An American Muslim Journal

The firing of Juan Williams de-legitimizes anti-Muslim biases - Oh the Horror!!!!

My first thoughts and observations about Juan Williams anti-Muslim comments on Bill O'Reilly's comedy program on Fox last week focused on Juan Williams, the comments and whether they make him a bigot or just a person who said something bigoted (I think there is a difference).

Others focused on the firing of Mr. Williams from his job as a news analyst at NPR.  Within the Muslim circles to which I am privy there was strong support for Mr. Williams firing.  In fact, several people I interacted with online (community listservs mostly) questioned the Muslim Public Affairs Council statement which disagreed with the firing by NPR.

Glen Greenwald's perspective on this little brouhaha deserves more attention.  I didn't look at the situation in the manner that Mr. Greenwald does and I'm guessing a lot of others haven't either.

Mr. Greenwald's essay on the topic of Juan Williams, his fear of Muslims in Muslim garb, his firing, and the rallying behind Mr. Williams and against NPR over the firing is thought-provoking [WARNING: the contents of Mr. Greenwald's essay may be inappropriate for the knee-jerk patriots who cannot stomach self-critical looks at America and Americans].  It argues that NPR's actions threaten to de-legitimize casting of Muslims and of Islam as the bogeymen of our times.  Mr. Greenwald argues that the hypocritical outcry from certain corners of the punditsphere are because, heretofore, stereotyping Muslims was seen as reasonable and prudent [especially so when the phrase "national security" is invoked].

 

Juan Williams' comment was bigoted, but is he a bigot?

Bigot?  Islamophobe?  A$$?

I've heard Juan Williams on NPR many times over the years and never would have pegged him for a bigot.  But his recent comments about Muslims certainly makes him sound like one.

CNN reported that Mr. Williams made a bigoted statement about Muslims on the Bill O'Reilly show. According to CNN.com this is what Mr. Williams said:

"But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous." 

That is a bigoted comment.  But does it make him a bigot?

One errant, insensitive, stupid, narrow-minded comment should not be used to label Mr. Williams with the ugly label of bigot.  I say this because, frankly speaking, I've been where he is now.

In the fall of 1991 I was in a graduate student dorm with my roommate.  Some time in the first few weeks of law school I made a comment that was patently offensive.  I used an ugly stereotype during one of our conversations and as the bigoted term rolled off my tongue I knew I insulted my roommate.

I was careless and insensitive to utter that ugly stereotype.  He heard it but he didn't say a word. 

A few minutes later as we were both turning in for the night I told him I was very sorry for saying it.  Not only did he not confront me as soon as I said it (and he would have been absolutely justified if he had), but he accepted my apology immediately and we've never spoken of it again.  It's been nearly 20 years.  We still keep in touch but I know that he's never held that moment of ignorance and carelessness against me.

I am grateful to him for being so generous with his compassion and forgiveness.  I think that moment remains with me to this day as a reminder in large part because of my friend's willingness to forgive me for it.

Mr. Williams was wrong for making this comment, but he shouldn't be labeled a bigot.  Let's give him a chance to reflect on what he said, and let's give him some time to make a sincere apology.  And if he does, then we should take him at his word and put this matter to rest with his character intact.

 

Who didn't cover today's interfaith press conference in Washington, DC? Fox, MSNBC, others...

The Christian Science Monitor ran a very interesting story today about interfaith press conference organized by the Islamic Society of North America.  It was partly about the the press conference but mainly about the limited media coverage given to it.  Very interesting...

CSM staff writer David Cook wrote:

Despite the passions stirred by the Islamic center near ground zero and a plan to burn Korans on Sept. 11, cable news outlets showed limited interest Tuesday afternoon in a press conference where church leaders from a variety of faiths called for a united religious front against perceived examples of Islamophobia.

It's hardly surprising that the media ignored the positive side of a story - in this case Americans of different faiths standing together against religious bigotry - but what is noteworthy and commendable is the story about the lack of coverage.  The story about the paucity of media coverage of positive news is old news of course, but seeing it being written about is refreshing.

Mr. Cook went to describe who did and did not cover the ISNA organized interfaith press conference:

C-SPAN and CNN carried the interfaith press conference live. Fox News Channel had no coverage, but instead had commentator Lou Dobbs holding forth on President Obama and the “sad isolated state this president has put himself in.” Meanwhile, MSNBC offered talking heads discussing Mr. Obama’s latest plans to spur the economy.

I've never taken a journalism course but I've heard it said that journalists must be balanced.  With all the negative attention given to Muslims and Islam over the past few months, and with the frenzied hate speech spewing from Taliban pastors, it would seem balanced to provide coverage to the voices of reason and peace which is precisely what the ISNA press conference represented.

The roster of interfaith leaders at today's press conference is impressive.  Their joint statement is strong and clear.  In the coming days between now and the 9/11 anniversary and the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr it would be responsible journalism for all forms of media to share today's interfaith statement with the American public.

I can't say that I'm hopeful that this joint/interfaith statement will quell the Islamophobia that's raging in different spots across America, but it is worth a try.

Good job CNN... No need for complex and nuanced opinions at your news station

Suicide bombings are wrong.  Killing civilians is wrong.  Agreed?  Good.

