'All-American Muslim' Introduces Character Fouad Zaban, High School Football Coach (VIDEO)

A new TLC reality show will put Dearborn in the spotlight.

On "All-America Muslim," a range of characters will offer a look at how Islam affects their daily lives. One of the first episodes tells the story of a woman who marries an Irish Catholic.

The eight-part series will focus on five different Muslim families, including that of Fouad Zaban, who coaches the football team at Fordson High School.

"The most important things in my life after Islam are my family and teaching football," Zaban said. On the show, Zaban and his team struggle to schedule football practices around Ramadan fasting.

"All-American Muslim" also delves into the issues American Muslims have faced since 9/11.

"When we play schools away from Dearborn, they start calling us names," one football player says.

"All-American Muslim" also aims to show Americans the wide range and diversity of Muslim families.

"I think the show will be good and humanizing for the Muslim community of Dearborn," said Dawud Walid of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islam Relations.

Walid added that Muslims are "much more diverse than what Dearborn may show. Dearborn is an anomaly in the American Muslim landscape for its large Arab-American population and concentrated Muslim population."

"All-American Muslim" premieres Sunday, Nov. 13, at 10 p.m.

Comments

[kelliwalters4u]

01:43 AM on 11/28/2011

First of all it is a t.v. show. The show is trying to down play the true muslim beliefs by showing them as just a normal family. The show doesn't mention how if you don't convert to islam they feel it's their right and duty to kill you.Start searching youtube and hear it directly from their mouths.I know your going to say it's not all muslims,but look for the videos in Norway,Sweden,Finland and European countries where muslims have been allowed to spread their "beliefs".It isn't just a few radical muslims.In the U.S. they are starting to do the same thing.Reproduce and conquer with a large number of devote muslims. You might laugh but it has happened in Europe and Scandinavia.

[detroitblkmale30]

09:26 AM on 11/19/2011

All American people, All American Town. Dearborn, great people great food, proud to call them neighbors.

[annyksa]

03:58 PM on 11/17/2011

its a very simple concept, Muslims are humans just as Christians, & Jews r,contrary to what the u.s. media wants you to think.

[Satirist1]

03:14 PM on 11/18/2011

"Muslims are humans just as Christians­, & Jews."
Absolutely.

Quick check:
How about atheists, pagans and those who left Islam and now criticize it, are they human?

[Stacy Ann Tucker]

03:27 PM on 11/17/2011

This show was deceptively un-representative of American Muslims. Two of the women (the Real Housewives-like wannabe bar owner and the excessive body-art enthusiast) were so completely outside the bounds of acceptible Muslim behavior that I predict that this show will have a short shelf life. The families that are observant Muslims will be chastised within their own community for associating with such a non-representative program.

The families of the non-observant Muslims will be even further ostracized within the community. Notice that the perfectly pretty and Islamic older sister of the Tatoo-chick wasn't married? The reason for "honor killings" in Muslim countries is to restore the honor of the entire family by eliminating immorality within the family. The price of Tatoo-chick's family's tolerance of her behavior is that it brings the rest of the family down. Airing their failure as Muslims on national TV will not help their situation.

The truly Muslim perspective voiced in the show was practically hidden within all the required reality-show hoopla. Belly dancers ARE the equivalent of strippers in Muslim society, an embarrassment to any decent Muslim. Nobody even bothered to mention that tatoos are also considered "haram" (forbidden), as are parties with both sexes in attendance. It is not haram for a woman to own a business, but a BAR? Wannabe-Housewife is literally insane to think it would be acceptible for a Muslim woman to open a bar, especially in Dearborn, MI.

[annyksa]

04:18 PM on 11/17/2011

u are right somewhat, a couple of the women were not exhibiting acceptable Islamic behavior but Muslims are people too and make mistakes and take on the values of the country they were born and raised in, this show depicts this accurately, as an american muslim myself, i've seen many examples of all of the characters on the show.

[Stacy Ann Tucker]

12:23 AM on 11/18/2011

As an American Muslim, you know that purity of faith is important. Don't you think at least a few observant Muslims might be offended that this behavior is representing their faith? A friend of mine went on a radio show and talked about how in her Muslim household, she was the boss and she told her husband what to do (they were cousins and it was true). Even though they were well-respected and liked in the community, they got blasted by members of the masjid who thought she misrepresented Muslim family dynamics. They weren't placated until she went back on the show and clarified her statement.

[detroitblkmale30]

09:38 AM on 11/19/2011

I understand that this is more likely a Hollywood version of a Muslim family, and while there are exceptions to mainstream community, it paints a picture overall. Afterall, these arent fake people per se, they represent a spectrum, they may be on the far fringes, but they still consider themselves Muslims. While there is consensus on Muslim beliefs, there isnt 100 percent conformity and that is Muslim too.

[glenhilda]

01:55 PM on 11/17/2011

Please tell us whether "All American Muslims" would choose their faith over their country in every decision.

[annyksa]

04:20 PM on 11/17/2011

that is a bit of a stupid question, one can practise his/her religion and be american at the same time.

[rich3324]

01:15 PM on 11/17/2011

Nice to see my hometown in the spotlight.

[MegaMomSC]

12:25 PM on 11/17/2011

I missed the episode on 11/13, but I hope to catch up and stay on top of it. It looks fascinating. I dated a Muslim from Syria for five years before I started seeing my first husband. He and his friends were not at all like they are portrayed in the media. I hope this show depicts them in the same way.

