Anti-Muslim threats skyrocket in wake of 'American Sniper's' release

Threats against Muslims in the US have increased in wake of 'American Sniper's' release, it has been reported.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has written to director Clint Eastwood and star Bradley Cooper, the BBC reported.

The ADC said a majority of the violent threats they have seen over the past few days are result of how Arab and Muslims are depicted in 'American Sniper,' a film based on the story of US soldier Chris Kyle's service in Iraq from 2003-09.

The organisation, which describes itself as the largest Arab civil rights organisation in the US, said it had collected hundreds of violent messages targeting Arab and Muslim Americans from movie-goers, mainly from Facebook and Twitter.

The letter asked Eastwood and Cooper to speak out against such messages in an effort to reduce the hateful rhetoric.

American Sniper has been a major hit in North America, exceeding box office predictions by taking 90 million dollars in its opening weekend, a record for a January release. It also has six Oscar nominations. But it has caused controversy. Some have hailed its portrayal of Kyle as a war hero, but others have criticised it for glorifying violence and for Kyle's attitude towards his victims.