Week 5- Not without my daughter

This film created such a controversy against the Middle East and created stereotypes about the area as a whole. I am amazed that sue to this film, the story of Betty is still known today and most people sympathize with her due to the current fear in the US. Before I saw this movie a couple of years ago, my mother mentioned it anytime something about the Middle East came up. Her generation, I have noticed, based what they knew about the men and women of the Middle East through movies such as this one. For some time I have been asking my mother if I could visit countries such as Lebanon and Egypt but her response is always "NO". She fears the fact that I am American and I am a woman. My friend's mother would jokingly tell her that she can go to the Middle East as long as she keeps her passport safe away from any of "THEM". Clearly both got these ideas after they watched this movie.
This film is a woman's worst nightmare but how much of it is true? As we all know this is Betty's side of the story and she did not write the book. The author that took her perspective to write a story is known to have written one before degrading Turkish men. Also, after watching a documentary about the real Mahmoody a whole new side of the story is revealed. Even Betty's friend from Iran speaks about how she did not see anything of what Betty describes. She also mentions that during the month which Betty escaped, the climate was very cold and the terrain was dangerous especially when carrying a child. The documentary also shows that during the divorce, Mahmoody had no representation and was notified of the judgement some time later on when it was too late.
Both the movie and documentary give the viewer two completely different versions that leaves one questioning what is true. But one cannot deny that the film was full of the worst stereotypes of the Middle East such as the veil, the oppression of women, the violence of men, the constant war, bombs (which in the film occur right next to Betty- what luck), checkpoints, guns, poverty, religious obsession, and many more. True or not this film adds to the dislike and the portrayal of Arab men as villains.