All-American Muslim… Sikh, et al.

For the last decade, we have heard demands for mainstream Muslims to come out of the shadows, to speak out against terrorism, and reclaim their faith.  What better way to tell one’s stories than though film and television?  And what is more quintessentially American these days than telling one’s story through reality TV?

This fall’s new TLC show All-American Muslim takes on the daring project of depicting Muslim families as real people.  Anti-Muslim groups selected the show as its most recent target, calling upon advertisers to pull ads from TLC.  When Lowe’s caved in and pulled its advertising dollars this weekend, it sparked a wave of protest this weekend that is growing bigger.  I spoke about the controversy and the broader climate of anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence on the Rachel Maddow Show tonight.  You can check out tonight’s episode here.  We’ll post a separate clip tomorrow.

Plans are underway as we speak for mobilizing a groundswell of community in support of dignity and equality, storytelling and dialogue.  Join Groundswell if you’re ready to take part!  More soon.