Today at Hudson NY (via RaymondIbrahim.com) I discuss a new “reality” show on Muslims in America, which claims to provide “insight into their culture with care and compassion,” as well as teach us about “diversity”…
American TV network TLC recently announced that it is making a reality series following the lives of Muslims living in America. The programme””called “All American Muslim–”will follow five Muslim families in Dearborn, Michigan hoping to expose the “misconceptions and conflicts” they face “outside and within” their own community.
In a statement, TLC”s general manager Amy Winter said: “Through these families and their diverse experiences, we will explore how they blend their values and traditions with everyday life in America,” adding that the program would provide “Insight into their culture with care and compassion.”
In other words, at a time when the need for objective knowledge concerning Islam is at a premium, many Americans are to be subliminally indoctrinated on what Islam is really about””not through Muslim theology or history, nor yet politics and current events””but rather by a “reality” show of a handful of American Muslims.
One of TLC”s goals in airing this program is to show us “diversity” in Islam. According to the network’s statement “The families featured in the series share the same religion, but lead very distinct lives that oftentimes challenge the Muslim stereotype.”
For example, there is a girl that “sports piercings and tattoos–”as if that is supposed to tell us something about Islam. Other characters are not so colorful, but are formulated simply to gain sympathy for Muslims: their claim to fame is that they are “trying to find the balance between their traditional Muslim roots and American culture,” or working “tirelessly to educate “¦ about the Muslim religion in an effort to reduce discrimination and ignorance.”
In short, through five families who supposedly represent a religion of over one billion, the show is dedicated to depicting Muslims as “just like us.” Yet one might argue that these five families are not even representative of their own Muslim neighbors in Dearborn….