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Qumar
| Synonyms: | |
| See also: | The West Wing, |
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Qumar is a fictional Middle Eastern country with an interesting history: it is shared by at least two different fandoms. First mentioned in the episode "Yes, Minister" as Quamir, Aaron Sorkin apparently intended to homage the famous British political comedy by naming his fake country Qumar in West Wing. Much later, Alan Moore borrowed Qumar for his pastiche comic, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Qumar is a stand-in used to explore British/United States-Arab relations without referencing any actual country, in order not to offend anyone. However, because Qumar is basically a pastiche of stereotypical Western ideas about the Middle East (as TvTropes says, "expect Mosques, veils, scampering children demanding Baksheesh, heat, sand, and camels" [1]) it can end up being offensive anyway, despite the fact that it does not name any specific country.
Several other versions of Qumar exist in different tv shows and movies, as well as in literature and comics, making this a broad trope beyond the fandoms mentioned.