told the Detroit Free Press that she’s seen the movie, and that she “felt uncomfortable during it.”

“As a student who identifies as an Arab and Middle Eastern student, I feel that ‘American Sniper’ condones a lot of anti-Middle Eastern and North African propaganda,” she told the Free Press. “I like those events. I don’t think this film fits that event, which is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. I think it should be played, but not at this event.”

Mekkaoui, a member of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality and the Middle Eastern and Arab Network at U-M, sent a letter signed by over 200 students in opposition to the university’s decision to show the film.

The decision to pull the film was based on such student-voiced objection to the showing; students submitted a letter saying that they were “disturbed” to discover that the university planned to show the film, comparing the decision to hate crimes like the recent Chapel Hill shooting, arguing that such events create “an unsafe space” that “triggers U of M students.”

The university gave in to the students’ demands to cancel the showing and even issued a statement apologizing for the planned showing. Replacing American Sniper would be the film “Paddington,” a children’s movie. Given that this PG movie featuring stuffed animals would admittedly be a better choice for the fragile audience, it was a pathetic move on the university’s part.

However, there is one glitter of hope at U-M.

U of M football coach Jim Harbaugh tweeted yesterday that “Michigan Football will watch ‘American Sniper’! Proud of Chris Kyle & Proud to be an American & if that offends anybody then so be it!”

Soon after Harbaugh’s tweet and after receiving national criticism, the university quickly reversed the decision and decided to show the film after all. In a statement, vice president for student life E Royster Harper wrote: “It was a mistake to cancel the showing of the movie ‘American Sniper’ on campus as part of a social event for students.” The film will be shown at the same time and place, though “Paddington” will also be shown.

The uproar that “American Sniper” caused on the University of Michigan’s campus is in many ways unsurprising, especially considering recent stories in which the administration bent over backwards to appease the super-sensitive, such as its $16,000 investment in an inclusive language campaign. Still, this doesn’t make the initial decision to pull the film screening any less troubling.

First, the event was not mandatory. Anyone could opt in or out. If a student doesn’t want to see the film, there is no obligation to see it. I’m sure there are plenty of things to do other than whine about how offensive the film is.

Second, what should make the students and faculty uncomfortable isn’t the portrayal of Muslims in “American Sniper.” What should be more concerning are the genuine issues portrayed in the film, such as the large problem our country faces with assisting returning soldiers with PTSD and mental illness, or the horrors our soldiers faced in Iraq as they placed their lives on the line for our country. If anything, it is the actions of the Muslim extremists and terrorism itself that should make students feel “unsafe,” not the screening of a film portraying Muslims in what they might think is a negative light.

The claims made by many of these students against Chris Kyle, the U.S. Navy SEAL portrayed in “American Sniper,” are completely unjust. Chris Kyle was not “a killer with no regard for human life,” as El-Jayyousi claimed in her letter. Having a record 160 confirmed kills, Kyle saved countless American solders’ lives and died trying to help veterans in need.

As he said in an interview with Bill O’Reilly in 2012, “I’m killing [the insurgents] to protect my fellow Americans…It’s not a problem taking out people that want your people dead…. That’s not a problem at all.”

I, too, want terrorists dead. Why is this objectionable?

The University of Michigan made the right decision to show American Sniper. Hopefully in the future, the university will continue to stand up against the spineless and politically correct and continue to defend freedom of speech in a place that is meant to be a breeding ground of ideas and conversation.