Originally Posted on ILLUME magazine.

Un-Aired Lowe\'s Commercial for \"All-American Muslim\"

Everyone has been talking about the controversy surrounding Lowe’s Hardware stores pulling their advertising from TLC’s “All American Muslim” reality TV show, because of the email campaign from Conservative Christian “Florida Family Association.”

But besides the few email complaints to Lowe’s or signing of petitions online, there hasn’t been much creative response from the Muslim-American community.

That’s when the comedic duo, Rizwan Manji and Parvesh Cheena (of “Outsourced”), along with writer/director Gregoy Bonsignore decided to take matters in their own hands and create the fake ad, “The Un-Aired Lowe’s Commercial.”

We got to talk to the three about why they made the video and what they thought of the controversy about the show.

Why did you guys produce this video?

Rizwan: Myself, Greg and Parvesh were sitting around Parvesh’s place talking about this whole Lowe’s situation and I kept seeing all the reaction all over Facebook and Twitter. So we thought, as artists we can use our creativity, to make a funny video which makes a point about a greater issue. So within an hour of coming up with the idea, we went down to Lowe’s and started filming it!

Gregory (Director of the video): We wanted to do a satirical piece to show the type of “stereotypical scary” Muslims which the Florida Family Association are so concerned are not being shown on the TV program. The video was shot on multiple iphones, in case we got kicked out of the store quickly.

Have you guys watched “All American Muslim” and what do you think about it?

Rizwan: Yes, I have seen it and like it. It’s a typical reality show which shows the daily lives of people and I have been to Michigan before to shoot a film. It’s an accurate portrayal of the people there, who are very friendly and I enjoy the show.

Gregory: I have watched it and although its format is not very unique, it’s subject – Muslim-Americans is what makes it interesting. It shows that Muslims now have their own reality show like other groups about suburban life in America.

Parvesh: ALL-AMERICAN MUSLIM seems harmless. Please. Everyone is the same. We are all Americans. Sheesh.

What do you guys think of the reaction from groups such as the Florida Family Association and Corporations such as Lowe’s who have pulled their advertising from “All American Muslim”?

Gregory: I’m not really surprised with the reactions and totally bigoted response from some of the public, because there is not enough education about Islam in America. But for a corporation like Lowe’s to react in the way they did, is totally unacceptable.

Rizwan: The biggest shock for me was that Lowe’s sent a letter to the Florida Family Association thanking them for pointing out the concerns of the show and asking them to pull their advertising. It’s not okay that they caved in this way.

Parvesh: Lowe’s pulling their spots is silly and just so dumb and really foolish for a major company. I liked Lowe’s. I used to love their ads that added the letter T to the end which became Lowe’sT. Ha. Bad Lowe’s. They should apologize!

Do you think there is any correlation with how “Outsourced” was cancelled and the reaction that “All American Muslim” is getting, that the American public is not ready to see different ethnic and religious groups on TV?

Rizwan: There was also a loud and vocal minority who expressed some hatred about Indians and having a show like “Outsourced” on mainstream TV. There were also some facebook hate groups and websites which made threats against us, but I don’t want to be pessimistic about it. It was only a small, yet vocal, minority. We did not get any advertisers pulling ads from “Outsourced” and there was a good amount of viewers, but we just ran out of time to increase our viewership.

Parvesh: OUTSOURCED getting pulled doesn’t really have any racial correlation, In my opinion. We just got bad ratings when they moved us to 10:30pm for a show that became popular with families. Bad scheduling killed the show but we gotta move on.

Gregory: As a writer and director myself (Greg was a writer for the show “Lie to Me”), I feel that TV tends to normalize things. From past shows which had African-Americans and women early on, it helps the viewers to get to know these different types of people which they may not normally get to interact with. I believe it’s important for more shows about Indians, Arab-Americans and Muslims to be on mainstream TV. We are currently working on a TV pilot about a Muslim American family which we are pitching to producers and hoping to get into development soon.

The New York Times had an article today about Muslim Americans making their mark in the U.S. with art. The article, titled Muslim American Artists Strive to Bridge a Chasm showcases several Muslim Americans here in the Bay Area in California and their use of art, literature, and poetry to help define the Muslim identity.

Thalia Gigerenzer of the New York Times writes:

At a time when Islam has been heavily politicized, many Muslim artists say they hope the arts can expand understanding of their faith among non-Muslims as well as bridge American and Islamic traditions.

“We’re at a point where Islam is really being defined in this country, and it’s going to be through the arts,” said Javed Ali, founder of Illume, a Muslim online news, arts and culture magazine based in Newark that serves as one of the central nodes of the Bay Area Muslim American network.

