Thursday, January 13, 2005

It is so interesting how some groups in the US just don't get it...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Fox television network said on Thursday it will provide its stations with TV spots that portray Muslims in a favorable way after it received complaints for featuring followers of Islam as terrorists on its hit television show "24." On Monday, Fox premiered the fourth season of "24." The drama featured an upper-middle class Muslim family operating as a sleeper terrorist cell. The Muslim mother poisons her son's non-Muslim girlfriend because it was feared the girl could jeopardize the terrorists' plan.

"What we are hoping to do is to try and mitigate the damages of the stereotypes because it can bring real-life consequences on American Muslims and their lives here," said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Islamic group. Citing a public opinion survey conducted by Cornell University last year, Ahmed said television influences viewers' perceptions of Muslims. "There aren't any positive or even neutral portrayals of Muslims on TV; whenever Muslims or Arabs are portrayed it is always in a stereotypical way," she said. "When average Americans don't have any personal interaction with Muslims, whether it be at work or at school, they base their perception of Islam and Muslims from what they see on TV," she added. "We did bring that to Fox's attention."

WHile I'm sure there are civilized Muslim families out there, the fact is that you haven't heard any of these groups try to go and stop the Muslim fanatics in the Middle East try to help their own cause by preventing the murder of Americans (beheading, shootings), throwing rocks, being homicide bombers, send their kids out to be homicide bombers. These groups are being a bit whiny-assed. In the tradition of the axiom, "physician heal thyself," the Muslim community improve their image by actively uniting against how their brethern are behaving in the Middle East and THEN complain.

Art imitates life.

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