'All-American Muslim' Under Fire

46:10

December 14, 2011

TV’s “All-American Muslim” becomes a show under fire as it shows Muslim-Americans living the mainstream life. We’ll ask why.

In this undated image provided by Discovery, Nawal Aoude, a pediatric respiratory therapist, left, and her husband Nader go for a walk in a scene from the TLC series, "All-American Muslim." The series features five families from Dearborn, Mich., a city near Detroit with one of the highest concentrations of Arab descendants in the country. (AP)

Reality TV came to Dearborn, Mich., last month with the TLC cable show “All-American Muslim.” Dearborn is home to lots of Muslim-Americans, and the show depicts them going about all kinds of life in a way that is both frankly Muslim and all-American. Football. Barbeques. Prayer. Pancakes. Weddings.

Now the evangelical Florida Family Association has succeeded in getting home improvement giant Lowe’s to pull it ads from the series. Allegations are flying. Muslims are feeling besieged.

This hour, On Point: how and why “All-American Muslim” became a target.
-Tom Ashbrook

Guests

Zareena Grewal, assistant professor of American Studies and Religious Studies at Yale University.

Ali Dagher, Lawyer at Dagher Goodman and Dagher. A founding member of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce

Alon Ornstein, executive producer of All-American Muslim.

Pamela Geller, is an American blogger, author, political activist, and commentator.

Keith Ellison, Democratic congressman from Minnesota.

From Tom's Reading List

Time "The TLC reality show All-American Muslim, which follows five families in Dearborn, Michigan, has a lot of points to make about the lives of average Muslim citizens in America, among them the lingering discrimination they face after 9/11. (Here’s my review of the show’s premiere.) Last week, hardware big-box store Lowe’s pulled its advertising from All-American Muslim under pressure–and thereby proved the show’s point."

Entertainment Weekly "You know how when you’re really mad at your significant other and, even though they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong, they’ll apologize “for hurting your feelings” — but the apology is really more about you being mad than the other person admitting they messed up?"

TPM Muckraker "The Florida Family Association is blaming Anonymous for taking down its website after the social conservative group pressured Lowe’s to pull its advertising from the TV show All-American Muslim."

This program aired on December 14, 2011.