Jon Stewart: TLC's 'All-American Muslim' Not Stereotypical Enough For Florida Family Association (VIDEO)

On Tuesday night's "Daily Show," Jon Stewart took a break from his Indecision 2012 coverage to come to the defense of one of TLC's most controversial new shows, "All-American Muslim." The controversy? That a reality show depicting banal, everyday Muslim life in America isn't stereotypical enough for some, yet is also somehow too scandalous for advertisers.

Bravely referring to TLC as "The Learning Channel," Stewart first commented on how boring the show actually is ("It just shows Muslims living their lives like the rest of us f***ing idiots"). He then moved on to David Caton of the Florida Family Association's argument that the show is actually dangerous because it doesn't depict its stars as radical Muslim Jihadists. He also claimed that it goes against his group's "belief structure." Stewart was floored:

"This show is harmful, education-wise, to your belief structure," Stewart said in disbelief. "Is that not the purpose of education [...] to replace your belief structure with facts?"

To further drive the point home, Stewart offered a comparison to the show "Little People, Big World," asking why the FFA doesn't challenge that show for not portraying its stars as Oompa Loompas.

And the backlash to "All-American Muslim" doesn't stop with the FFA. Lowes and other companies have pulled advertising, which Stewart also has a hard time understanding when they have no problem running ads during "Toddlers & Tiaras."

For more, Stewart turned to Aasif Mandvi for his take, which you can watch below:

WATCH: Part two

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Jacob Aud]

12:31 AM on 02/02/2012

هل يرضى الله عن كل الاديان؟

كيف نميّز اي دين هو الدين الحق؟

مَن هم عباد الله الحقيقيون على الارض اليوم؟

http://www.watchtower.org/a/bh/article_15.htm

[Liphe Guru]

07:39 AM on 01/09/2012

Go figure, so basically the otherness is not fuzzy enough :)

[Thelost Monk]

08:22 AM on 12/26/2011

Support Lowe's, support USA.

[michaelh71]

05:22 PM on 01/06/2012

support TLC and all american Muslim and boycot Lowes is supporting America.

[Maezeppa]

07:24 PM on 12/23/2011

Comparison of Christian and Islamic Beliefs & Doctrine 


Ultimate Reality 
Christianity:    one creator God vs. Islam:  one creator God 
Nature of God 
Christianity:    Trinity - one substance, three persons (Unitarians and Universalists – one substance, one person) vs. Islam:   unity - one substance, one person 
Other Spiritual Beings 
Christianity:   angels and demons vs. Islam:  angels, demons, jinn
Revered Humans 
Christianity:    saints, church fathers vs. Islam:  prophets, imams (especially in Shia Islam) 
Identity Of Jesus 
Christianity:    Son of God, God incarnate, savior of the world vs. Islam:  true prophet of God
Birth of Jesus 
Christianity:    virgin birth vs. Islam:  virgin birth
Death of Jesus 
Christianity:    death by crucifixion vs. Islam:  did not die, but ascended bodily into heaven
Resurrection of Jesus 
Christianity:    affirmed vs. Islam:  denied, since he did not die 
Second Coming of Jesus 
Christianity:    affirmed vs. Islam:  affirmed
Mode of Divine Revelation
Christianity:    through Prophets and Jesus (as God Himself), recorded in Bible vs. Islam:  through Muhammad, recorded in Qur'an
Human Nature 
Christianity:    "original sin" inherited from Adam - tendency towards evil vs. Islam:  equal ability to do good or evil 
Means of Salvation 
Christianity:    correct belief, faith, good deeds, sacraments (some Protestants emphasize faith alone) vs. Islam:  correct belief, good deeds, Five Pillars 
God's Role in Salvation 
Christianity:    predestination, various forms of grace vs. Islam:  predestination
Good Afterlife 
Christianity:    eternal heaven vs. Islam:  eternal paradise
Bad Afterlife 
Christianity:    eternal hell, temporary purgatory (Catholicism) vs. Islam:  eternal hell 
View of the Other Religion 
Christianity:    Islam is respected as a fellow monotheistic religion, but Muhammad is not seen as a true prophet vs. Islam:  Christians are respected as "People of the Book," but they have mistaken beliefs and only partial revelation

[Seriously Now]

11:45 PM on 12/23/2011

Why don't you ask the ultimate question?
Did muhammed kill?
Did Christ kill?
Do you really think that a killer like muhammed "ascended to heaven"?

