The University of Michigan has dropped a showing of “American Sniper” after Muslim students complained the film made them feel "uncomfortable."
U of M is roughly 40 miles away from Dearborn, a city which is famous for having one of the largest Muslim populations in the U.S. But U of M is also a university, where once upon a time young people went to have their assumptions challenged, their horizons broadened – which just might leave one feeling "uncomfortable."
According to The Detroit Free Press, rather than just skip the movies that night, Muslim student Lamees Mekkaoui circulated a petition that gained a couple hundred signatures from fellow Muslim students. Mekkaoui said that the movie made her feel “uncomfortable” because of its “anti-Middle Eastern sentiments.” Well, if she's uncomfortable that means no one gets to see it!
However, not every student at the university felt the same way. Another group of students started a counter-petition, stating that the film was not about a “racist," mass-murderering "criminal.” Their petition stated:
“If the University prevents a movie like this from being shown, it promotes intolerance and stifles dialogue and debate on the subject and goes directly against the atmosphere UMix purports to provide.”
The students went on to say they should have the choice on what movies to see and not see, “as adults at a public university.”
So far, the school has not responded to the counter-petition but instead issued an apology to students who felt offended at the movie choice.
American Sniper and the veteran whom the film was based on, Chris Kyle, received a lot of hate from the liberal media when the film was in theatres. Bill Maher called Kyle a “psychopath patriot,” while Michael Moore called him an anti-Christian “coward.” NBC Foreign Correspondent Ayman Mohyeldin said Kyle was a “racist” who went on “killing sprees,” and actor Seth Rogen likened American Sniper to a Nazi propaganda film.