Domestic violence is wrong.  Honor killings are wrong.  Agreed?  Good.

Octavia Nasr, a longtime editor at CNN (about 20 years) shares these views but that didn't stop CNN from firing her over a tweet she wrote about the recent death of Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.

According to the BBC Ms. Nasr wrote the following 140-character tweet about Ayatollah Fadlallah's death:

Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah... One of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot.

CNN said that this written comment compromised her credibility.

How so?  Well, for one thing, Ayatollah Fadlallah was connected to Hezbollah and Hezbollah is seen by many as a terrorist organization.  And according to Al-Jazeera, Ayatollah Fadlallah endorsed Hezbollah's suicide bombings against Israelis. 

But Ms. Nasr's respect for this man wasn't premised on his spiritual advisor role to Hezbollah or his endorsement of suicide bombings.  Rather, it was for his strong stance in support of women's rights.

The BBC reports this about Ayatollah Fadlallah:

He took a strong stand on many women's issues, and set up a number of women's centres.  Some of the fatwas (religious edicts) he issued were against female circumcision and "honour" killings, and he ruled that women had the right to hit back if beaten by their husbands. He also opined that abortion could be permitted in cases where a woman's health was at risk.

At the risk of "compromising my credibility" by CNN standards I am going to go on record as saying that I respect these views on women's rights.  And I respect Ayatollah Fadlallah for using his position as a religious/spiritual authority to advocate these views (after all, its one thing for lay people like me to speak to these issues, but it makes a greater impact when some one with real religious gravitas does so).

Ms. Nasr went on the record quickly to clarify her tweet but it was too late and CNN made up its mind.  I understand how Ms. Nasr's tweet might raise concerns but firing her over it (particularly since she was so quick to clarify what she meant) compromises CNN's credibility.

Media coverage of the ISNA Convention 2010 in Rosemont, Illinois

The local media dutifully covered the ISNA convention.  There was some mention of the Islamic Society of North America's 47th annual mega-Muslim family and friends reunion (and yes, there are some educational and spiritual activities to supplement the chillin'  that happens from Friday afternoon to late, late, late into the wee hours of Monday morning).

The Chicago Tribune ran an Associated Press article for its coverage.  Here it is:

ROSEMONT, Ill. — The annual convention for the nation's largest Muslim organization is meeting in suburban Chicago this weekend.  The Islamic Society of North America's annual convention started Friday in Rosemont and runs through Monday.  Organizers say the goals are exploring the role American Muslims play in their communities and to help youth avoid marginalization and radical extremism.  Muslim scholars and community groups plan to hold several sessions.  The convention also features a bazaar with food, clothes and jewelry vendors.

That's the whole of Chi-Trib's coverage.

Gee whiz Chi-Trib, thanks for serving the Chicagoland community with this thoughtful and insightful article about one of the largest annual gatherings of American Muslims in North America!  But dear editors of the Chi-Trib: given all the ink you spend on slanted coverage of Muslims and of Islam, don't you think this major event in our town where you could have spoken to the "American Muslim street" and many notable community leaders from across the nation might have merited a few more paragraphs at least?

I'm just sayin'...

The Chicago Sun-Times coverage was a little better.  Staff reporter Vernon Clement Jones did a story about the convention's coverage of Islamophobia.  It would've been better if Mr. Jones story discussed the efforts of the convention to promote service by Muslims for the broader community in order to create more compassionate communities.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Muslims use a forum like the ISNA convention raise awareness, develop strategies and teach techniques to combat Islamophobia, but a newspaper's duty to the public is to share information that is important for them to know about, and coverage of the Muslim community's interest in and effort to serve the broader community is valuable and much needed to allay the irrational fears harbored by some people.

Take a look at the responses/comments left on the Chicago Sun-Times website about the ISNA convention coverage.  It's nasty:

kimbergold wrote:

MUSLIMS ARE A CANCER TO AMERICAN SOCIETY AND THE WORLD AT LARGE. THEY DON'T WANT TO BECOME "AMERICANS," GET RID OF THE SCUM......NO MUSLIMS!!! NO CONVENTION!!

honestly now wrote:

Who's minding the 7/Elevens, Dunkin Donuts and filthy little grocery/liquor stores now that all the goof-balls are holding their jahad in Rosemont?

It's this type of hate that makes it hard for American Muslims to convince our co-religionists abroad that America values its pluralism and that Americans generally are not anti-Islam.

Maybe Mr. Jones' coverage was the more relevant story given the way some Americans think, speak and behave...

Michigan State University to hold conference on Islam & the media in February 2010

EAST LANSING, Mich., Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Lectures, a panel discussion and a Muslim comedian are all on tap for an "Islam and the media" conference slated for February at Michigan State University.

Rami Khouri will be the keynote speaker. He is the director of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut and the editor-at-large of Beirut's Daily Star newspaper.

The conference is the final project of a grant that also funded the new class “Reporting on Islam,” and the new Web site IMAJE, or Islam, Muslims and Journalism Education.

via UPI.com

This sounds like a very interesting and educational conference.  Kudos to MSU for studying this important area.  I would love to hear more about it.  Does any from the Michigan community know anything more about the conference?