[Maezeppa]

04:30 AM on 12/24/2011

Why wouldn't Muhammad ascend into heaven?  Do you think a killer like Moses ascended to heaven?  Yes.  You do.   Do you think a killer like King David ascended to heaven?  Yes.  You do.

[Booshin]

12:29 PM on 12/24/2011

Yeah if you actually read the Bible, there is an extreme amount of God-condoned violence. David, Samson, Moses, pretty much everyone in the Old Testament.

And they got into Heaven.

[Seriously Now]

04:58 PM on 12/25/2011

WHO KILLED AS MEANS TO AN END?
....Christ?
...muhammed?
You trivialize this question, and you marginalize it, but you cannot answer it, can you?
It's like dismissing a small, tiny, almost instantaneous spark in a forest.
But, woe to the forest, for it consumes it with fire.

[Maezeppa]

05:20 PM on 12/25/2011

News flash: soldiers go into battle. If you want to call all our troops unchristian, hell-bound murderers, I want to be there when you try.

[JoTheTaqi]

04:14 PM on 12/22/2011

I think HP an Jon Stewart should advertise on the show.

[kiran1207]

12:41 AM on 12/22/2011

Where the artifices at cuz u all rock! More than Eva!

[kiran1207]

12:30 AM on 12/22/2011

This guy always defends Muslims but makes fun of black ppl

[Maezeppa]

07:21 PM on 12/23/2011

That's not true.

[jtj7292]

09:16 AM on 12/27/2011

....?

How often do you watch the daily show?

[JoTheTaqi]

04:01 PM on 12/21/2011

Saudi influence in American Islam

A comment by Jan:

According to the Sufi American Muslim, Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, the Saudis have spent between $300 million and 1 billion over 30 years building mosques in North America, including:

The Omer Bin Al-Khattab Mosque, West Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Islamic Center
The Fresno, California Mosque
The Islamic Center, Denver, Colorado
The Islamic Center in Harrison, New York
The Islamic Center of Northern Virginia

He also claims Saudi influence in American Islam is magnified by the Wahhabi Lobby:

Council on American Islamic Relations
Islamic Society of North America (controls a minimum of 324 mosques)
Muslim Students Associatio­n
American Muslim Council
American Muslim Alliance
Muslim American Society
The Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences
Internatio­nal Institute of Islamic Thought

http://art­icle.natio­nalreview.­com/269243­/wahhabism­-islam-in-­the-us/ste­phen-schwa­rtz

[JoTheTaqi]

04:03 PM on 12/21/2011

Question here is should we fear the Saudi salafi influence in the US or not?

[Seriously Now]

12:03 PM on 12/21/2011

Here is a "fact":...muhammed the leader/founder of islam/prophet was a military man.
The true followers of muhammed do as he did...true followers of muhammed are intolerant of any type of opposition, and will kill for political and religious gain.
What the West seems to be ignorant is that the true followers of muhammed will never stop their objective to conquer and rule.
Why not ask any muslim if muhmmed ever kill?
Why not ask muslims to denounce terrrorism?
Jon is very funny, but can you imagine him taking Hitler lightly?...
Why does he not go to Iran and check out their current regime?
Funny here in America equals money, funny there equals the separation of his head from his body....just saying.

[Maezeppa]

01:47 PM on 12/21/2011

There is hardly a penny's worth of difference between Islam, Judaism and Christianity.  All are Abrahamic monotheistic religions and all pretty much have the same core values.

[JoTheTaqi]

03:50 PM on 12/21/2011

So there is no difference between Mohammad and Jesus?
Jesus was a warlord and married a 6 year old?
I disagree with you.

[Seriously Now]

05:26 PM on 12/21/2011

With all due respect to Judaism, there are only two historical men that I will compare.
Christ, and muhammed.
One was hunted down like a fugitive, taken prisoner, beaten, spat on, tortured, whipped, and crucified, and pierced with a lance for good measure...he was killed, and for what???....for feeding the hungry?, for making water into wine?, for healing the sick?, for giving sight to the blind?, for raising people from death?, for calming a storm?, for walking on water?... for making an insane man well?, for preventing a woman from being stoned to death? Why? Why was Christ killed?
In man's eye He was killed for NOT denying that He was the Son of God.
In God's eye he was killed to prove Man cannot kill His Son.

