The Image of Muslim in The Kingdom Trailer: A Multimodal Analysis

Abstract

Based on multimodal analysis, the study at focus analyses The Kingdom trailer (2007) by adopting Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar (1996, 2006), Chandler’s social categories of codes (2007) and Bernstein’s (2003) language codes. This kind of analysis is used to illustrate how the image of Muslim is portrayed in such a trailer. It aims to show how multimodal representational aspects are utilized in depicting such distorted image. Also, it aims at presenting how visual semiotic resources and speeches are constructing certain negative images. This research assumes that meaning construction is not monomodal but an outcome of multimodal means of communication.
 The prime conclusions of the current study can be presented as both, visual and verbal aspects which disseminate a negative image of Muslims. Through guns, fight, and extreme behaviour, Muslims are presented as a threat to the Western and prosperous way of life that necessitates force majeure, military actions and murdering. The study at focus also shows that this trailer makes use of a visual mode more than language and the kind of image presented is distorted, unfavourable and misleading. Also, (mis)representation of Muslims in this trailer fuels Islamophobia in a radical manner. Moreover, it has been found that behavioural codes are utilized to link Muslims and Islam to terrorism via the depiction of religious rituals such as prayer and call for prayer after terrorist acts.