1. Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why?

This is a trailer for a movie entitled “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West”.  It’s an advertisement created by the movie’s producers – the Clarion Fund – to generate interest in the movie, which is available on DVD or via streaming video online.

2. Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What words, images or sounds suggest this?

The target audience is probably people in the United States who are worried about potential violence perpetrated by radical Islamic movements.  The words, images and sounds (see below) seek to persuade viewers that radical Islamic movements threaten them, and that the “Obsession” movie will provide important and useful information.

3. What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.)

We see a rapid montage of dramatic images, including airliners crashing into the World Trade Center, masked figures with guns and bombs, and crowds chanting “Death to America!”  Words flash on the screen (“When terror strikes, it strikes anywhere, anytime”). We also see brief comments by well-known TV commentators (“This needs to be seen by everybody in America…”).  We hear dramatic, pounding drums throughout the trailer, heightening the emotional impact.  The trailer ends with a website address and the injunction, “Get it now”.

4. What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?)

The most obvious subtexts are:

- Radical Islamic movements threaten people in the United States and “the West”.
- You could be the next victim of violence.
- The “Obsession” movie provides important and useful information.
- You should watch the movie.

A less obvious subtext concerns the definition of “terrorism”.  The “Obsession” movie appears to define all acts of violence committed by radical Islamic movements as “terrorism”.  Acts of violence committed by others, including the US government, are not considered to be “terrorism”.  This definition leads to other possible subtexts:

- All terrorists are Muslim.
- All terrorists are Arab.
- Radical Islamic beliefs cause people to become terrorists.
- The “Obsession” movie presents an accurate picture of radical Islamic movements and terrorism.

5. What kind of lifestyle is presented? Is it glamorized? How?

So-called “radical Muslims” are presented as violent and threatening.  Americans and Europeans are portrayed solely as victims of violence.  Neither group is glamorized, but they are both exaggerated and one-dimensional. US television personalities are portrayed as seeking objective information.

6. What values are expressed?

The values of “radical Muslims” appear to be hatred and violence.  The values of Americans appear to be concern for the victims of violence and the need to protect against “terrorist” threats.  The movie trailer suggests that education – “knowing your enemy” – is important.

7. What tools of persuasion are used?   See "The language of persuasion"

The principal persuasion technique used in the trailer is fear.  It uses images of Islamic militants, terrorist attacks, guns, bombs, victims of violence, etc. to scare viewers.

Other persuasion techniques include:

Bandwagon – Many other people have seen the movie and recommend it to viewers.

Celebrities -- We see several well-known TV commentators talking about the movie.

Testimonials – In addition to the TV commentators who recommend the movie, we learn that the film has been shown at four film festivals and has won awards at two of them.

Intensity – The rapid montage of dramatic images and the insistent drums create an intense promotional message.

Repetition – Many of the video clips are similar in content, and the comments from the TV commentators are similar.  The movie’s title, “Obsession” is repeated several times.

Symbols – The video footage of an airliner crashing into the World Trade Center has become a symbol for “international terrorism”.  We see American, Israeli, and British flags (symbols of these countries) being burned (a symbolic act of aggression).  In addition, the logo for the “Obsession” movie incorporates the crescent-and-star symbol of Islam and an AK-47 automatic rifle, a symbol of insurgent violence.

The Big Lie – The trailer suggests that “terrorism” is caused solely by “radical” Islamic beliefs, and ignores all other possible political, economic, and social causes of violence.

8. What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented?

Positive: The movie trailer expresses strong opposition to violence, and suggests that people must understand the causes of terrorism in order to protect against it. 

Negative: The trailer presents a simplistic, bigoted and racist explanation for anti-US sentiment and violent attacks against US and European targets, mirroring the general tone of the “Obsession” movie it is promoting.

9. What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does this serve the media maker's interests?

By promoting sales of the “Obsession” DVD and streaming video, the trailer empowers its producers, the Clarion Fund.  Visitors to the movie’s website can also make donations to the Clarion Fund, a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is “to educate Americans about issues of national security”, particularly “the most urgent threat of radical Islam.”

The trailer also empowers the TV personalities (Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and others) seen in the trailer. 

More broadly, it may empower people, institutions, and governments who agree with the movie’s premise that “radical Islam” poses a threat to the United States and “the West”.

The trailer attacks and demonizes so-called “radical Muslims”, but it also disempowers other Muslims, who may be unfairly associated with the extreme views and violent acts of “terrorists”.  By attributing terrorism to religious belief, the trailer also disempowers people working for cross-cultural understanding and interreligious dialogue, as well as those who believe that political, economic, and social factors may be important causes of violence.

10. What part of the story is not being told? How and where could you get more information about the untold stories?

Some critics have charged that "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" is “a classic work of hate propaganda, thinly disguised as a critique of radicalism, that attempts to subliminally demonize Muslims and their faith wholesale.”  The “experts” interviewed in the film have been called “a who's who of notorious Islamophobes” (people who hate and fear Muslims).  Press reports have linked the Clarion Fund to an organization based in Israel.

An estimated 28 million copies of the “Obsession” DVD were distributed as paid inserts in seventy US newspapers in “swing states” (states where the 2008 presidential election was expected to be close) prior to Election Day.  Some critics have charged that the distribution of the DVD in swing states was intended to help Sen. John McCain’s chances in the US presidential race, since “winning the war on terror” was a major theme of McCain’s campaign.

In September 2008, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an Islamic civil liberties group in the United States, filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission and Internal Revenue Service, urging an investigation into allegations that the Clarion Fund violated its nonprofit tax-exempt status by making expenditures in connection with a federal election, and that the Clarion Fund used the contributions of foreign nationals to do so.

Visit these websites for more information:

Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West
www.obsessionthemovie.com

The official site for the “Obsession” movie.  Visitors can learn more and watch clips from the movie online. 

Clarion Fund
www.clarionfund.org

The website of the film’s producers and distributors.  The Clarion Fund is “a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to educate Americans about issues of
national security.”

Obsession With Hate
www.obsessionwithhate.com

A website critical of the “Obsession” movie, sponsored by Hate Hurts America, a coalition working against “hate, incitement, community divisiveness, and intolerance - particularly against America's minorities.” 

Council on American-Islamic Relations
www.cair.com

CAIR's mission is “to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.”  It has filed formal complaints against the “Obsession” video with government agencies.

 “Smearcasting” report
www.smearcasting.com

A report from Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) documenting “the public writings and appearances of Islamophobic activists and pundits who intentionally and regularly spread fear, bigotry and misinformation in the media.”