Now compare Christ with muhammed...one lays his life down for all of humanity, the other takes away life to gain religious, and political power.
One was a military man, the other was not. One was a very successful business man, the other was just a carpenter. One advocated the love of your enemies, the other advocated the death to the enemy.
One shed His blood once and for all, the other shed blood, and teaches his true followers that it's okay to do so...and YOU don't see the difference?

enough said.

[MobahoJoe]

05:36 PM on 12/21/2011

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.... Inquisition, Witch hunts, Manifest Destiny, Slavery....in the name of Christianity. And the worst Atrocity know.. The belief that Tim T-blow is a legitimate Quarterback.

[Seriously Now]

03:26 AM on 12/22/2011

Funny how you all become preachers...haha!
The truth is that once Christ is put into the mix of life, we all scamper to put in our two cents.
Here is the problem with your argument.
All of those atrocities that you mention were NOT condoned by Christ.
Therefore, the people that you mention were not Christian...just because someone claims to be one, or sound like one ( like you quoting Christ) does not mean they are.
IF you read Christ's words, you will find out really quick how He denounces anyone that does not follow Him AND do as He did...
For now, the West should just concentrate on Christ and go to Him, and not those so called christians that you mention.

[FilipeCastro]

11:48 PM on 12/19/2011

I thought that the FFA guy was joking, and I found him hilarious. But then I realized he was serious. How simple can you be and, say, be able to tie your shoes alone? Fundamentalist Christians have a mental age of seven. They never grow up. And it is a pity.

[Azimof]

05:59 PM on 12/19/2011

If this show is not specifically about Islam then why didn't they include Christian Arabs and other minorities and call it the All American Arabs?
Muslims are supposed to be like everyone else but somehow they have special privileges.

[TellMeSumn]

07:21 PM on 12/19/2011

The show is about a few American families who practice Islam.

[LawrenceA]

04:22 AM on 12/20/2011

So I presume the All American Hindu is in the pipe line then?

[taoistpunk]

08:17 AM on 12/20/2011

not all mulims are arab. not all arabs are muslim. how hard is that?

the show highlights a specific type of muslim experience in america,[thus the title] like "sister wives" highlights a specific mormon experience.

do mormons also get special privileges? how about gay guys that like to give straight guys makeovers? are they keeping you from getting everything you deserve in life too?

[Seriously Now]

11:56 AM on 12/21/2011

...but all terrorists that slammed jets into American buildings ARE muslim.

[SoldAmerican]

11:29 AM on 12/19/2011

If you think about, Muslims could be emotional unstable at times...but christians are downright calculative/manipulative eviI

[LawrenceA]

05:10 PM on 12/19/2011

I am sure you'll find it very comfortable living in an islamic country.

[SoldAmerican]

07:47 PM on 12/19/2011

I have lived in Istanbul, Turkey for 4 years and I find them far more decent and reasonable than the evangelicals in the Bible belt

[FilipeCastro]

11:53 PM on 12/19/2011

You should travel and see the world, and you would realize how many countries don't have religious fundamentalists as hysterical and violent as ours.

[Seriously Now]

05:17 PM on 12/22/2011

"unstable at times"????
Here is the problem. People that are true followers of muhammed regard the whole world as "unstable". It's their duty to set it straight by any and all political and religious means. Just look at the prophet, the leader, and you will know the character of the follower...he lived by the sword.
Same with Christ. Look at Him, and His characteristics...IF anyone that claims to be a Christian is NOT similar to Christ, then they have no part in Christ.
Inadvertently you are preaching for people to be like Christ...because Christ is NOT evil or manipulative.
Now take a closer look at muhammed. Are his true followers like him?
Do they live by sword? Are they seeking world power by any means similarly like muhammed?
Christ lays His live down for humanity. It seems that muhammed went around taking lives for world power.
Those are your two choices. Christ or muhammed....whatcha' say?
There is your answer.

[Julia Bailey]

10:21 AM on 12/23/2011

How about neither? How about we stop believing in fairy tales at all? Then you don't' have to argue about whose invisible friend is better.

