Representations of jihad in American film and television are also very relevant to how Americans view jihad and Islam. In fact, this is not a new phenomenon. American film and television have a history of misrepresenting jihad. A very good example of this is the primetime drama, 24 (2001–2010, 2014). The show followed Jack Bauer, an agent with the U.S. government's Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU), who impedes domestic and international terrorist plots. In the show, Muslims were often featured as terrorists. In the second season, Jack Bauer tracked down a Muslim terrorist and tortured him into confessing the location of a nuclear bomb. When the terrorist refused to disclose the location of the bomb, Bauer threatened to inflict more pain, to which the terrorist responded, "Then I will have much more pleasure in paradise."

SEED: Could be developed into an essay on how entertainment media shapes public perception of religious concepts, using 24 as a case study.

Asena Karipek, Portrayals of Jihad, loc. 47