“All-American Muslim” airs on Sunday nights on TLC. It’s about five Muslim families living in Dearborn, Michigan, the city with the highest Muslim community in the country. According to Amy Winter, TLC’s general manager, her network wanted to show that “these are families that might have beliefs that are different than yours, but we are all living similar daily lives and hopefully we will bring that to light.”
A few days ago, hardware store giant Lowe’s pulled its advertising from “Muslim,” due to threats of a protest from the Florida Family Association. (Florida is the worst.) In a statement, the FFA, led by David Caton, said, “The show profiles only Muslims that appear to be ordinary folks while excluding many Islamic believers whose agenda poses a clear and present danger to the liberties…that the majority of Americans cherish.”
(The FFA has a long history of pointing their bigoted blame on TV shows, like “Modern Family” because of Cam and Mitchell and “Degrassi” because of everything. Their website is currently down, due to a much-deserved hacking effort, so you won’t be able to enjoy their official ignorance until later.)
Many people are pissed at Lowe’s pulling their ad money from the show, but I don’t think the overpriced big-box retailer is really the problem; it’s a business decision and at least they gave some money in the first place, even though they knew the show was going to be a lightning rod for controversy. Focusing on that part of the issue is like worrying about a single flea when you’ve already got the Bubonic Plague. The real issue at hand is that it’s 2011 (almost 2012!), and we’re still fu*king afraid of a TV show about Muslims.
My fiancée is Muslim (she was born here, her parents in Bangladesh) and I’ve bared witness to verbal hate crimes thrown her way, so maybe that’s why I’m particularly sensitive to this issue. (And why I apologize for the serious’ish tone and lack of dick jokes in this post – I tried to fit one in, and it just didn’t work…Oh wait.) I’ve also watched “All-American Muslim” and it’s a very good series; it’s what reality shows should be. The unscripted “All-American Muslims” is doing for Muslims what “The Cosby Show” did for African-Americans – showing different religions and races without stereotypes to Christian white people, basically. And considering 61% of the country doesn’t personally know a Muslim, it’s an important show, too. We live in a society where pop culture dictates the mainstream, so rather than protest a big-box (that probably won’t feel a dent in their profits anyways) to prove you’re mad at their decision, watch “All-American Muslim” instead. TLC won’t cancel a highly rated show, and that influence you hold is more powerful than any poorly made hammer you can buy at Lowe’s.
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David Caton: You can’t show muslims doing things that we normal Americans do! It’s unamerican! If you make them appear to be like us that’s how they can slip in and go unnoticed and terrorism things could happen!
Well I don’t really think that’s the case here, David. They really are just normal Americans themselves.
DC: Like hell they are! I know a Muslim when I see one! Extremists want to kill Americans because they’re jealous that we are the freest country on the planet! The only way we can keep ourselves free is if we subvert those dangerous Muslims!
Ya know you’re starting to sound like one hell of a bigot here, David.
DC: I’m not a bigot, I’m a patriot. Besides, you’re writing this dude.
Well you have me there.
wait….you mean, 22% of the world population AREN’T terrorist? Why would Fox News deceive me like that?
“highest Muslim community in the country” – Those PSAs were right! Buying pot DOES help terrorists!
Muslims are terrible. They worship a God with a different name than I do.
aaaaaaaaaaaaand queue the idiots who I identify with fiscally and otherwise have very little in common with….
Hopefully America is getting to the end of its love affair with hating people that are different than them. We’ve already gone through: women, blacks, and Catholics. Once this final generation just fucking dies hopefully dipshits like Florida won’t see Muslims and gays as threats to the American community, but part of the American community itself.
Seriously, I fully believe we’re one or two dead generations out from the mouthbreathers who are scared of everything different being outnumbered 5 to 1, but I could be overly optimistic.
to clarify – the troll/new member idiots, not the regulars who happen to be “compassionate conservatives”
“The show profiles only Muslims that appear to be ordinary folks while excluding many Islamic believers whose agenda poses a clear and present danger to the liberties…that the majority of Americans cherish.”
I say we substitute “Christians” and “Christian” into that sentence and start a campaign to get “19 and Counting” off the air, too.
Seriously, the bullshit agenda the current Congress is trying to push through is a far greater threat to our liberties than anything Al Qaeda (or any Muslim) has done in the last ten years.
Nice.
Russell Simmons bought up all of the available ad space Lowes dumped.
[www.cnn.com]
Also this CNN article says Richard Simmons did it which I find hilarious
@LastTexansFan you are way too optimistic. Those mouth breathers are teaching their litter of mouth breathers how to properly stereotype and hate other cultures. It’s the circle of stupidity.