[Jacob Aud]

08:11 AM on 12/19/2011

Flagged for trolling and flagging all of my posts simply due to difference of opinion and her bias against the Bible...

The fact is - I reference religious sites for religious references, I reference scientific sites for scientific references, I reference MANY sites...

Please be respectful and reasonable of others rights to have a different view than you... (our dear fuhrer Maezappa)

[Jacob Aud]

08:14 AM on 12/19/2011

Students of history may well recall the Greek philosopher Socrates (470—399 B.C.E.), whose views and teachings were seen as a corrupting influence on the morals of the youths of Athens. This caused great consternation among political and religious leaders of the Greek hierarchy and led to his death. His plea before the jury that eventually convicted him remains one of the most eloquent defenses of freedom of speech:

"If you offered to let me off this time on condition that I am not any longer to speak my mind in this search for wisdom, and that if I am caught doing this again I shall die, I should say to you, 'Men of Athens, I shall obey the God rather than you. While I have life and strength I shall never cease to follow philosophy and to exhort and persuade any one of you whom I happen to meet. For this, be assured the God commands . . .' And, Athenians, I should go on to say, 'Either acquit me or not; but understand that I shall never act differently, even if I have to die for it many times.'"

The Historical Development
of Freedom of Speech
http://www.watchtower.org/e/19960722/article_01.htm

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech

[smcircle]

08:37 PM on 12/16/2011

I very much agree that several countries deny human rights, it is hard to miss. But we as Americans should be tolerant of those who come here for better lives for them and their families. So many Europeans and Asians came here in our history for better ways for living. The Pilgrims, for example, came here to practice their form of Christianity which was very much denied, with violence and hate, by other Christians in England. We need to give all who come here for a better way of life the chance this country was established for. We need to treat people according to their individual actions and not what we presume they “all” will do. Who would that "treat all as the small group does" notion benefit if we are bigoted with our generalizations. I will bet, and I am not a gambler, by saying this country would never have flourished if we always treated different incoming immigrants as we do with Muslims here today. The sense of this is like taking any Christian who commits a violent crime and going after all of-that-same-type Christian to arrest them and to treat them as guilty. What would be the difference? Is this hate what our monotheistic God would want of us...

[Linucs]

04:58 AM on 12/17/2011

We should also be smart and not trust what ever is said to us. There is a reason for the57 OIC islamic countries with 1 billiob people not be democratic and to have a bad record on human rights.

[taoistpunk]

02:18 PM on 12/19/2011

smart = never trust a muslim.

but that's not bigotry...

[lenje]

04:17 PM on 12/20/2011

For the record, one of the member countries, Indonesia, is the third largest democracy in the world (after India and the US). Indonesians also elect their presidents DIRECTLY, not through electoral votes. Arab muslims don't necessarily represent all muslims. In fact, they represent the bad muslims. And I'm speaking here as a Christian.

[Seriously Now]

11:55 PM on 12/23/2011

Here is the problem...muslims follow muhammed, and muhammed was an historical man who sought religious, and political power by waging war...thus killing people.
What other immigrants follow a religion created by a prophet that kills?
Take away the blood thirst, denounce terrorism, and muslims would be some of the best citizens in America.
Stay silent, and it's very difficult to trust people that have a killer prophet.

[hsspringman]

06:24 PM on 12/16/2011

Now that we are no longer supposed to fear the 'Godless Commies' we have been supplied with Muslims to fear and hate.

[Linucs]

08:06 AM on 12/17/2011

Saying Merry Christmas is worst then fornication or killing someone" Islamic scholar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FFW3ZNC8sjw

[TellMeSumn]

11:59 AM on 12/17/2011

Where are the credentials of this guy for you to call him an "Islamic scholar"?

[bbmcrae]

01:49 AM on 12/19/2011

I'm more troubled by your horrible grasp of spelling than any bigoted point you're trying to make.

[Seriously Now]

11:59 PM on 12/23/2011

BIG difference...
Political parties come and go, rise and fall.
Whereas islam is not only a political movement founded by a military man, but he also made it a religion.
THAT religion is intolerant to questioning, opposition, satire, and the true followers will kill you if you don't adhere...ie Taliban, Iran's current regime, et al
So, please. Don't take it so lightly.