10616: Representing The Misrepresented In Adland.

 

Campaign published a perspective from Mekawi Impact Founder Dena Mekawi, who recognizes “a lack of infrastructure for brands to authentically connect with Arabs and Muslims in America.” Um, there’s a lack of infrastructure for brands to authentically connect with any non-White audience in America. That’s the power of cultural cluelessness and systemic racism.

 

Reclaiming our identity: How Arab culture has been misrepresented

 

By Dena Mekawi

 

There is a lack of infrastructure for brands to authentically connect with Arabs and Muslims in America.

 

I have a vivid memory of being in high school history class where, like many first-generation Arabs, I had to alter my name, appearance and identify so I wasn’t a target. I navigated my childhood years yearning for a reflection of my narrative, whether on TV or in the magazines I would flip through for fashion and music inspiration.

 

I studied marketing and worked in the communications and marketing fields prior to starting my agency. Over time, I learned the power of advertising – the influence it has to bring cultural awareness to any group. The power of storytelling, I recognized, was immensely valuable.

 

My agency’s focus has always been on driving impact, but recently I have been pushing for authentic representation for my community. I noticed the challenge when pitching many corporations and brands my ideas: How can brands market to a community that has been stereotypically painted as a threat to others?

 

I realized that I shouldn’t take this personally, because lack of knowledge causes fear and doubt.

 

Early on in my career, I assumed educated people would just read up on us and recognize our true nature of peace and creativity. To my surprise, it was the complete opposite. Arabs and Muslims have typically been alienated, making advertisers hesitant to market to us.

 

Through years of experience, I learned there was a lack of infrastructure to authentically connect with Arabs and Muslims in America.

 

There isn’t any large-scale agency in the space that works with big corporations. That niche, which I authentically identify and relate to, my agency fills. My work with the United Nations allowed me to speak on global pressing issues, while gaining valuable insight on cultural competency and the social impact of business.

 

There is a huge, untapped market for Arab Americans to create their stories. We need to be in the meetings where decisions on campaigns relating to our culture are made. We need to be seated at the table where casting an Arab American for a role is rightfully presented. We need to fill the gaps where it’s obvious American corporations lack direction.

 

While I encourage corporations to welcome us, I am also pushing for our community to collectively take back our identity and paint it how we lived it – through our lens.

 

Dena Mekawi is the founder of Mekawi Impact.

15803: There Is No ‘Ad’ In Ramadan…?

 

Adweek published a perspective from Mojo Supermarket Junior Strategist Siham Saleh titled, “Why Does an Industry Focused on Cultural Moments Ignore Ramadan Ads?” Um, the answer to the question is rooted in its inherent flaw—a single missing word—which negates the need for an op-ed at all. That is, the question should have read:

 

Why Does an Industry Focused on White Cultural Moments Ignore Ramadan Ads?

 

Any other questions?

 

Why Does an Industry Focused on Cultural Moments Ignore Ramadan Ads?

 

With $2.5B spent on holiday advertising in the U.S., 3.9M Muslim Americans see none of it—here's how to change that

 

By Siham Saleh

 

Like clockwork, every November our screens are flooded with Christmas ads. $2.5 billion is spent on holiday advertising in the U.S. alone, making Christmas and all its traditions a well-known household topic.

 

Advertising has the power to bring that level of understanding and cultural awareness to something, even if you don’t celebrate it. So why hasn’t American advertising done the same for the 3.9 million Muslims who observe Ramadan?

 

As a strategist, Muslim and skeptical Gen Zer, I have to question what’s happening here. For an industry that largely relies on cultural moments to connect with people, we tend to ignore an entire month enjoyed by millions of people.

 

On the other hand, the challenge is understandable—how does a brand market to a community that has notoriously been othered to death and stereotypically deemed as serious in nature?

