I’ve encountered the argument that Homeland is Islamophobic among friends and on the interwebs. And while I do think there are certain elements of the show that can be read as anti-Muslim, I also think the show should be credited for exposing and critiquing the very Islamophobia it may perpetuate. This doesn’t mean the show is perfect. And Laila Al-Aryan rightly calls out Homeland for “getting it wrong” (mispronouncing names, giving Arab characters Iranian names, or fictitious names, misrepresenting Beirut)  But I would even argue that, overall, Homeland is more sympathetic to Muslims than phobic of them. And in a country where anti-Islam and homeland defense are national obsessions of both policy makers and the public, this is significant.

The subject of the show, Islamic ...