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CBS's 48 HRS Defames Islam
ZIL
07/13/01 at 08:02:08
Assalaamu alaikum, Last night, I was watching 48 hrs on CBS in which they showed the story of the Bahraini Princess and the Marine.  One of the story's was entitled "Forbidden Love".  They talked about the story of the princess and gave an update on their situation.  Also, they talked about the story of a pakistani girl who was locked up in her room for 6 yrs because she refused to marry her cousin and was in love with another pakistani man.  The lady describes her family as "cruel people", and immediately the picture flashes to Pakistan, where a man in Shalwar Khameez, long beard, and Kufi is cutting wood.  Then they show another man similarly dressed who walks in the street with his wife, fully covered (exposing the eyes through some sort of net).   The show comments on how the family felt ashamed of her and the commentator says that is common in "male dominated cultures" like Pakistan to have "honor crimes" being committed.  Immediately they show a minaret and men in a masjid making sujood.  I made the connection and wondered to myself...Is there such thing in Islam?  I questioned this connection, something the non-Muslim would take as a fact.  They said that in these male dominated cultures it was allowed to kill a woman who was considered immoral in order to cleanse the family name.  These included women who engaged in premarital relations, married without approval, or even victims of rape.  Then they showed the pictures of dead bodies of such victims.   They talked about the honor crimes being committed in Jordan where a man shot his sister 4 times and killed her because she had been raped.  The man says he doesn't even think about her; he did the right thing.  If he didn't, his family would have had to hold their head in shame.   Overall, this was produced perfectly to defame Islam.  The word Islam was not mentioned in the whole program I believe, but the connections made were meant to be subtle but long lasting.   Wassalaamu alaikum, Zahir.

Re: CBS's 48 HRS Defames Islam
Kathy
07/13/01 at 10:02:59
slm The sad thing is that it was a repeat! Of all the good shows they do- this one was choosen to show again. An interesting thing happened to me in the last couple of months. An accusation was made by a Muslim about me. In our community I was never allowed to address it or prove my innocense. Instead I have been effectivly "locked up" in my home and prevented from mingling,teaching, talking with other Muslims. Remember I am in America- raised American- but still my husband has control over me. Although the severity of my dilema does not compare at all with these honor crimes, I can see how it would happen. I shudder to think what my fate would be if I did get raped...
NS

Re: CBS's 48 HRS Defames Islam
Ayla_A
07/13/01 at 14:11:14
[slm] It seems the last few days the media has been extremely hard on muslims and islam...I think something is about to happen (serious) in Palestine, just because it seems to do this They had the article with Yosef Islam/Cat stevens two nights ago.  There was a story on Law and Order(repeat) about an Muslim on trial for killing a cop, they even showed him at jummah prayer.  Then of course this terrible article on cbs. All I can say we as the muslim community need to write these stations saying that we don't like the overall look that they give when they put these shows on.  Truly it is the only way to make a difference. I wrote to the discovery channel about a show that they aired about a bank robber dressing like a muslim terrorist and they have deleted the comment from any further rebroadcasts of that show. Though this may not seem like a big thing, it does make a difference, if the muslim community pulls together we can stop this sort of programming, since the tv stations will get tired of received deluges of emails about these issues. I know that cbs has a couple of shows coming out this fall that are going to be very negative to islam (one of them is to do with the cia) We must get together and fight this blantant stereotyping that is happening to our community!!!!! [wlm] Ayla

Re: CBS's 48 HRS Defames Islam
Sara
07/13/01 at 21:35:32
Assalam, We need someone (a Muslim leader) like Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton(not actually them) to speak up for us Muslims. Everyone walks all over us because we let him-we don't speak up.