[detroitblkmale30]

06:37 AM on 11/17/2011

Great concept for a show. One of the better things about the Detroit Metro area is Dearborn. Friendly folks there and great food. I'm glad to call them neighbors.

[jbrumf5632]

02:46 AM on 11/17/2011

You folks at HP overly censored this comments section. You ruined the debate between contributors.

The belly dancer was the best part of the show!

[Puncastle]

02:59 PM on 11/16/2011

For HaleemK, who insists he knows history, even though he wasn't alive 1400 years ago.

"The historian al-Tabari informs us in his treatise on Islamic history that the father of Aisha, Abu Bakr had four children and all them were born before the year 610AD, the year of the advent of Islam. If, as is generally accepted, Aisha became Muhammad's bride in the year 624AD, then she had to be at least 14 years of age, if not older on the day of her wedding.

Other calculations based on historical events place Aisha as old as 20 when she was became a bride. Ibn Hisham, the historian, reports that Aisha accepted Islam quite some time before Umar (the second caliph). This means she must have been at least a young girl in the year 610. Assuming she was five years old when Abu Bakr and his family converted to islam, the information puts the age of Aisha at 20 or more at the time of her marriage with Muhammad was consummated in 624AD."

[Puncastle]

03:00 PM on 11/16/2011

Furthermore, most Islamic historians agree that Asma, the elder sister of Aisha, was ten years older than her. It is also reported that Asma died in 683AD at the ripe age of 100. If this is true, then Asma would have been 31 years old at the time of Aisha's wedding with Muhammad in 624 and the bride would have been 21.

[Satirist1]

03:17 PM on 11/18/2011

"....who insists he knows history, even though he wasn't alive 1400 years ago."

This is probably the most hilarious comment on this thread to-date.

[barbara0309]

09:20 AM on 11/16/2011

A Muslim woman can not marry a non-Muslim man. A Muslim man can marry a woman who is from amount the "People of the Book" (ie: Christians/Jews).

[barbara0309]

09:23 AM on 11/16/2011

And just to clarify.....while you are not supposed to marry someone who is not Muslim (if you are a woman), many still do it.

This is along the same lines as Jews eating pork (I have seen that many, many times), and Christians (and Jews, and Muslims) having s*x before they are married - none of them are supposed to do these things if they actually followed their religion, but they do them anyway, and STILL claim to be: Muslim/Christian/Jew.

[itsjules]

01:32 AM on 11/16/2011

I watched the show and I really liked it. I have to say, it was EXACTLY as I suspected: they're just people! Shocking! Revolutionary!

I loved that they showed a wide range of devotion to Islam, and that there was so much humor in their roundtable talks. The wedding was lovely and fun, and the reception looked like a great party.

I did feel bad for the Catholic dude's mom when she was upset, but man I just wanted to hug the stuffing out of her for the way she was there for her son. That's a great mom!

I liked all of the people in the show, and even though I have always known that people are just people (except, as I mentioned before, religious zealots; I find them terrifying regardless of religious affiliation), it was cool to see that so plainly spelled out, without fanfare.

I already had it on my dvr, it's staying :)

[Jan Allen McDaniel]

12:29 PM on 11/17/2011

they're just people! Shocking! Revolution­ary!
===========

And they are all just like the ones in the show.

No problems.

Go back to sleep, we'll wake you when the war ends.

[itsjules]

01:20 PM on 11/17/2011

Well first off, I'm an insomniac, so that was just mean.

Secondly, if you can't see people as individuals, that's on you.

[Jan Allen McDaniel]

01:35 PM on 11/17/2011

Well first off, I'm an insomniac, so that was just mean.
============

Me too. You got the metaphor.

All one can say about any religion, including Islam, is that it has good people and bad, good ideas and bad ones.

Some Muslims, following some really bad Islamic doctrines, are a problem that this show steered well clear of.

One-sided reporting is called propaganda, and that is what this show seems to be.

Anyone mistaking it for a realistic picture of the American Muslim community is truly asleep.

[Abdul-Halim Vazquez]

01:55 PM on 11/17/2011

A couple times now, I've seen people ask you if you know any Muslims socially or have any Muslim friends and I've never seen you give an answer. I don't believe that you are in position to say whether the show is realistic or not.

[jacksparrow34]

10:43 PM on 11/15/2011

I see tro//ies ... .ha

[Doug Sandlin]

09:42 PM on 11/15/2011

That's exactly like saying:

You claim a Christian can do x,y,z ... provide your proof from the Bible.

It doesn't work that way.

Muslims, like people of all religions, interpret their scripture with various degrees of focus and literal-mindedness, or lack of it.

Islam has at least as much of a spectrum of belief and scriptural interpretation as any other major religion.

[jacksparrow34]

10:42 PM on 11/15/2011

Very silly comment... I know many muslims from my work and many have non muslim wives.. go meet some muslims and i meant muslims not telebans.

[Puncastle]

03:17 PM on 11/15/2011

I am posting this video specifically for HaleemK who has come to the false conclusion that Muslim women in America are weak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1k4-Y2Ooe2c

You have no idea of what Muslim women, and women in general, do to eradicate injustices in society.

The sheer irony is that by trying to imply that Islam denigrates women, you are actually the one putting these women down.

[bokhattak]

06:06 PM on 11/15/2011

Sister Ameena is one example of MANY Muslim women who realize their strength. You make a great point that even putting the lie out there that Muslim women don't have strength disrespects these outstanding sisters.

[Puncastle]

02:50 PM on 11/16/2011

2:156. Happy now?

[Puncastle]

02:55 PM on 11/16/2011

Sorry, I meant 256.