If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
Weeks before Islamophobes organized a campaign against All-American Muslim, more than a few Muslim Americans were already denouncing the show.
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.
As American Muslims, we're happy that some are starting to ease the negative imaging and stereotyping against us, and are instead open to learning more about what the Islamic faith truly stands for.
We don't normally look to reality TV to teach lessons of faith and religious freedom. But one TV program is doing just that. Rather than tune-out in protest, as Americans, it's time to tune-in.
If viewers have not yet been convinced that this show is about being American as much as it is about being Muslim, this episode clinches it. The characters' words and actions constantly speak to their deep sense of patriotism.
Maybe what prime time television needs right now isn't a showcase of Muslims being as ultra-American as possible, but a conscientious exploration of why our image of the "All American" is actually a complete fiction.
The world's second-largest hardware chain, Lowe's, proudly displays the slogan "Let's Build Something Together." However, the company's recent actions suggest this togetherness might not include Muslim-Americans.
Let us speak, using the power of the free market to demonstrate that stores that choose to single out Muslims will lose in the marketplace of ideas and goods alike.
Lowe's shameful action has created a positive externality which will hopefully serve as a precedent and bulwark against future attempts at diving Americans along religious and racial lines.
Buckling to the pressure of anti-Muslim extremists is extraordinarily offensive not only to Muslims, but to all Americans who value the diversity of our society and the freedom of religion enshrined in our Constitution.
In railing against the depiction of Muslims as mainstream Americans, the forces behind FFA expose in their own ranks the very fundamentalist type of aggression they claim to fear.
Lowe's says it supports diversity and doesn't want to take a position on hot button issues. So how does Lowe's feel when I slightly change the initial complaint?
David Caton's attack on the TV show All-American Muslim has exposed Caton as a cross between the Westboro Baptist Church and the "minister" who likes to burn Korans.
There is a groundswell of people out there who are tired of the politics of fear. People of faith are tired of their religion being used as a tool of oppression. What's more, a new generation of young people can't stomach hate groups.
Lowe's has the right to advertise wherever it chooses, of course. And we as consumers have the right -- the power -- to shop where we choose, and spend money in a way that is most aligned with our values.
We call on you to reverse your decision and to send a clear message to all Americans that Lowe's will no longer make advertising decisions rooted in Islamophobia.
