Dear Production Team,

Ok great, you’ve created a movie with the title “Towelhead” — the same term that I hear being barked at me by teenagers in the next car, as I drive down the highway with my windows down, listening to NPR.

I would much rather let this go, let it slide, not blink an eye and say goodbye. But since movies are the primary form of American education, I owe a response to you out of respect for this great nation. Your film fans the flames of several deep misconceptions that many organizations are trying to fight — let’s see if we can make it right.

The first misconception is that Arab Americans wear turbans. In my entire life — growing up in New Jersey, attending Princeton University, and working in the northwest — I’ve never seen an Arab American wear a turban. I estimate that 98% of people in America who wear turbans are Sikhs like myself with no connection to the Arab world whatsoever.

Just the title of the book and the movie and the words “Arab American” creates this association or reinforces it. I have nothing against Arab Americans and think highly of them — but the association the movie creates “arab-american:turban” is patently false. Maybe Arabs wear turbans. But Arab Americans? If they do, it’s so rare I’ve never witnessed it.

Second, by titling the movie a term that has no use other than hatred and divisiveness, you severely hurt the cause of unity and tolerance. Now those teenagers on the highway are emboldened, they have signoff from the media for their racist choice of words. I would venture to guess that, unlike the equally abhorrent N-word, which everyone knows, the T-word will be a new term for some people. You’ve just added it to their vocabulary of slurs.

Have you seen Inside Man by Spike Lee? Get the DVD, watch the directors commentary (36:00). He says, “Most people don’t know the difference between a Sikh and an Arab…anyone with a turban on their head, or that racist comment towelhead…” Well the difference is Sikh Americans wear turbans, while Arab Americans largely do not, and your film exacerbates this problem.

So what’s there to do? It’s really up to you — certainly you can help educate and stop the hate? Ignorance is the problem in this nation — basic awareness really goes a long way to promoting unity. Unfortunately the title of your film takes us in the wrong direction.

Sincerely,
Savraj Singh
sikhswim.com

PS - here’s SALDEF’s take on the issue