American Muslims are seemingly incapable of pleasing the media. They don’t really riot, they are not fond of torching embassies, and they generally stay away from issuing menacing fatwas. As much as terrorism continues to be on the mind of the average American (and rightfully so), our population of both immigrant and homegrown Muslims is relatively boring.So what’s can an enterprising journalist dying to cash in on the anti-Muslim hysteria in the States do? How about this: Make stuff up!
Two separate instances of manufactured “Muslim problems” caught my eye last week: one involved a report of New York Muslims “outraged” over the fact that a suggestive advertisement featuring Kate Moss was plastered from across their East Village mosque. In response, the blogger Hijabman ran an excellent overview of how a few sardonic comments by a journalist were taken out of proportion and twisted into a spectacle that was obviously meant to grab the public’s attention following the infamous Pope debacle.
Another incident involved a report by MEMRI, stating that Muslims were supposedly upset that the new cube-shaped Apple store in New York City somehow resembles the Ka’ba (the first place Allah was worshipped). The article cites a vague “Islamic site” that “urges” Muslims to “stop the project.” Interestingly enough, MEMRI never even links to this “Islamic Site.” Of course, this alone didn’t stop others for spreading the news further. I actually had a friend e-mail me concerning the Ka’ba cock-up, wondering what on earth was going on, and whether or not Muslims would start getting upset over chicken bullion (“It’s cube-shaped too!”).
“Relax,” I said. “It’s just a slow news-day.”
Both of these stories feature American Muslims and New York, one of the sites of the 9/11 attacks, and hence an especially attractive setting for more Muslim misdeeds. The stories’ potential to spread quickly across the Internet and beyond was obviously tempting for some, and so facts were fudged and statements were left unsupported (where is that dratted “Islamic site” spreading outrage against an Apple store?). After all, news of a Muslim vendetta against the Pope made great fodder for practically anyone who cared to comment. Why not a repeat with someone or something equally high profile? Kate Moss, Apple…
The Omega Code
Perhaps in the future every celebrity and/or large company will somehow manage to get into an obligatory spat with the menacing monolith that is Islam. And whether or not said spat has any basis in reality won’t matter.
Peaceful film
As a person born on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, I am not at all amused by these proceedings. Stereotypes, assumptions, and half-truths create lasting conflict. You’d think that the Cold War would have taught us something.