Read the whole article here.

Links to the people/organizations discussed in the article:
Illume Magazine
Islamic Cultural Center of North America (ICCNC)
Barakah Life
Remarkable Current
Zaytuna College
Domestic Crusaders

Illume Magazine is sponsoring a weekend class in the Bay Area to promote and teach digital journalism. The class is taught by media professionals on the weekend of April 17 and 18. The class will kickoff by a free panel the night of the 16th about the importance of local media activism. Details below!

From Illume’s site:

The Bay Area is the world’s innovation hub with technology that is profoundly changing the way news is being consumed and reported on. Learn cutting edge skills from award-winning media professionals on what it takes to produce effective and engaging content in today’s digital age of multi-media story telling.

This class will introduce you to the techniques of journalism in digital media and offer you conceptual and practical tools with which to join the fray

LEVEL: Intro

PRICE: Before April 16 – $75.00 Professionals, $25.00 for Students (ID REQUIRED) ,
After April 16 – $100.00 Professionals, $50.00 Students

In this class, you will learn:

* Understanding the different mediums: print vs broadcast vs web
* Effective news writing & storytelling
* Pre-production and script writing
* Interview techniques
* The different styles and approaches
* The “Five Elements of News Production”
* Basic Camera operation
* How to Light the Perfect Interview
* Getting the right Coverage
* Understanding Audio
* Selecting the correct mics
* Hands-on DV & HDV Camera use and tips
* How to shoot an Interview
* DV Editing with Final Cut Pro
* Editing techniques and styles
* Understanding rendering and nesting using FCP
* Exporting out of Final Cut Pro
* How to make DVDs, Overview of DVD studio Pro Basics and iDVD

By the end of the course you will have:
Written, shot and produced a print and broadcast news story for the web, including a tour of the CBS Studios in San Francisco.

REGISTER. Space is limited!

Instructors:

Farzad Wafapoor
Executive Producer – 14th Road Productions
Farzad is an Emmy award-winning director with more than 10 years of production and teaching experience.He has directed and edited more than a dozen independent videos & documentaries, and produced more than 400 interactive media applications for publishers and businesses. His scholarly works have been published internationally while his films have been screened locally and overseas. Marquis Who’s Who in America of 2010 selected Farzad Wafapoor as one of 95,000 of America’s “most noteworthy people”.Farzad earned his Master’s degree in Mass Media from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Muhammad Sajid
Editor-in-Chief – ILLUME
Muhammad Sajid is an award-winning journalist and graphic designer. He received an Edward R. Murrow award and has been named the Society of Professional Journalist 2004 Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year. He worked as a newspaper reporter for seven years before switching to broadcast. Muhammad Sajid received a BA in Journalism and a second BA in Graphic Design from San Francisco State University. He is currently pursuing a JD.

Anser Hassan
Executive Producer – ILLUME
Anser has worked both on-air and behind the scenes at several news stations across the country, including ABC, CBS, and CNN. His career began at CTV30, an award-winning cable station in the San Francisco Bay Area. There he was a reporter and news anchor, plus hosted two of his own shows. He also reported for the New York Times broadcast division at WQAD-TV. He has also reported at KRON4-TV/Channel 4 in San Francisco. Currently, he is an assignment editor at CBS5/Channel 5 in San Francisco. He was recognized as an up and coming reporter from the national branch of the Asian American Journalist Association, being featured on the “Men of AAJA DVD.” He was also the recipient of the national New York Times Reporter Trainee award and selected into the prestigious New York Times L.E.A.P. program, a company wide leadership program. Anser is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of San Francisco State University, with degrees in TV/Radio News and International Relations, with a Middle East regional concentration and an emphasis on Islamic political movements and Islamic feminism.

Details of FREE Media Panel (April 16th)
Location: SBIA Downtown Center (325 N. Third Street, San Jose, CA 95113)
Time: 7pm-9pm
Cost: FREE

Topic: “The Importance of Local Media Activism”

Panel Speakers:

Wajahat Ali is a playwright, journalist, attorney, humorist and consultant. His play, “The Domestic Crusaders” [www.domesticcrusaders.com], is one of the first major plays about the American Muslim experience originally premiering at the Thrust Stage of the Tony award winning Berkeley Repertory Theater to universal acclaim in 2005 and making its New York premiere on 9-11-09 at the world famous Nuyorican Theater. He is a frequent contributor to the Washington Post, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Counterpunch and Chowk.

Carma Hassan is a journalist and story planning editor with a KTVU Ch. 2 News in Oakland, CA. She is actively working to bring a stronger Muslim presence to mainstream media.