@Tubesteak That’s like the Circle of Life, but with fewer gazelle, right?
@Tubesteak: Yeah it’s the Idiocracy theory. However, I have too much faith in humanity that the children of racists don’t all become racists themselves. My dad spouts around the N-word like candy, and I love plowing black girls (before my loving and cherishing Syrian girlfriend, of course). I hope that those Jr. Mouthbreathers can think enough for themselves to realize while they may love their racist parents, that most of what they say is full of shit.
Haha, “big-box store,” is that where your mom works?
/vagina joke added, world again at peace.
Forget the Muslims, I’m afraid of all TLC shows.
@JoshK Fewer Gazelles but, way more mullets, chewin’ tabacca and of course the stars and bars.
The issue with the show is that its sole purpose is to prove something that the VAST MAJORITY of Americans already know: The Muslims next door are NOT going to blow up your house.
So while there is a REAL threat (mainly foreign) of fanatical Islam, this show only exists to say “See, they’re actually like you and me!”…yeah, we know that. These people your showing are NORMAL people. MOST people are not up in arms about them, but the REAL crazy Muslims. And Since the Fanatics ARE of Issue, I’m only going to be watching my Muslim Themed television on National Geographic where I can hear about the fanatics, a REAL story.
How is it 61% of Americans do not personally know a Muslim? Where do these people live? I thought I grew up fairly sheltered and I lived in a pretty small town where there were a handful of Muslim families. I mean, I went to grade school with these kids back in the 80′s and the only noticeable “differences” then that no one batted an eye to were-the girls wore hijab over their hair and the kids didn’t stand during the pledge of allegiance because it references God-no one cared and everyone respected that. I really hope these ignorant people just disappear so I don’t get worked up all the time.
I always appreciated Chris Rocks approach to racism. “I hate every body. I don’t have time to put them into categories.”
I agree that it’s completely ridiculous what the FFA did and I hate them BUT what is a verbal hate crime? Were there actual threats made? That’s just a crime then.
@LTF – I’m absolutely amazed at what I hear from some of the people I went to (catholic) high school with as they spout off these days. I’m really wondering how much is nature and how much is nurture.
@shatwood – The vast majority do not have the views you think they do. From a poll conducted in September, 47% polled believe Islamic values are at odds with American values. The whole point of this show is to dispel that belief. Yes, there radicals (and probably a higher percentage than say radical Christians) however, the vast majority of Muslims, particularly those who seek to leave Islamic ruled countries for the US, are not.
The real issue at hand is that it’s 2011 (almost 2012!), and we’re still fu*king afraid of a TV show about Muslims.
Qaplah! You just earned yourself a big soapy Klingon hug!
The issue with the show is that its sole purpose is to prove something that the VAST MAJORITY of Americans already know: The Muslims next door are NOT going to blow up your house.
So while there is a REAL threat (mainly foreign) of fanatical Islam, this show only exists to say “See, they’re actually like you and me!”…yeah, we know that.
With all due respect, no, you don’t. Or maybe not you, there are millions of mouthbreathing fucktards who don’t.
You know, the ones who wet themselves in terror when a group of Muslims tried to put up a community center in a former Burlington Coat Factory in lower Manhattan? The ones who drove a mosque out of town in Murfreesboro, Tennessee? Or the ones who are currently worried that we’re somehow going to get sharia law in this country?
Hate crimes against Muslims — the ones inside America’s borders — went up 50 percent in 2010 according to FBI data. Seeing how the people who commit them already get a steady drumbeat of “derp, the brown people is coming to kill you” on Fox News all day long, maybe we could use a show like this after all?
the FFA, led by David Caton, said, “The show profiles only Muslims that appear to be ordinary folks while excluding many Islamic believers whose agenda poses a clear and present danger to the liberties…that the majority of Americans cherish.”
So in order to protect American liberties like freedom of expression and freedom of religion, we have to make sure no one watches this show about peaceful Muslims. Gotcha.
@Otto: Seems fair, if we can have a show on Christians “whose agenda poses a clear and present danger to the liberties…that the majority of Americans cherish.”
Like Hitler, McVeigh, KKK, Sandusky, etc.
In 2010, 67% of religious violence was against jews, 12% against Muslims, and 4% against Catholics. Seems like we should focus more on why there’s still anti-semitic violence.
[www.fbi.gov]
Oh and last but definitely not least, the Westboro Baptist Church. Let’s make a show about them being Christians and see how fast the FFA decries it for “unfairly painting all of one religion to the views of the most extreme and dangerous of that group.”
