Claire Tiffany
Foundations of Islam
American Muslims in the
Media
April 19, 2012
The cancellation of TLC’s series “All-American Muslim”
was met with mixed responses. The series
aired its first season on TLC this year but the network recently announced that
there will not be another season, citing low ratings as the determining factor
for pulling the series. The show opened with a following of about 1.7 million
viewers and closed with only 900,000.
Cast members and critics of the network’s
decision have voiced their opinions and pointed out that at least thirty other
shows on the TLC network have similar ratings but have not faced the threat of
cancelation.
The show takes place in Dearborn, Michigan and follows
the lives of five Muslim families and is the first in the United States to
present the lives of modern Muslims. Although many critics and cast members praised
the success of the show for its ability to familiarize the American public with
a culture many may have not encountered, others were quick to criticize the
network’s efforts to portray the lives of American Muslims.
Many
anti-Muslim groups, including the Florida Family Association, protested the
airing of the series and petitioned the show’s advertisers to remove their
support, stating that the program is "propaganda
that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American
liberties and traditional values” (Hollywood
Reporter). Conservative Muslim groups were
also among the opponents of the series, concerned with the lack of piousness that
they believe the families displayed, citing the lack of modesty in the dress of
some of the female cast members.
After continued petitioning from anti-Muslim groups, a Lowe’s representative
reportedly responded, “While we continue to advertise on various cable
networks, including TLC, there are certain programs that do not meet Lowe's
advertising guidelines, including the show you brought to our attention. Lowe's
will no longer be advertising on that program,” proceeding to pull their
support for the show.
According to Hollywood
Reporter, PETA also protested the program, concerned after the fourth
episode, in which one of the cast members gave away her husband’s dog because
she believed it aggravated her allergies.
The cancelation of the series was met with
disappointment and disapproval from many amid controversial mystery regarding
the network’s true reason for the discontinuation. Christian and Muslim groups
and a few celebrities showed their continued support for the program by
boycotting Lowe’s.
I think all three articles I reviewed in response
to the cancelation of “All-American Muslim” present the opinions of many
different groups regarding the issue with minimal bias. Each article notes the opinions
of opponents as well as the supporters of the program and portrays both
neutrally. While I believe that television is a great way to appeal to and
educate the American public, I think that reality television may not be the
best means by which to present Islam especially to a public already misinformed
on the topic by the media. Reality programs get ratings due to conflict and
drama in the lives of the cast members and this does not necessarily promote a
positive view of American Muslims when the show’s directors must aim to portray
their lives as “interesting” to the American public. Although I think that
familiarizing Americans with the culture and beliefs of Muslims is important, I
think that a more accurate depiction of American Muslims can be accomplished
through other means.
Although the true intentions of the TLC network
regarding their choice to pull the program aren’t known, it would be
interesting to know if any of the other religious-related TLC programs are
under attack and why. I am curious whether the Florida Family Association
protests any other reality shows like MTV’s Jersey
Shore or TLC’s Sisterwives, which are arguably more inappropriate
and threatening to conservative groups than All-American
Muslim. Upon further research I found an article featured in Huffpost of Detroit explaining the
background of Florida Family Association (FFA) and their reason for protesting
the series. The article can be found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/florida-family-association-all-american-muslim-lowes_n_1145760.html. According to the article, the FFA aims to
“defend traditional American biblical values” and targeted the show after a
poll on the group’s website revealed that the spread of Islam was the number
one concern of about 1,800 members. The founder of the FFA, David Caton,
maintains that the program doesn’t accurately portray Muslims and that it
doesn’t divulge that "99.9 percent of Muslims agree with the principles of
Sharia law”, according to Caton. The FFA also takes credit for the cancellation
of NBC’s “The Playboy Club.” Although this article provides evidence that the
FFA has attacked programs other than All-American
Muslim, their reasoning for targeting the program is still unclear and
Caton’s assertion that Muslims are dangerous because of their adherence to
Sharia law is blatantly ignorant.
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