Javed Ali is the founder and publisher of the world-class, award-winning media organization, ILLUME. He is a seasoned technology expert and entrepreneur, who previously founded Digital Pad in 2003, a technology consulting company. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Network and Communications Management and consults with non-profits in the areas of media and technology.

Anser Hassan has worked both on-air and behind the scenes at several news stations across the country, including ABC, CBS, and CNN. His career began at CTV30, an award-winning cable station in the San Francisco Bay Area. There he was a reporter and news anchor, plus hosted two of his own shows. He also reported for the New York Times broadcast division at WQAD-TV. He has also reported at KRON4-TV/Channel 4 in San Francisco. Currently, he is an assignment editor at CBS5/Channel 5 in San Francisco.

Panel Moderator:

Irfan Rydhan is a “Multi-Media” Activist who lives in the Bay Area. His background includes non-profit management, film/video production and graphic art/design. He is co-founder of “Jam-Productions: An International Video/Film Company” and Executive Producer of “The Muslim Round Table Television Show” which currently airs on Comcast Ch. 15 in San Jose and streams live on Sundays at 12:30pm on www.CreaTVsj.org He is one of the founding members of the SBIA Media Committee, which conducts training programs and classes on how to effectively interact with the media in it’s coverage of issues relating to Islam and Muslims. Read his blog about Architecture, Islamic Art and Media Activism: Al Mihrab: The Place of War

The Washington Post has an article today about how Americans believe improving relations with the Muslim world is an important goal. However, the article mentions a recent poll conducted regarding American’s perception of Islam and Muslims. The overall consensus is:

There is still a broad lack of familiarity with the world’s second-largest religion — 55 percent of those polled said they are without a basic understanding of the teachings and beliefs of Islam, and most said they do not know anyone who is Muslim. While awareness has increased in recent years, underlying views have not improved.

In fact, 48% of those polled view Islam negatively and 29% overall think of it as a violent religion. Funny enough, those who do not hold Islam in a positive light are people who do not know too much about
the religion itself and most likely have never even met a Muslim.

Apparently despite all the work Muslim Americans have done in this country in terms of public outreach, it is clearly not enough.

Last Sunday’s 60 Minutes featured a story about the West Bank and Israel. In this segment, 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon ventures over to the West Bank and Israel and is a witness to the lives Palestinians live. He also speaks to several people about how viable the two state solution actually is. In addition, Simon probes the issue of settlements in the West Bank and what it means for the possibility for peace in that region.

Check it out the story, Is Peace Out of Reach, below or on CBS’s site.

FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) has created a report on the top 12 Islamophobes in the Media who have a record of smearing Islam and Muslims for their own political gains. Check the link here: smearcasting

(cross posted in my Illume Magazine blog)

A lot of us with liberal leanings have never really thought much of the Fox News Channel. Recent actions not only reinforce our views that Fox News reporters are not quite right in the head, but may also prove to alienate those who actually did go to Fox News for, well, news.

In the past few months, Fox reporters have:

- accused Dunkin Donuts of supporting terrorism when the company had Rachel Ray wear a paisley scarf in a web ad that could maybe pass for a keffiyeh (which doesn’t symbolize terrorism anyways)

- accused Barack Obama of plagiarizing the speeches of Mario Cuomo verbatim even though they were completely different.

and my favorite:
- accused Barack Obama and his wife of performing a “terrorist fist jab”.

Now, the network has further compromised their credibility to be an actual news source by reverting to grade school antics. Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade of Fox and Friends altered pictures of reporters with Photoshop in a news story in an effort to ridicule them, not telling the viewer the pictures were altered. They yellowed the teeth and thinned the hair among other things of journalists they were discrediting in their story. Here’s an example of one of the reporters:

Media Matters reports the story here.

I realize this is just one more thing to add to the long list of ridiculous things that the journalists on Fox News have conducted and is almost not even worth mentioning, but enough is enough. Recently, the news team on the Fox affiliate channel in the Bay Area here in California said to their viewers that, even though they carry the Fox name, their views do not match the ones from the actual Fox News Channel. This is common sense yet these reporters of KTVU Fox felt the need to explicitly distance themselves from people like O’Reilly, Malkin, and the other shame-challenged reporters working for Fox News.

It’s about time this network became accountable for their actions. Or at the very least, take out the “News” part of their network name because, seriously, it’s all getting a bit ridiculous now.

