No one had yet seen this show, mind you, and it is wildly unlikely in this hypersensitive politically correct age that it would have actually contained anything offensive to Islam, but the plot did seem to touch ever so lightly on the plight of Muslim women in a Sharia state (Saudi Arabia), and on the kidnapping of Western children by Muslims to raise them in Muslim countries (which is an all-too-grim reality — witness the film Not Without My Daughter, the story of Patricia Roush, etc.).
That was too much for Hamas-linked CAIR, so they began demanding that ABC adhere to Sharia prohibitions against criticism of Islam, and drop the series. But note well what ABC says: “The current conversation surrounding our pilot was not what we had envisioned and is certainly not conducive to the creative process, so we’ve decided not to move forward with this project.” In other words, they are dropping it because of the controversy. That is in essence to reward a kind of terrorism: Hamas-linked CAIR knows that all it has to do to achieve its goals is stir up a “controversy,” and timid and ignorant Western officials will immediately cave in and give them what they want, as those officials have neither the time nor the stomach to stand up in a battle for the freedom of speech. And so we continue to slide down the road to total submission.
“ABC Family Pulls Plug on ‘Alice in Arabia’ After Muslim Org Backlash,” by Andrea Seikaly in Variety, March 21:
Just days after the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) expressed concerns over potential stereotyping in the pilot for ABC Family’s “Alice in Arabia” and requested a meeting with execs, the network has decided not to pursue the show that had been announced Monday.
An ABC Family spokesperson said Friday, “The current conversation surrounding our pilot was not what we had envisioned and is certainly not conducive to the creative process, so we’ve decided not to move forward with this project.”
The show’s premise centered on an American teen kidnapped by her Saudi Arabian family after tragedy befalls her parents.
The pilot was penned by Brooke Eikmeier, who served in the U.S. Army as a cryptologic linguist in the Arabic language and trained to support NSA missions in the Middle East.
CAIR previously challenged actual and potential anti-Muslim stereotypes in “Executive Decision,” “24,” “The Siege,” “True Lies,” “Rules of Engagement,” “Obsession,” “The Third Jihad,” “Jihad in America” and “The Sum of All Fears.” The org has also acted as a consultant on films including DreamWorks Animation’s “The Prince of Egypt.”
Sam says
We are not losing the fredom of speech. We lost it. We lost it without even fighting for it. What a strange phenomena we are going through with Islam. God help us.
Huck Folder says
Looks like EVERYONE hates it before they’ve even seen it. Even Al-Jizm.
Can you say PREJUDICE?
cair-to-Holder…cair-to-Holder…Come in please…
“sherifazuhur says:
March 19, 2014 at 7:25 pm
Those who made nasty comments about the author of the Alice in Arabia episode are by NO means “Muslim advocates.” They have no authority in the community, are not scholars, writers, nor filmmakers. They use a reverse-racist argument because they don’t want ANY “bad stories” about women’s oppression, guardianship (subject of the show) or honor killings because they say these heighten the U.S. public’s fear of Islam. But what about the women are actually oppressed. They conveyed to me, they don’t care about these women. Variety don’t listen to this baloney from self-appointed, careerist would-be ‘community representatives.” No-one elected them, no-one appointed them.”
mortimer says
ABC succumbs to the Heckler’s Veto! The threat of financial punishment, terrorism and potential loss of life is not worth the risk to CEOs and legal departments. ABC wants to be able to report the news in Muslim countries, even if they will be required to do so inaccurately.
ABC has lost journalistic integrity and is now INACCURATE when it comes to Islamic news. They are terrorized.
Huck Folder says
It’s gone. Already. Can you say PREJUDICE?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/22/alice-in-arabia-abc-family_n_5012643.html
How about Round Two? Who is it – The Florida Family Association? Can someone organize a boycott of ABC advertisers in objection to this BLATANT SELF-CENSORSHIP?
Mohammedans are at the MOST 2% of the US population, so the other 98% are denied the right to see this program?
But the ONLY way ABC will learn is through their income, or lack of it.
Jay Boo says
ABC to the rescue of truth (or not) … once again.
Answering Muslims David Wood comments on pandering of ABC
http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2011/11/whitewashing-islam-20-errors-on
Jay Boo says
Link did not seem to work well
alternate can Google (David Wood ABC)
Lisa England says
Nationalism is the only answer. Literally, the only way to destroy Islam.
thomas_h says
“Literally, the only way to destroy Islam.”
I don’t understand how. Could you expand on that?
mortimer says
National Socialism CO-OPERATED with Islam. INTERNATIONAL socialism did not. Communism CRUSHED Islam.
Bear this in mind: well-prepared Muslims (the best they have) lose practically all the debates to people like Robert Spencer. He knows Islam inside out and they do too. For the first time in history, Islam has to stand up to rigorous critical thought and IT CANNOT WITHSTAND THE ANALYSIS! Islam is being exposed as an appalling hoax fabricated by the caliphs to dupe young men to die for them.
Brian C. Hoff says
Communion didnot destory Islam in the USSR. Russia have about 25 million plus muslim as citizens.