I should add that a few of those idiots who think Muslims inside America are some kind of dire threat are running for the Republican presidential nomination. The nuttiest of them is currently the front-runner.
[www.washingtonpost.com]
Persian women are the most beautiful women on the planet. And my penis makes all my decisions for me.
@Larry Dickman. TLC has done far more to damage America than any Muslim in the last five years. The brief time Kate Plus 8 was on the air was TV’s 9/11.
I have to believe that the “61% of the country doesn’t know a Muslim” number is self-reported, and that people just don’t realize someone they know is Muslim. I certainly have NO idea what religion 98% of the people I work with are (thank god), and one or many of them could easily be Muslim. Ditto even some of my acquaintances. Outside of close friends and family, who do you discuss religion with?
If I was asked, i’d have to say that I do not know if anyone I know is a Muslim.I live and work in the Boston metro area, so I’m sure there are plenty around. It just doesn’t come up. Because it doesn’t matter. Which I think is the best we could ask for.
You are a hack. “I am going to marry a Muslim so I am an expert on Islam.”
The Amen family featured on the show supports Hamas and Hezbollah, and refused to denounce them and their terrorist acts. That is why Lowe’s quit advertising on the show you retard.
But you probably knew that, being the investigative, thoughtful blogger that you are. Do some research you pandering tool. Any country where Islam is the majority wouldnt even allow you to write this bullshit blog because it goes against their religion. Fucking moron.
Those mouth breathers are teaching their litter of mouth breathers how to properly stereotype and hate other cultures. It’s the circle of stupidity.
Of course, these are the same people who are shunning vaccines for their kids, so maybe Darwin will win out.
I don’t personally know a Baptist, Lutheran, or any of the other several dozen Catholic spin-offs, but I’d hardly say it’s “important” that TV make a show to introduce them to me.
I love how JAE drops off some “facts” about the Amen family that have apparently only been covered on right-wing tinfoil-hat sites of professional Islamophobes like Debbie Schussel and Atlas Shrugs and then tells the rest of us to do some research.
“Come on, you stupid sheep! Everyone knows that gay Mexican Islamic warriors are hatching a secret plot to align with the mole people and poison all our Denny’s Grand Slam breakfasts! It’s right there on WorldNetDaily! Do some research!”
You want to see a hack and a moron? Look in the mirror, dipshit.
you guys, i know it’s unpopular point of view, but… i don’t miss Matt. i mean, as nice as he was, these ”new people” are knocking it out of the park. yes, naked Joel helps too, but i like my tv news with opinions, you know? great job!
@Shatwood
When I see all-caps words overused in a post I like to pretend you’re writing a secret message within a message using those capitalized words.
‘VAST MAJORITY NOT REAL. NORMAL MOST REAL ARE REAL.’
I’m on to you.
@Alvis For the many, many (read: most) people who don’t live in New York City or Los Angeles or a big city (or Dearborn, Michigan, as it were), shows like All-American Muslim are “important.” They’re an introduction to a group of people you might otherwise never see, due to location. I’m guessing not many Muslims venture to Swampbog, Alabama.
@guitarjustin-
Penis for president.
Penis 2012 “I’d tap that America”
Great job refuting my point with all of your facts. And by facts I mean misguided and biased opinion.
And I didn’t get my info from DS or AS, I got it from the Detroit free press.
Here are some facts you retard. In November alone, Muslims murdered 685 people in 23 countries worldwide. Your religion is one of oppression and violence.
Basically, go fuck yourself with your bullshit opinion because the facts and evidence do not support what you say.
@JAE How many people did non muslims murder in November?
Also, the site you pulled that stat from [thereligionofpeace.com] looks like a bastion of non-baised fact based reporting. (Yeah. I can look up random facts on Google too.)
OK, while @JAE commented like a flame-tard, he did make me question our new blogger’s info. I checked. Pussified statement from loews: “Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lightning rod for many of those views. As a result, we did pull our advertising. We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance.”
I even went to the FFA website. Even THEY didn’t mention Hamas or Hezbollah.
Or what Otto said.
“bared witness”? try “borne.”
Something else JAE made me think about: Josh, you didn’t need to include the info about your fiance. If being a rational human being is not enough ethos for your audience, they won’t get the logos and are incapable of pathos
Hey guys, did I miss anything? Work has been a bear recently. Ohhh…carry on.
/The best way to radicalize a group is to cut off all opportunities for the group to feel welcome in the main stream.
@JAE – As someone who reads the Freep every day and I’ve read the articles on the show and the fallout, even with a search of the Freep I can’t find any article talking about Hamas in relation to the Amen family. Everything on google comes from Schlussel or links back to her as their source. If you’ve got the link to the Freep article, I’d love to see it.