Re: CBS's 48 HRS Defames Islam
Lisha
07/14/01 at 08:43:09
slm, :( its sad what happens!!! By the way was this a prgame on tv u lot r talking about? take care, w'salaam

Re: CBS's 48 HRS Defames Islam
Sparrow
07/15/01 at 09:14:32
Hi Guys, Sorry if what follows is offensive to anyway.  Please know that that is not my intention but I do feel as if I should speak my mind.   It is my experience that Muslims, IN GENERAL, refuse to deal with the issue of honor killings and the like.  You can be as annoyed with CBS or any other TV program as you like but the fact is that these things happen. There are bad people in the world and some of them are Muslim. If there were no honor killings in Jordan, 48 HOURS would have nothing to report on. I have, in the past, attempted to speak to my Muslim friends about it and I always get the same defensive response, "That's a cultural thing, not Islamic."  Having read extensively about Islam, I know that that is true.  But it doesn't change the  fact that honor killings happen in cultures that are male-dominated and, in 2001, predominately Muslim.  Why do people refuse to deal with it?  If this is so against Islam, and Muslims are so concerned with the "correct" information being given to the masses, why do they not then stand up and shout very loudly that things such as honor killings MUST STOP? Why does the Jordanian parliment refuse to treat honor killings as a form of murder?  Why not attempt to stop it at the grass roots levels instead of screaming at the media for reporting on something that actually does happen, and acting as if you've got something to hide? Understand that this is not to say that there is no bias against Islam in the West.  Bias and misunderstanding run rampant.  But in trying to deal with those issues we shouldn't be blind to some of the "bad" things that happen to women in countries with  strong Muslim populations.   As always, just one girl's opinion. Sparrow

Re: CBS's 48 HRS Defames Islam
Arsalan
07/15/01 at 17:32:12
[slm] Sparrow, the whole problem with programs like the one which was shown on CBS is that it presents the whole ordeal as if it is part of the religion of Islam (through subliminal messages such as those described by Zahir), which as you said is absolutely false.   You are right that Muslims need to stand up and speak out against such honor killings which occur in their countries, but this is already taking place in many Muslim countries.  However, because of the biased media, you never get to see the uprisings of Muslims against these heinous crimes.  All you see are the crimes themselves, and them depicted to be associated with Islamic teachings. As far as Muslim governments taking action, to expect anything good from present day Muslim governments is naivete.  Because nothing good can ever be expected from oppressive, authoritarian (at heart, democratic on paper) and corrupt regimes. Finally, it is difficult to find any country with a "strong" Muslim population at this day and age.  This is the New Age, where most people are heedless about moral issues, and this disease has unfortunately struck the Muslim nation just like it has struck every one else.  This is why you find very few people in any Muslim country who are serious about their religion, and stand up for what is right and speak out against what is wrong.  However, to completely deny the existence of such groups or to belittle their efforts is unfair, in my opinion.   Just my two cents.  And Allah knows best. Wassalamu alaikum.

Re: "the Practice"
jannah
07/16/01 at 12:00:11
Another  program.... Last night on an episode of "The Practice" - a lawyer show, the plot involved the issue of "honor killings".   A Muslim guy "ahmad shareef" married to an American woman, found out she was having an affair. She later went for a visit to Pakistan alone. In Pakistan, his brother 'burned her alive' for 'dishonoring the family'. The whole crux of the trial was that shareef was responsible for the murder of his wife, although in the testimony and in the show he never talked to his brother about that or encouraged him in any way. The only good thing that was said in the show was while he was talking on the stand he said that Islamic law and Pakistani law was against this sort of thing. Anyway at the end he was found guilty for murder... not based upon evidence but based upon the fact that honor killings do happen in Pakistan and he was pakistani, his brother did it and anyone who was had a brother who 'burned women' "couldn't be all that good" < - - words of the judge. So what does this episode teach the average American audience? That  1. Even if Islam is totally against murder, brutality, rape, honor killings, burning etc. it doesn't really matter, it still happens there and therefore is somehow linked to the religion and culture. and  2. because this happens in the society there everyone there is guilty of supporting it in some way or at least turning a blind eye to it. kind of like sparrows point on 'why doesn't anyone stand up? if no one stands up that means everyone condones it' but it just doesn't make sense...in this country the amount of domestic abuse, just taking what is documented, is incredibly high.. does anyone condemn American society in general for this or Christianity? Maybe their religion and society contribute to this? Only fair to ask right...? so what to do in the end? create our own american ngo's specifically for that cause... would anyone listen if it comes from "muslims" ?  why do we have to? islam and its beliefs are already on the record. the media should be unbiased and objective enough to show what is truly attributable to something instead of insinuating its own biases.
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