Dune (2021): On Evil Empire and the Vanishing Islamic Act

Recently, discussions of colonies and spice harvest have come back. A friend of mine surely hopes this is about the British Empire and their evils. Sorry friend, but this is in fact about the Dune series. This is just about my time with Dune Part 1 and knowing bits and pieces from the book.

Clearly, Frank Herbert had a special interest in Islamic culture, enough to spread it throughout the Dune series. The Fremen people – off Planet Arrakis – likely bear Islamic influence in being desert beings with a distinct religion. Within the narrative, the Fremen are under the thumb of oppression because of their proximity to spice. They are ruled over by one Great House until – for some arbitrary reason – the emperor places another Great House in charge.

This new House – the House of Atreides – wants to form an alliance with the Fremen to bolster spice production. Paul Atreides, the idealistic Duke of Atreides, has studied the Fremen language and culture for years. By film end, Paul is accepted as one of them. Yet, I feel disquieted by this cultural exchange as a Muslim.

A certain whiteness pervades this portrayal for me. “You’ve gone native” is lobbed at Duncan (Jason Momoa’s character) simply for demonstrating knowledge of the Fremen. That’s an anti-indigenous slur used in America, a less than promising form of cultural exchange to me. Maybe it’s how different cultures get collapsed into overly simplistic categories. Some Fremen are very visibly not-white, but their portrayal en masse feels too condensed. There is a clear removal of Arab and Islamic influences because of how awkwardly the vibes change. (Others more knowledgeable than me have talked about how much these movies remove from the books when it comes to cultural portrayals).

Sometimes, we hear indistinct chanting, sometimes we get subtitles for sign language and other forms of communication. Such a lack of clear rules makes the Fremen feel more as an after-thought. The Fremen result as a “mystical other” but not through their distinct language. I was disappointed because this distinct culture, dwelling in a harsh environment, has a lot of promise.

Conceptually, there is no issue of Paul pursuing his genuine passion to join a clearly well-justified revolution. Two twin problems arise for me: 1) the emphasis on political dissent divorced from cultural interaction and 2) Fremen culture being reduced from its source state. Herbert’s inclusion of Islamic culture is hardly considered perfect. However, this attention to detail helps establish rich societies within the world of Dune. As a result, Paul’s quest is not as poignant as possible in this retelling.

Could we ever get Dune I want in film form? Dune Part 1 has more non-English speaking than many blockbusters, and yet I want it to go further. However, the script-writer raised my ire and the ire of others by calling the Islamic influence on Dune nonsense. As a result, there is an enforcement of white American culture upon this tale ab out evil empire.  The lack of many MENA actors also drags down this portrayal for me. Dune could match beautiful cinematography with an eye for non-white cultures, and would be better for it. The Dune I want would bring us into that fold of Fremen culture, rather than sticking to a mirage.