|
 Neil Parrott, a Republican state delegate, said the decision
to cancel the screening at the university's College Park campus
was an exercise in political correctness and infringes on First
Amendment rights to free speech.
“The university should not let the complaints of a few students
result in the cancellation of an important film honoring an
American hero and accurately portraying the horrors of war,”
Parrott said in a statement.
The university's Student Entertainment Events organization
announced the cancellation on Wednesday. The school said in a
statement Thursday it was not involved in the decision, saying
the student-led panel was responsible.
The university's Muslim Students Association said in a statement
that the movie, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley
Cooper, is offensive war propaganda that spreads unjustified
fear of Islam.
“This movie dehumanizes Muslim individuals, promotes the idea of
senseless mass murder, and portrays negative and inaccurate
stereotypes,” the statement said.
Warner Bros Pictures, which distributes the film, declined to
comment.
The film tells the story of Chris Kyle, a U.S. Navy Seal
sharpshooter credited with 255 kills during his service in Iraq.
It was scheduled to be screened May 6 and 7.
The hit 2014 movie won an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing.
It was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best
Actor for Cooper.
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"American Sniper" has drawn widespread criticism over its depiction
of Muslims, and protesters have objected to screenings of the movie
at several U.S. campuses.
There were four arrests after 40 protesters disrupted an April 10
screening at Eastern Michigan University. The screening was canceled
as a result.
On the same night, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New
York canceled a screening after protests.
On Wednesday, a Muslim student group at Northern Illinois University
in Dekalb protested the film because they say it misrepresents
Muslims and wrongly glorifies war veterans.
“I consider veterans and our military to be the real terrorists,”
Umraan Syed, president of the Illinois school's Muslim Student
Association, wrote on its Facebook page.
Students at the University of Texas in Arlington plan to protest a
screening Friday night.
(Editing by Frank McGurty and David Gregorio)
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