First there was the Bechdel Test, and now there’s the Riz Test.

Both test representation in media: the first, of women; the second, of Muslims.

Inspired by a speech by Riz Ahmed to the English House of Commons, the Riz Test was devised by Dr. Sadia Habib and Shaf Choudry and asks five questions:

“If the film/show stars at least one character who is identifiably Muslim (by ethnicity, language or clothing) – is the character…

1. Talking about, the victim of, or the perpetrator of terrorism?

2. Presented as irrationally angry?

3. Presented as superstitious, culturally backwards or anti-modern?

4. Presented as a threat to a Western way of life?

5. If the character is male, is he presented as misogynistic? Or if female, is she presented as oppressed by her male counterparts?

If the answer for any of the above is Yes, then the Film/TV Show fails the test.”

See Riz Test tweets.

My take: it’s about time. It would be great if both the Bechdel Test and the Riz Test were added to all movie sites, like IMDB’s Advanced Title Search or AllMovie’s Advanced Search.