@bob Fair enough. It’s tough being a white blogger in America, y’know?
And I didn’t get my info from DS or AS, I got it from the Detroit free press.
Really? The news reporting of the DFP and not an op-ed column? Care to provide a link? Because searching their archives doesn’t show me anything. At all.
Here are some facts you retard. In November alone, Muslims murdered 685 people in 23 countries worldwide.
Which has fuckall to do with a show about non-murdering Muslims in this single country.
You are such a pathetic piece of shit, that you don’t even realize your rebuttal here about how all them crazy Muslims is killing people around the world is exactly the kind of kouth-breathing fucknuttery that a show like this is designed to counter.
Of course you think it’s a bad idea. The Klan hated the Cosby show too.
Your religion is one of oppression and violence
I’m a Catholic. My religion is one of oppression and pedophilia, but mostly guilt.
Reading your comments on this ios like watching a dog try to eat peanut butter. I know I should feel bad about watching a dumb animal tie itself in knots, but I can’t help it.
The best way to radicalize a group is to cut off all opportunities for the group to feel welcome in the main stream.
Bingo. There’s a reason Muslims in America haven’t been even remotely radicalized to the degree that Muslims in Europe have been. And it’s the simple fact that most of us aren’t ignorant assholes.
Don’t worry, JAE, I say “most of us.” You can continue to trumpet your ignorance as loudly as you like.
Dammit. My dog JUST HAD to go to the dog park and I missed the entire political flame war.
You buncha retard fucknuts.
I’m a Catholic. My religion is one of oppression and pedophilia, but mostly guilt.
best. description. ever.
@LastTexansFan:
I’m not certain if this one if going to end more or less quickly than normal. While there is less reasonable debate to be had than normal it also involves religion, so reason is less important.
In November alone, Muslims murdered 685 people in 23 countries worldwide. Your religion is one of oppression and violence.
I’d wager to bet that Christianity has killed LOADS more people than that in the span of history. Hell, we Catholics are probably responsible for more molestations that Muslims murders of Americans in the name of Islam.
@josh – trying to be constructive, unlike our troll. I’m really surprised we only got one today!
try being an italian american, yo. amiright @vince?
I remember in September reading an article asking the question, are Americans ready for Little Mosque on the Prairie? It was question asked not because it was a show based in Canada, but a question based on whether Americans could handle a Muslim based sit-com. Then I realized America is still about 60 years behind the times in social issues.
Dear JAE: I have two finals in the next two days. I’d appreciate it if you kept this going until after then so I can dedicate more of my thoughts to telling you how I hope your daughter gets knocked up by a Black Panther/Muslim extremist.
And yet JAE doesn’t even attempt to refute my facts. DG, as the go to legal scholar, would you please enter Azita Ghanizada into evidence, exhibit “V”
[www.esquire.com]
The best response to JAE.
[www.youtube.com]
@justin- you’re a prince. Picture 9 of 15 is TV related. I expect a post, new blogger guys.
And STILL am waiting for Lindy. Especially after this serious stuff.
In November alone, Muslims murdered 685 people in 23 countries worldwide.
Wow, out of a global population of 1,500,000,000 Muslims, that means 0.000438666667% of Muslims committed murder that month!
I know what JAE is going to say next — those numbers above are Arabic numerals and therefore cannot be trusted. Your move, libtards!
Shouldn’t FFA be complaining about 19 Kids and Counting because it shows ultra Conservative Christians as retarded, uneducated hillbillies?
Oh….wait….
@Otto:
I tried to write out your math in Roman Numerals but it is impossible to do decimals (and really difficult to do 1.5 billion). This can only mean one thing:
God hates math.
Otto Man
In November alone, Muslims murdered 685 people in 23 countries worldwide.
Wow, out of a global population of 1,500,000,000 Muslims, that means 0.000438666667% of Muslims committed murder that month!
———————————————————–
Wait….isn’t that assuming each instance was a single murder committed by a different Muslim?
OOOH! YES! Belatedly tuning into the latest installment of “Otto Man Pwns Fools.” I can hardly wait for both the lightbringing AND the ad hominem attacks.
God hates math.
Of course he does. Ever read the Old Testament? All the measurements are in cubits. That’d make anyone turn against fancy numberin’.
I can hardly wait for both the lightbringing AND the ad hominem attacks.
Careful, JAE probably thinks “ad hominem” involves product placement on gay-themed TV.
Yep, just as I suspected. A yeoman’s work.
I’m glad people who get their information from intentionally misleading, xenophobic hatemongers come here to comment. Not because I think it changes minds or sets anyone straight, but because thoroughly forceful ridicule should await people who shit bundles of skewed numbers and other pre-packaged ignorance everywhere they tread on the internet.