Brian C. Hoff says
Since her parent die than america court award her extend family legal right to bring her up they donot need to kidnap her at all.
thomas_h says
I admit I don’t understand what this has to do with my question to Lisa England.
voegelinian says
Communism did not “crush” Islam. The U.S.S.R. under Lenin and Stalin and Kruschev over the span of half a century or more did destroy thousands of mosques, and did massacre probably thousands of Muslims (and also destroyed churches, massacred Christians, and submitted Christian behavior to cruel oppression pretty much as bad as Islam does in many Muslim countries); but they by no means “crushed” Islam. If they had, they wouldn’t have had the horrible problem of Islamic terrorism they’ve had for the last 30 years, with scores of successful attacks and suicide bombings — including of airliners, and often in the capital city, Moscow.
Ditto for Red China.
voegelinian says
P.S.: Not to mention the Soviet Union’s own “Vietnam” — the Afghanistan war where Muslims were fighting and killing Russian soldiers throughout the 80s.
thomas_h says
@voegelinian
And socialism whose latest embodiment is EU is an enthusiastically willing tool, a patsy of Islam, dumping millions of moslem immigrants on head of the native europeans, bending backward to meet their most outrageous demands, and generally preparing Europe for islamic overtake.
So much for mortimer’s claim. Not only is it wrong in itself, but even if it were right it still wouldn’t be an answer to the question I asked Lisa England.
citycat says
What about Earthalism NOW before Islam becomes Earthalism.
citycat says
Or maybe Worldalism NOW before Islam becomes Worldalism
Don Davenport says
I would have surprised if they actually aired it.
Clearsighted says
Does anyone have contact info for the ABC dhimmis who are responsible for this capitulation?
Ayatrollah says
So abc is not going to air anything that could possibly be offensive to anyone or just Muslims?
RCCA says
I’d be interested in watching Desperate Housewives of Saudi Arabia. There’s a lot you could do with that idea. LOL
RCCA says
Here’s some material from http://americanbedu.com/2008/04/06/you-know-youve-lived-in-saudi-arabia-when/
You think anyone with a cane is out to get you.
You have more carpets than floor space
You expect gold for every birthday
You send your friends a map instead of your address
You begin admiring other women’s “Designer” abayas
Your idea of housework is leaving a list for the housekeeper
You think black is appropriate daytime wear
You wear a jacket inside and take it off when you go out
Your husband brings home an entire butchered lamb, complete with head, and you don’t vomit.
You wait until after Isha prayer to go to the doctor’s office.
You automatically head for the back seat of the car.
You still nearly fall out of bed every morning from the shock of the Fajr azan.
You think going to the post office with your husband is a nice outing.
You think going to the mall is a special occasion.
rubiconcrest says
Sad to see ABC capitulating. We just witnessed an academy award for ’12 Years a Slave’. Why is Islamic slavery etc… off limits? How else will this culture change if a bright light does not illuminate the backwardness. So what if the KKK/CAIR objects. They are on the wrong side ABC. Don’t you even know that?
islamisdeath says
ABC execs are scared the members of the religion of peace will murder them in their sleep.
boakai ngombu says
“… (CAIR-LA) expressed concerns over potential stereotyping …”
I don’t understand … a singular best example of the GROTESQUE (by which Hollywood and TV have made zillions) is already depicted in the sunna
talk about an absolutely immoral and horrible human exemplar and you can’t exclude Muhammad (lately contrived; full of lust)
what is CAIR caring about?
islamisdeath says
Meanwhile subtle but effective anti Christian imagery is in every Hollywood movie. The bad guys always wear crosses, crosses are seen in the homes of the baddies in every movie or in the background to the scene there are Christians portrayed in negative ways.
Barrett Kalellis says
Patricia Roush was not the subject of the book/movie “Not Without My Daughter.” Rather, it was Betty Mahmoody, who escaped from Iran with her daughter. Patricia Roush’s daughters were kidnapped by their father and taken to Saudi Arabia, and were never returned to the United States. They are now grown, but remain in the Kingdom due to its ban on women traveling without a male guardian’s permission. Reportedly they are now both married as a result of arranged marriages and have children of their own.
gravenimage says
Barrett Kalellis wrote:
Patricia Roush was not the subject of the book/movie “Not Without My Daughter.” Rather, it was Betty Mahmoody…
……………………………
Barrett, you are correct.
But reread the passage in the story above:
“…witness the film Not Without My Daughter, the story of Patricia Roush, etc.).”
Clearly, given the phrasing, Robert Spencer is citing these as two separate stories.
Loves God says
More information about what they thought the show would be about – sounds a bit silly and naive for the plat (at best). They had Abu Hamza as the name of the grandfather who kidnapped her – where or how did they manage to come up with THAT name?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2587442/ABC-Family-cancels-teen-drama-Alice-Arabia-racist-pilot-sparks-backlash-online.html
gravenimage says
No one had yet seen this show, mind you, and it is wildly unlikely in this hypersensitive politically correct age that it would have actually contained anything offensive to Islam, but the plot did seem to touch ever so lightly on the plight of Muslim women in a Sharia state (Saudi Arabia), and on the kidnapping of Western children by Muslims to raise them in Muslim countries…
…………………………..
Yes—I’m sure this would have been entirely politically correct and full of noble Muslim characters.
But for it to even *touch* on such truths as the oppression of women and kidnap of Infidel children under Islam is considered too much…