'Homeland' season 6 spoilers: Co-creator Howard Gordon fears his shows provide fodder for xenophobia by portraying Muslims as terrorists

It has never been easy to portray a Muslim character on American TV screens. Even in the age of diversity, stereotypes still exist and a lot of races are attacked and persecuted baselessly. Mass media has to pay more attention to this issue since they can paint images in the minds of their viewers and, sadly, Muslims have been painted a bad image many times.

Spoiler alert! This article contains “Homeland” spoilers. Read on if you would like to know what happens next before the next episode airs.

In a recent conversation with the New York Times, a handful of entertainment professionals gathered to discuss the issue of Muslim representation on TV. Joshua Safran, showrunner of “Quantico,” said that he has imposed a policy on his shows to never feature Muslims as terrorists. On the other hand, Howard Gordon, who co-created “Homeland” and was the executive producer “24,” expressed concerns that his shows can be prone to regressive thinking and might provoke xenophobia. When asked whether he fears that Homeland could be fodder for increased attacks against Muslims, he answered with a “yes” before elaborating on his response.

Vulture reports that Gordon said it is an ongoing issue on “Homeland” and is a very important conversation. He adds that his show “actually tests the edges of free speech.” This could be, somehow, a way of expressing discontent with American policy without being a terrorist himself but is being set up to be one by the government itself.

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He adds that the question is a difficult one and that “24” has been the launching point for him to engage in those kinds of conversation,s which he has been in for over 10 years. Gordon concluded that they are all affected by who they are and how they see the world and it requires creating an environment where people can speak freely about these sensitive issues.

The conversation started off a little uneasy but everyone’s eagerness to discuss such a sensitive issue ended up productively. At the end, they concluded that “it is really popular culture that impacts how people feel about one another,” says Sue Obeidi who happens to be the director of the Hollywood Bureau of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

"Homeland" season 6 premieres on January 15, 2017 on Showtime. It will also air on Channel TEN in Australia.

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