As someone who lives in Florida, I can agree with Florida being the worst. Florida is nothing but religious nuts, perverts and old people.
@Otto
Hah! I probably should have put it in italics for him.
I am 5800% more likely to be murdered by someone from Florida than a Muslim Terrorist.*
*Don’t worry, I used science.
“The people responsible for 9/11 don’t represent all Muslims.”
“BOOOOOOOOO!”
Does that sum it up or is it worth mucking through the PoFlaWa?
Dammit. I was all ready to wade in, being an expert on Islam and terrorism (and not because I’m marrying one).
But Otto and others have beaten me to the punch, and JAE is off in some corner of the internet, whimpering and jerking off to pictures of Tim McVeigh.
Well done, everyone.
Though I’d say that boycotting Lowe’s isn’t pointless–it’s a little thing, but if enough people stand on their principles, maybe enough momentum builds to keep corporations from yanking the carpet out from under shows like this.
Because none of us are Nielsen families, and thus the only real way we can influence TV programming is to hit advertisers in their wallets.
On that note, I should find out who is supporting the Duggers and their horde, and boycott them.
Frankly, to the extent this show is propaganda it seems like propaganda for the US to the Muslim world overseas. I’d much rather have young Muslim men watching a show where American Muslims feel at home in the US than the anti-American crap that is often broadcast overseas.
Way to F that up FFA.
Good point, Tacos. Fifty years ago, the government would be producing this show through USIA and broadcasting it overseas as well as at home.
Guys. GUYS. No one has brought up Escape from LA yet. Seriously, go watch that movie. You think that’s fiction, don’t you?
John Carpenter is either a prophet or he’s lucked into some time travel tech he’s not sharing with the rest of us.
“In November alone, Muslims murdered 685 people in 23 countries worldwide.”
Slightly less than 30 people per country. Philadelphia alone had about 25 reported murders for November 2011. 30 people for an entire country is actually fairly underwhelming.
Also, how many of those 23 countries were predominately Muslim? It stands to reason that if you are in a predominately Muslim country and you are murdered, your murderer will most likely be Muslim. Especially if said country is involved in sectarian violence and power plays like Iraq.
Daily show OWNED this last night.
[www.shoebat.com]
Check this out… I lived in NYC for 25 years….the place I ate pizza at for years was owned by an italian family they sold it to a muslim family…. WHICH In turn decided to fundraise…when we were kids we had things called poor boxes and the muslim family put this white box out…the white box did not reach the poor…rather it was the fundraiser for JIHAD…which is what the muslim in his arrogance told me. He did not think I was smart enough to know what he meant. When I asked him directly what jihad was he said it was his religions fundraiser for peace! The guy really did not think I was smart at all. I then began to look throughout my NY neighborhood and found there were these boxes all over…THIS WAS PRE 911…people dropped major dollars into these boxes not just change… like at mc d’s for the ronald mcdonald house….THESE are the peaceful people who dont want to harm us. These are the people who fundraise to KILL us… I am so sad that you sit here and believe that they are harmless. 911 was just the beginning… do you remember the first attack? it was in 93… they had to get better intelligence so our great media TOLD them how to take down the twin towers… look around and ask your muslim friends what they think of the following?
Am I saying that all Muslims and Arabs practice doublespeak and have an agenda? Hardly, Nadia Mahdeed from AlSharq Al-Awsat (Middle East News) entered the Karbala Center to interview Alhusayni, she was struck by how many people approached her for not adhering to the dress code: “I was not wearing a black sheet that women who came to prayer are supposed to wear.” Mahdeed then relayed what she was told by worshippers: “The people who came to pray all told me that they have no trust in America. I am amazed since they all enjoyed living in it.” When she interviewed Alhusayni, she said to him: “Your followers insisted I mention to you that they hate Saddam Hussein but that they also have no trust in America.” Alhusayni, a master of political rhetoric, cleverly replied by adding the word ‘policy’: “Not many of us trust in the American policy.”
Indeed, doublespeak artists live by double standards. As if underscoring the reality that Alhusayni only wanted to convey a peaceful perception while seeming to support something else entirely, the conflict between the two was not lost on Mahdeed: “Despite his gracefulness, when I walked out of there, my mind was charged with the slogans of war, not the tranquility of peace that supposed to exists inside such a place.”
I realize I’m like 2 days late to this but Otto, you seriously had me spitting out my coffee. I’m with bob: best. description. ever.
Way to wait til the thread dies to spout your message of bigotry and hate dumbass.