A liberal group circulated a petition asking the university to not show the film, calling it anti-Muslim, but the decision caused a backlash and leadership changed its mind later.
The University of Michigan has reversed its decision to cave to protesting students and staff, and will go through with airing the film “American Sniper” this Friday.
University Vice President of Student Life E. Royster Harper said the previous decision to scrap the showing was a “mistake,” and “not consistent with the high value the University of Michigan places on freedom of expression,” according to a Fox News report.
As a result, the university plans to show the movie at its originally scheduled time and location, as well as the family-friendly movie “Paddington,” which will be an alternative for those who so choose.
“American Sniper” stars Bradley Cooper as the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, and it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was set to be shown during a social event called UMix, which is sponsored by the university. However, a protest letter got more than 300 signatures, prompting the university to cancel the event.
Protesters argue that the film “promotes anti-Muslim and anti-MENA [Muslim, Middle Eastern, and North African] rhetoric and sympathizes with a mass killer,” the letter reads. It also calls Kyle a racist who “took a disturbing stance on murdering Iraqi civilians.”
The letter added that watching the movie is “provocative” and disrespectful to Muslim and Arab students.
The controversy prompted former San Francisco 49ers head coach and new Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh to say via Twitter that he would watch the movie with his team. Others on campus reacted strongly to the cancellation, with one law student circulating a petition to restore the film’s showing.
Kyle has proved to be a controversial figure since gaining the notoriety of being the most successful sniper ever with 160 confirmed kills. His personality and his opinions toward Iraqis have drawn fire after his four tours in Iraq, for which he received two Silver Star Medals and five Bronze Star Medals, among others. Kyle was murdered on a shooting range in Texas along with his friend, Chad Littlefield, by their shooting companion Eddie Ray Routh, who was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison recently.
