September 11 attacks Arabs Arab Americans terrorists Naomi Scott Aladdin English Gujarati Ugandan-Indian Jasmine colorism India
Before the September 11 attacks, Arabs and Arab Americans were often portrayed as terrorists. The decision to hire Naomi Scott, in the film Aladdin, the daughter of an English father and a Gujarati Ugandan-Indian mother, to play the lead of Jasmine, also drew criticism, as well as accusations of colorism, as some commentators expected the role to go to an actress of Arab or Middle Eastern origin. In January 2018, it was reported that white extras were being applied brown make-up during filming in order to "blend in", which caused an outcry and condemnation among fans and critics, branding the practice as "an insult to the whole industry" while accusing the producers of not recruiting people with Middle Eastern or North African heritage. Disney responded to the controversy saying, "Diversity of our cast and background performers was a requirement and only in a handful of instances when it was a matter of specialty skills, safety and control (special effects rigs, stunt performers and handling of animals) were crew made up to blend in."
