2. Muhammad Hassan
Mark Copani is a half Italian/half Jordanian retired wrestler who worked for the WWE from 2004-2005 as Muhammad Hassan an Arab American. His schtick was to give a positive portrayal of Middle Eastern Americans who he felt had been demonised by 9/11. He announced this in a promo and then gave thanks to Allah (something he soon had to stop doing after protests from Muslim Americans). Hassan threw his weight around for a while, interrupting other wrestler's promos and appearances to bitch about the way Arab Americans were portrayed but stereotyping them himself by wearing a cloth on his head. Hassan had a really good run in the WWE, beating Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and the Hurricane among a lot of other big names. However on July 4th 2005, the proverbial hit the fan. The Undertaker defeated Hassan's ally Daivari, and Hussan came into the arena and started praying on the ramp. Five masked men appeared who kicked the cr*p out of the Undertaker and carried Daivari's body out of the ring held up high in their arms. This sequence, on any night, would be deemed ever-so-slightly dodgy, but this was no ordinary night. London had been bombed by terrorists and scores were dead and injured. The show ran on regardless in America and Canada because there was no time to edit the footage. There were, however, strong warnings put in place. The footage was cut for Australian and European editions. The media picked up on this charade of Hassan's and the network brought pressure on the WWE to remove Hassan from their shows. In a segment not allowed to be broadcasted on TV but was put up on the WWE website, Hassan defends himself, saying that everyone thinks he is a terrorist but he isn't. The WWE couldn't wait to get shot of him and released his contract in September 2005. Hassan retired from the business. The chilly relationship between America and some (not all) Muslim states is a highly incendiary topic and it's obviously best avoided in the wrestling ring because of all the sensationalism the WWE continues to bring to the party. Frankly, they just can't help themselves.
Clare Simpson
Contributor
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
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Clare