(CNS) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is criticizing Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, saying that releasing the movie “during the Trump era” normalizes stereotyping.
Aladdin, due for release in the U.S. on Friday, is a family fantasy film telling the well-known story of a street urchin who falls in love with a princess, and is ordered by a grand vizier to fetch a magical lamp that summons a genie with the power to make wishes come true.
Turbans, swords and desert landscapes suggest a Middle Eastern or Central Asian setting. The movie was filmed in Jordan.
CAIR, which calls itself the nation’s biggest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, wants film reviewers “to address concerns about racial and religious stereotypes perpetuated by” the movie.