As issues arise in Muslim communities, we are reminded of our duty to do what Allah (swt) has prescribed in Qur’an and accept the responsibility of Khalifah which Allah has bestowed upon us. Under the banner of Khalifah Consciousness we become more aware and are able to overcome the affects of deep psychological conditions that prevents us from acknowledging issues within and around our communities that need to be addressed. The following blog is an example:

Qur’an Conference promotes Unity of Humanity

Under the leadership of Imam Abu Qadir El Amin, the Muslim Community Center of San Francisco, California, is to be commended for producing one of the most enlightening conferences for people seeking to be more consciousness of religious Prophecy, the current times in which we are living and leadership for future generations. Held April 19^th and 20^th at the Masonic Auditorium and attended by predominantly Muslim African Americans, San Francisco Muslim Community Center’s Qur’an Conference is an annual event dedicated to spiritual awareness and guidance through the understanding of religious scriptures. Although the scholarly presenters referred to revelations from various collections of Scripture, the message overall focused on Creation Science and the completion of human evolution according to Scripture. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of understanding that the Qur’an and original Arabic language is a Blessing from God and our most reliable source of authentic scriptural information, referring to, correcting and upgrading the valid scriptures that were produced from earlier Revelations. Many viewed the event as an educational celebration for those who believe in and worship One God! Most of the religious faiths or paths were mentioned and acknowledged in past, present and future context as part of The One God’s Creation and Plan for the evolution of human beings. The chronological history and specific role of Muslim African Americans was referred to as a sign in scripture pointing to the establishment of Islamic leadership in the west and paving the way for Immigrant Muslims to build communities in America. Throughout the event, human evolution, brotherhood of humanity and righteous leadership was explained and supported with scriptural content.  All speakers were unified and in line with the principle tenants of the Islamic way of life.

The first day featured presentations by young and upcoming Islamic leaders such as Imam Zakee Madyun from Jamatul Salaam of Oakland. Imam Sulaiman Hamed, a young Islamic scholar born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Imam Sulaiman received local training from Sheikh Abdur Ra’oof Nasir and Imam Faheem Shuaibe, before attending Abu Noor University in Syria. His father Naazim Hamed and mother Saliha Hamed (Peace Be upon Her) were leaders in Muslim communities throughout the Bay area for over 40 years. Sister Shahidah Sharif, also a student of Abu Noor University gave a dynamic presentation on sincerity in religion and the contributions of women in Al-Islam. Next up was Imam Usama Cannon an instructor at the prestigious Zaytuna Institute, who introduced some valuable tips to understanding Arabic grammar. The highlight of the day was the historical overview of Islam in America delivered by Sister Gloria Karim and her husband Imam Darnell Karim, the renowned Arabic Scholar. These two Muslim pioneers from the Chicago area were childhood classmates of Imam W. D. Mohammed, who now leads the largest community of Muslims in America. Sister Gloria’s parents were early followers of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and her grandparents were early followers of Fard Muhammad, who led a group of about 25,000 Muslims in America during the 1930’s. Imam Darnell Karim closed the program with some etymology of Arabic language in Qur’an, reiterating definitions and deeper meanings from Imam Mohammed’s teachings and pointing out Qur’an references and relevance to the times we are living in now.

The second day was reserved primarily for the highlight of the whole conference, Imam W. D. Mohammed! However, prior to him speaking, we heard briefly from Dr. Hatim Bazian Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley; Abdullah bin Hamed Ali another resident Islamic scholar with Zaytuna Institute; Imam Haazim Rashed of Sacramento; Imam Sulaiman Hamed; Imam Darnell Karim and Imam Abu Qadir El Amin, who also led the escort of Imam Mohammed to the stage. Their spectacular entrance was accompanied by the wonderful sounds of an African percussion ensemble featuring Muhammad Ali, Naim Shabazz and Rashid Ali. The group’s performance contributed to an already heightened spiritual atmosphere brought on by the mere presence of Imam Mohammed. As the excitement settled down and Imam Mohammed began speaking, he reflected on some history; the mission of his father, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad; how black theology and the attempt to prefix everything with the word black has had and continues to have a counter-productive impact on African Americans today; and he cautioned us about trying to hold on to American values or ideals that are dead.

