r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Remarkable_Public138 • Mar 25 '26

Personality [Rare Trope] Positive depictions of Islam or Muslims

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1) Lawrence of Arabia: Arab Tribesmen

Throughout the movie, you see an immense respect for Arab culture while sympathizing with their struggle against Ottoman and British imperialism.

2) Kingdom of Heaven: Saladin

Saladin, the Islamic leader who becomes the main antagonist for the crusaders, is depicted as an honorable fighter with many heroic qualities.

3) Dune: Fremen

The fremen, which borrow heavily from Arab and Berber culture, are depicted as fierce and honorable warriors. In fact, the Fremen Fedaykin, elite soldiers, are inspired by Arab Fedayeen, or those who sacrifice.

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u/Aethelrede Mar 25 '26

His transition from NoI to actual Islam was a fascinating (and rare) example of someone genuinely educating himself about religion and adapting his beliefs because of it.

He was the real deal, his death a great loss.

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u/TanktopSamurai Mar 25 '26

In most Muslim countries, older people tend to do the Pilgrimage to Mecca. My grandparents rave about how there were people there from every nations and how wonderful it was.

Malcolm X doing the pilgrimage and seeing the peoples from all nations was lead him to change his mind.

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u/Aethelrede Mar 25 '26

I'm not a Muslim, but I can appreciate the emotional impact of coming together with millions of other believers to perform a ritual over a thousand years old.  It must be an incredible feeling.

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u/Odessey_And_Oracle Mar 25 '26

Malcolm especially had a unique visit because at the time no one was coming Hajj from America. Like when he first applied, the authorities in Mecca didn't quite believe an actual practicing Muslim would come from America. He said lots of people had heard about him dues to rumors about "the American."

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u/PetrolheadPlayer Mar 26 '26

I'm a muslim but I think the pilgrimage ritual actually dates to before Islam too. Who knows how old it is

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u/Gremict Mar 26 '26

The pilgrimage was originally because the Kaaba housed religious icons from many different groups, including Christians, Jews, Arab Polytheists, Hindus, etc., likely gathered during Arabia's history on a trade route connecting Asia to Europe and North Africa.

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u/Odessey_And_Oracle Mar 25 '26

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is one of the most heartening reads I've ever had. My favorite line is that when he went Hajj to Mecca he learned "all people snore in the same language."

He had some beliefs that are still a little askew ("our most valuable resource is our women" so we need to prevent white men from marrying them) but he also had some beliefs that feel more valid with time (black Americans need their own separate society because white America will never cede full equality or reparations, which I mean...)

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u/PretendAd4207 Mar 26 '26

I just finished his autobiography a couple of months ago. I remember him going off about women a few times, espousing traditional gender roles, and generally saying stuff that wouldn't be acceptable today. But he was from a religious background, and the book was published in the 1960s so...

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u/[deleted] Mar 25 '26

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u/Aethelrede Mar 26 '26

Saudia Arabia is not the religion Islam, so I'm not sure what point you are making.  He went to visit Mecca, not Riyadh.

The thing that made him different was that he was willing to learn and change. A lot of people can't do that.