In a late announcement on Wednesday, the University of Michigan said, they will keep the screening schedule of ‘American Sniper’. The announcement came after the university decided to scrap the screening of the movie due to student protest.
In a statement, E. Royster Harper, the Vice President of Student Life said, “It was a mistake to cancel the showing of the movie American Sniper on campus as part of a social event for students. The initial decision to cancel the movie was not consistent with the high value the University of Michigan places on freedom of expression and our respect for the right of students to make their own choices in such matters.” Harper explained, “The movie will be shown at the originally scheduled time and location. We recognize, however, that some students are uncomfortable with the content of the movie, and appreciate that concern. Therefore, the university also will show an alternative movie, Paddington, in another location on campus at that same time and date to provide our students with additional options that evening.”
The screening of the movie was scrapped after a protest from the Muslim students. The movie was scheduled to be shown on a student event on Friday. The cancellation of the screening on Tuesday, drew a lot of criticism within and outside campus. After the cancellation U-M football coach Jim Harbaugh tweeted, “Michigan Football will watch “American Sniper”! Proud of Chris Kyle & Proud to be an American & if that offends anybody then so be it!”
The protest against the screening of the movies was led by Lamees Mekkaoui, who said, “Why the university is showing something which is going to make Muslim students uncomfortable?” She said, “I felt uncomfortable during it. As a student who identifies as an Arab and Middle Eastern student, I feel that American Sniper condones a lot of anti-Middle Eastern and North African propaganda.” Mekkaoui is a member of the Students Allied for Freedom and Equality and the Middle Eastern and Arab Network at U-M.
Later another petition was filed against the cancellation and accused the University for censorship. The petition said, “The movie American Sniper is not about a racist mass murderer or a criminal. If the University prevents a movie like this from being shown, it promotes intolerance and stifles dialogue and debate on the subject and goes directly against the atmosphere UMix purports to provide. As adults at a public university, we should have the option to view this movie if we so choose and have the opportunity to engage on the topics it presents to come to our own conclusions on the subjects. Students should be trusted to interact responsibly on a movie no different than any other film depicting the lives of the troops at war, such as Saving Private Ryan.”