Not known for his participation in or commentary on politics, Imam Mohammed acknowledged his American heritage, the Constitution, some of America’s great leaders and to the amazement of many in the audience, he even voiced his love and respect for the values and leadership of Ronald Reagan, but after explaining why, quickly said “those days are over.” He referred to G. W. Bush as the end product of a long decline in American leadership. “We are living in the conclusion of the great issues for man in Scripture; it’s very hard to find a leader who can inspire the American people today. Many are saying President George Bush is a disappointment and it seems as though he doesn’t care.” Imam Mohammed also pointed out that moral degradation, wanton and willful disregard for human and civil rights, increase in crime and prisons, blatant resurgence of discriminatory practices and rampant destruction are clear signs that “the America we once knew is no more.” “We have reached the end of an era.” He said, “It is a new day” and alluded to the idea that Barack Obama could be the best hope for restoring decency and dignity in America. Imam Mohammed, following his theme “The Religion of Originality (Fitrah) & Muslim Identity,” connected government, politics, education, science, business, commerce and cultural issues confronting America today to religious Scripture. Periodically interchanging the name Allah with the word God he referred to Torah, Bible and Qur’an, balancing the signs of despair with signs of hope.  He encouraged all people to trust in Allah (God), His Prophecy and conduct their lives according to what is prescribed in Scripture. While acknowledging the validity of earlier Scriptures, he emphasized that the most complete and authentic source of Revelations from God is The Holy Qur’an.

After a very competent article covering the second day of this magnificent event written by Matthai Kuruvila appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, a few Muslims in attendance and some who did not attend circulated electronic media expressing their concerns about a divided Muslim image due to the lack of Immigrant Muslim support. But, this is nothing new, because we know that even before 911, Immigrant Muslims were more concerned with being accepted by American society than Muslims with a deep history in the American experience. The desire to assimilate into western culture over the desire to establish Islamic tradition has caused division amongst Muslims globally and can certainly cause division in America. We should remind ourselves that there is a difference between Immigrant Muslims and Muslim Immigrants and a difference between African American Muslims and Muslim African Americans. The difference is in how Muslims perceive themselves! A reasonable percentage of Immigrant, American and African American Muslims have adopted American lifestyles that are predominantly influenced by Christianity and are promoting what they consider to be a more democratic brand of Islam. Once the Americanization process is in motion, it conjures up old habits and practices (including the undesirable ones) and lodges them into the subconscious mind. As a result of desparately trying to fit in with popular American trends, many of these so-called democratic Muslims buy into the media’s promotion of negative images and stereotypical propaganda, especially when it comes to African Americans.  The arrogance and petty bourgeois attitudes inherited along with these trends, leads to the discriminatory belief that Muslim African Americans are inferior when it comes to Islamic scholarship, so the bourgeois Muslims choose to distinguish and distance themselves. Some are even embarrassed when they receive invitations to participate in events produced by Muslim African Americans. Yet, what we learned from the Islamic Scholars speaking at the event is, Qur’an Conferences are for all Muslims and all Muslims can benefit from understanding the specific role of Muslim African Americans in Islamic history, which for those who understand is revealed throughout Al-Qur’an in past, present and future context! In addition, we all know that The Qur’an’s reference to the unity of humanity or brotherhood of man closed the door on racial discrimination in Al-Islam. Qur’an Conferences such as the one produced by the San Francisco Muslim Community Center provides opportunities for all Muslims and righteous people of Scripture to share in a victory over The Shaitaan El Kabir (Big Devil) and his shaiteen (little devils) by coming together to gain a deeper understanding of religious Scriptures.

Dawan Muhammad AbduMuqaddim

Cross-Cultural Media Consultant, AMICC

Co-Chair SBIA Media Committee

Article in today’s San Jose Mercury News by Lisa Fernandez.

The article is about my father Abdul Sattar Rydhan

Please send the writer a note of thanks!

Irfan

The latest issue of Rolling Stones features a fascinating Special Report titled Fear Factory, by investigative journalist Guy Lawson. In this article, Lawson details how the FBI has gone to great lengths to go after terrorist threats, to even the point of creating threats themselves. Lawson writes of how outfits of the FBI, such as the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) have used informants to lull unsuspecting people (Arab and South Asian Muslims for the most part) into planning terrorist plots, ones these people never would have pursued on their own.

“While real threats undoubtedly exist,” Lawson writes,”what the Bush administration promotes as a nationwide pattern of terrorist activities is largely the result of its own policies in the age of lawfare.”

He goes on to write about one of many examples, the “Fort Dix Six,” about a group of Muslims who allegedly wanted to attack Fort Dix in New Jersey:

As in other cases, the FBI itself proved to be the mastermind behind the plot. The men —who included three roofers, a taxi driver and a former delivery boy for Super Mario’s Pizza — had little money and no connections to real extremists. All were in their twenties and spent their weekends playing paintball. Under the guidance of two informants for the JTTF, the men planned an assault on Fort Dix using rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s —none of which actually existed.

The article is available in its entirety on the Rolling Stones website. The article can also be found in the latest print version of the magazine, the one with a February 7, 2008 cover date and a picture of Thom Yorke of Radiohead on the cover. It’s definitely worth reading.