 

Muslims have always been alienated in every sense of the word. The last few decades have been peppered with vignettes in film and media of only one type of Muslim. These misrepresentations have instilled fear in the lives of Muslims around the country. Constantly under scrutiny and always viewed as the dangerous ones.

 

These narratives have damaged the sense of safety and security for Muslim Americans. Although these sentiments are still present today, viewers and consumers are slowly beginning to realize that this one-dimensional version of a Muslim has a blatant disregard for the depth and diversity of the Muslim diaspora.

 

Yet the advertisers and marketers who help influence American society are afraid to make work for Ramadan. Are they afraid of making the wrong impression? Or worse, is there a deep-rooted fear of the community itself? Whatever it is, it’s truly an alienating experience to see myself depicted in one very harsh light.

 

The infrastructure to meaningfully connect with the Muslim American community simply does not exist. After spending some time researching brand behaviors around Ramadan and watching hundreds of Ramadan ads from across the world, only two campaigns stood out—one of which was over 20 years old, and neither came from the U.S.

 

For those keeping track, that’s $2.5 billion, 3.9 million Muslim Americans and only a handful of ads that go beyond a social post. Pretty outrageous, right?

 

The social barriers that have led to these numbers don’t have a valid reason to be in place. Here are ways for brands to get meaningfully involved.

 

The questions you’re probably asking yourself

 

What is Ramadan anyway? Ramadan begins on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which happens to fall during April this year. The month entails fasting from dawn until sunset, and Muslims abstain from food and water during that time. The month provides a way for Muslims to reconnect with their faith, a chance to get closer to their communities and an opportunity to build better habits.

 

Why haven’t I heard about this before? The reason you’re asking shows just how long overdue this is in American advertising.

 

Why should we care? When we ignore such a large group of people, we send a message that their practices and beliefs don’t matter, and we can all agree that we don’t want to be sending those types of messages anymore.

 

Is it ok to advertise during Ramadan? Yes, some of the biggest brands advertise year after year but exclusively in the MENA region.

 

Does everything have to be super serious? No, contrary to popular belief, we do in fact have a sense of humor.

 

What to expect in your Ramadan planning journey

 

At its core, Ramadan is a religious observance and requires a level of respect. That being said, this isn’t just another holiday to win a Cannes award or hit some quarterly goals.

 

There are 3.9 million Muslims with spending power, but that doesn’t mean you can dive in and ask for their money. At best you’ll be pandering, at worst you’ll be offensive. You need to go in with a real interest in developing a connection with this group. Otherwise, you won’t succeed.

 

We spoke with 25 young Muslims from our Gen Z panel about their Ramadan experiences in America. These young Muslim Americans gave us some important insights that marketers could learn a lot from. Here are three entry points to help advertisers acknowledge Ramadan in 2023:

 

Sunset to sunrise. Even though we fast all day, food remains part of the practice. Friends and family get together to cook, exchange dishes and host iftars on a regular basis. Sharing different cultures with our community through food is the Ramadan love language. If you’re in the food category, this is a time to step up and be a part of those iftar and suhoor meals.

 

Ramadan brain. It’s no surprise that if you’re fasting from dawn until sunset, your biorhythms are completely flipped. Many of us plan our day and rearrange our routines based on our changing energy levels. Maintaining the same productive routine is hard when you can’t afford to use what little energy you have during the day. To the brands in the health and fitness category—think about hosting classes at night or creating Ramadan meal plans.

 

Full stomach, full hearts. As the first of two Eids in the Muslim faith, Eid al-Fitr is the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. It’s a day for Muslims to celebrate the blessings of the holy month over prayer, community gatherings and food. Families spend the day visiting one another and exchanging gifts with loved ones. If you’re in the retail category, here’s an opportunity to make Eid celebrations beautiful and fun.

 

What are you waiting for?

 

Our industry has the influence to change perspectives and shift social conversation. These are just a few insights to help acknowledge a community that is so rarely celebrated in the U.S. So next year, consider adding Ramadan to your cultural calendar, and come celebrate with us.

