A showing of the Academy Award-nominated film "American Sniper" was canceled at the University of Michigan after protesters complained that it promotes "negative and misleading stereotypes" against Muslims,
the website MLive.com reported.
According to The Michigan Daily, the school's student newspaper, the film, which outlines the life of late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, was canceled from UM's "UMix Late Night" program after a document was posted on Google for members of the Michigan student body saying the movie sends the wrong message.
The petition, which called Kyle a "racist," garnered about 200 signatures.
"The movie 'American Sniper' not only tolerates but promotes anti-Muslim rhetoric and sympathizes with a mass killer," the document noted.
It added: "Chris Kyle was a racist who took a disturbing stance on murdering Iraqi civilians. Middle Eastern characters in the film are not lent an ounce of humanity and watching this movie is provocative and unsafe to MENA [Middle Eastern and North Africa] and Muslim students."
The university's Center for Campus Involvement apologized in a statement explaining the cancellation, MLive.com noted.
"We deeply regret causing harm to members of our community, and appreciate the thoughtful feedback provided to us by students," it said.
"Student reactions have clearly articulated that this is neither the venue nor the time to show this movie," the statement,
posted on Facebook, said.
The sophomore student who started the petition, Lamees Mekkaoui, told the Michigan Daily that it promoted the wrong message and amounted to hurtful propaganda.
"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 told the paper. "It was released at a time when these anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-Middle Eastern [and] North African hate crimes were already skyrocketing and this movie only contributed to that."
An edited version of Mekkaoui's petition letter added: "Although we respect the right to freedom of speech, we believe that with this right comes responsibility: responsibility of action, intention, and outcome."