I'm gonna second the rec for 13th Warrior. The fact that it's based on a real person is even cooler: Ahmad ibn Fadlan.

But I'm going to have to disagree on the whole political point. Case in point: Sayid on LOST. I'm not saying that America has the best track record for accurately representing Muslims or Arabs/Near Eastern people, but Crichton's ibn Fadlan was hardly the only heroic representation.