14134: Muslim Match-Up.

Hey, would President Donald Trump soften his anti-Muslim rhetoric after visiting this Muslim dating site?

13739: Celebrating America The Beautiful.

Allure magazine’s cover story reads: “This is American Beauty”—and the cover features Muslim model Halima Aden. Gee, this must pose quite a personal conflict for President Donald Trump, who appears to be a bigoted, misogynistic sex addict—Commander-in-Cultural Cluelessness, if you will—and that’s quite a complex and contradictory state to reside in. Regardless, kudos to Allure for the alluring view on the beauty of diversity.

13346: So Bad, You’ll Blush.

This blush campaign comes from glow in Berlin, who explained the concept as follows:

Germany took more than 1 Million refugees in 2015 — mostly from Muslim countries. Is it a threat to female equality and women’s liberation? blush is offering the “blush Course Integration.”

Um, need a culturally competent interpreter to decipher the thinking behind glow’s rationale. Are the Berliners seeking to help Muslim refugees assimilate to Eurocentric culture with sexist imagery? Gee, that’s mighty White of them. And speaking of mighty White, check out the glow team—they’re positively glowing with exclusivity.

13264: Political Pundits & Pinheads.

Campaign reported DDB Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Amir Kassaei implored Muslims to wage a “holy war” on terrorism via Twitter. Gee, can’t this warmonger limit his wrath towards conspiring judges at Cannes? But seriously, Kassaei crossed a professional line that wouldn’t be tolerated in legitimate business fields. His comments create an arguably hostile workplace for Muslim DDB staffers; plus, the call to arms could fuel the ignorance of other small-minded employees seeking murderous revenge. Then again, Omnicom sister agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners freely forces its anti-Trump political views on staffers and the public—despite the fact that Jeff Goodby has been a registered Republican. Of course, when bleeding heart activists like Kassaei and Goodby are asked to fight for diversity, you’ll barely hear a tweet.

Amir Kassaei calls for Muslims to wage ‘holy war’ against terrorists

Following the attack in France, DDB Worldwide chief creative officer makes a personal, angry plea on Facebook

By Douglas Quenqua

Amir Kassaei, chief creative officer of DDB Worldwide, took to Facebook this morning, hours after a truck loaded with weapons killed at least 83 people in Nice, France, to call upon Muslims to wage war against radical Islam.

After declaring his own atheism, Kassaei says the time has come for Muslims to rise up against the “animals” who commit murder in the name of their god. If that means war, he says, then it would be the only war worthy of the title “holy.”

As a litany of shootings and terrorist attacks have played out around the globe in recent weeks, a number of agencies and brands have performed small acts of protest or advocacy. Last week, Both Wieden+Kennedy and Hill Holliday turned their Web sites into statements of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Earlier this week, Coca-Cola ran an ad in USA Today and on digital billboards that said, “We live as many. We stand as one.” And following the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando in June, several agencies quietly began working on anti-gun campaigns that have yet to debut.

But Kassaei, who has a reputation for being outspoken, is among the few individuals from the industry to make his voice heard. Though he posted the statement to his personal Facebook page, rather than the one he maintains for business, Kassaei, who was born in Iran and raised in Germany, quickly shared it with his 18,000 Twitter followers.

DDB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

13238: Muslim Diversity.

Fairly certain this campaign was not sponsored by Donald Trump.

11552: Muslim Ms. Marvel.

From The New York Daily News…

Marvel Comics introduces new Ms. Marvel, a Muslim American teenager

Kamala Khan is a Pakistani-American teen from Jersey City with strict parents and new powers.

By Ethan Sacks / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Marvel Comics is adding some needed color to the world of costumed superheroes.

The publisher announced it’s introducing a new Muslim superheroine, a revamped Ms. Marvel, whose secret identity is that of a Pakistani-American teenager from Jersey City.

