Islamophobes would like you to believe that they're not anti-Islam. They're only anti-Islamic extremism.
So why is it that Islamophobes are always going after mainstream Islam? They lampoon Muhammad. They want to burn not the writings of Osama bin Laden but the Quran itself. They target an Islamic community center in downtown New York City that's the brainchild of an interfaith dialogue proponent and an overseas emissary of the George W. Bush administration.
And now they're venting spleen at an innocuous cable TV show called "All-American Muslim." This reality show on TLC follows five Muslim families in Dearborn, Mich. It explores typical family situations (getting married, having a baby), cultural traditions (hookah, bellydancing) and religious experiences (wearing the hijab, converting to Islam). There's a cop, a football coach, a businesswoman, a tattooed rebel. The program showcases the diversity of the community.
It's so all-American, so earnest in its efforts not to offend anyone, that it verges on boring. Sure, the show does address some provocative issues, such as anti-Muslim sentiment and 9/11. And there are the usual inter-personal tensions familiar to reality-show connoisseurs. But all in all, it's light on outrageousness and exhibitionism, two critical qualities for successful television these days.
You'd think that social conservatives would embrace ventures like "All-American Muslim." The show features people who are hard-working, religious and family-oriented. But that's not how bigotry operates. Otherwise, social conservatives would be the first in line to support gay marriage and the repeal of don't ask, don't tell in the military.
It was no surprise, then, that the Florida Family Association, an evangelical Christian outfit infamous for its intolerance, called on advertisers to boycott "All-American Muslim." Several businesses cravenly followed suit, most prominently the home improvement chain Lowes. In mid-December, Lowe's issued a half-hearted apology but refused to reinstate its ads on the show, which will air the final show of its first season on Jan. 8.
Both Florida Family Association, and noted Islamophobes like Pamela Geller who have supported its campaign, complain that "All-American Muslim" is not representative because it doesn't dwell on sharia law or feature a terrorist or two.
But although it might boost ratings considerably -- and "All-American Muslim" has seen its viewership slip recently -- the inclusion of a terrorist in the program would not be representative. Political extremism is in fact extremely rare in the Muslim-American community.
Since 9/11, there have been only 11 cases of Muslim Americans who have committed terrorist acts in this country, resulting in 33 deaths. Between 1980 and 2005, according to FBI statistics, approximately 6 percent of all terrorist attacks in the United States were conducted by Islamic extremists. These perpetrators of violence are not representative of the 2.75 million Muslim Americans. Moreover, Muslim American organizations have all condemned terrorism, and the FBI has long relied on the help of the community to identify the few individuals who are inclined toward violence. As for sharia law, except for one minor case in New Jersey that was subsequently overturned, it has had no impact on the U.S. court system.
In other words, the attempts by Islamophobes to rationalize their bigotry on factual grounds is just plain wrong.
I'm no fan of reality shows. But if "All-American Muslim" can prove to mainstream America that Muslims are as boring, community-minded, socially conservative, occasionally wacky and celebrity-obsessed as the rest of us, then it deserves a place on TV. And companies like Lowe's should support it.
It's one thing for big mouths on the margins to voice their extremism. There's a long American tradition of that, from anti-Catholic Know Nothings and the Ku Klux Klan to anti-Semitic preachers and homophobic radio hosts.
But it's quite another matter when these extremists block community centers, win passage of ludicrous anti-sharia laws and convince major U.S. businesses to join their Islamophobic campaigns. There's an equally long American tradition of denouncing bigotry. In the TLC show, Muslims amply demonstrate that they're ordinary, mainstream Americans. Now it's time for the rest of us to do the same by standing up to the Islamophobes.
John Feffer's latest book is the forthcoming 'Crusade 2.0' (City Lights).
Follow John Feffer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/johnfeffer
Nida Khan: All American Muslims Better Get Ready for a New Reality
Well-said and thank you for the insightful article.
"And companies like Lowe's should support it."
Why? It should be Lowe's choice to support it... or not... or for a while. That is, unless you are worried about being Politically Correct.
"The Lies of Islamophobia
The three unfinished wars of the West against the rest.
By John Feffer
| Mon Nov. 8, 2010
[...]
...during the Cold War, mythmakers in Washington performed a similar act, substituting a monolithic crew labeled "godless communists" for a disparate group of anti-imperial nationalists in an attempt to transform conflicts in remote locations like Vietnam, Guatemala, and Iran into epic struggles between the forces of the Free World and the forces of evil.
In recent years, the Bush administration did it all over again by portraying Arab nationalists as fiendish Islamic fundamentalists when we invaded Iraq and prepared to topple the regime in Syria."
http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/11/american-islamophobia
Translation: Communism should not be resisted because it is not monolithic. Same for Islamism. Western Imperialism is the cause of everything bad.
These are failed narratives that continue to fail to explain what is happening between the supporters of Sharia law and the supporters of liberal democracy.
What in the heck is a "ludicrous anti-sharia law"?
I can't tell if you are being serious or not... With what little I know about Shariah law it is not a well-defined set of rules but more about the so called "duties of Muslims". What a mess that would be to incorporate it into out already out-of-control legal system.
- Good question answered by the UN:
Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has 57 Islamic members. No OIC countries were rated as a "Full Democracy" under its guidelines, and only 3 of the 57 members were rated as a "Flawed Democracy."
OIC issued Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI) which adopts Islamic perspective on human rights and affirms Islamic Shari'ah as its sole source.
The International Humanist and Ethical Union had this to say about CDHRI:
CDHRI limits Human Rights, Religious Freedom and Freedom of Expression. It concludes: "The Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam is clearly an attempt to limit the rights enshrined in the UDHR and the International Covenants. It can in no sense be seen as complementary to the Universal Declaration."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_Declaration_on_Human_Rights_in_Islam