Sixteen-year-old Kamala Khan is the brainchild of writer G. Willow Wilson, an Islamic convert herself, and Muslim editor Sana Amanat in an effort to reach out to segments of the comic book reading public that haven’t had their own heroes.

“At her core, Kamala is just a 16-year-old girl, exploring the many facets of her identity when she is suddenly bestowed with super-human powers that send her on the adventure of a lifetime,” Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso said in a release.

Khan will debut in January’s “All-New Marvel NOW! Point One Comic Book” before kicking off her own “Ms. Marvel” series a month later. The creators promised the title would focus as much on her interaction with her more traditional parents as it would with battles with super villains.

“Any time you do something like this, it is a bit of a risk,” Wilson told the New York Times. “You’re trying to bring the audience on board, and they are used to seeing something else in the pages of a comic book.”

Khan’s introduction comes a year after rival publisher DC Comics introduced its own major Muslim character—a Green Lantern from Dearborn, Mich., named Simon Baz.

“It continued to reinforce that our readership is extremely diverse, so we want to continue to diversify the characters in our universe,” creator Geoff Johns, himself a Lebanese American from Dearborn, told the Daily News at the time.

11361: Million Muslim March Misstep.

From FOX News…

Muslim group blasted for planning mass demonstration on Sept. 11

Critics say a Muslim group picked the wrong day – Sept. 11 - to march on Washington to complain about religious profiling and President Obama’s handling of an investigation into the terror attacks that rocked America 12 years ago.

The mass demonstration, called the “Million Muslim March,” was changed to a more mainstream-sounding event, “Million American March Against Fear,” but the name did not seem to gain much traction and has apparently reverted back to its original title.

American Muslim Political Action Committee (AMPAC), which is organizing the march, claims Muslims nationwide have been the victims of anti-Islamic bigotry in the years following the Sept. 11, 2001, Al Qaeda terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on American soil.

“On 9.11.01 our country was forever changed by the horrific events in New York. The entire country was victimized by the acts done on that day,” the group said in a statement. “Muslim and Non Muslim alike were traumatized but we as Muslims continue 12 years later to be victimized by being made the villains. To this day every media outlet and anti Islamic organization has committed slanderous and libel statements against us as Muslims and our religion of Islam.”

“Yet our Government either sits idly by and does nothing to protect our freedoms or it exacerbates the problem with its constant war on terrorism in Islamic countries, congressional hearings on Islam in America, and its changes to the NDAA law,” the statement says.

In an interview Thursday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, M.D. Rabbi Alam, one of the march’s main organizers, defended the movement, claiming demonstrators will stand on that day to “show America that we Muslims denounce terrorism.”

“We Muslims have become villainized and victimized” following the attacks, Alam said. He added that 12 years after 9/11, he feels that he “is looked at” as one of the 19 Al Qaeda hijackers who committed the attacks.

But critics say the U.S. has gone to great lengths to differentiate between Islam and Islamic extremists since the 2001 attacks—and that claims Muslims have been victimized by the government are unfounded. Critics also say the date chosen for the march on the nation’s capitol—Sept. 11—is insensitive to the victims and their family members.

“They’re basically a bunch of ‘truthers’ who think that America’s to blame for everything,” Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the Islamic Forum for Democracy, told Fox News on Friday. The Anti-Defamation League, Jasser said, has identified some of the leaders of the march as “being virulent, anti-Semites who think 9/11 was a conspiracy theory.”

“These guys are problematic and they’re trying to exploit 9/11,” Jasser said. “If they were truly patriotic Americans and moderates, they’d be marching on the courthouse steps of the Fort Hood trial that’s happening this week to tell Americans that we want the death penalty for Nidal Hissan rather than this circus that they’re doing in exploiting the murders and horrific acts of 9/11.”

“America has gone on to liberate Muslims,” he continued. “They gave our families freedom that we could not have in any so-called Muslim countries.”

11119: Greeting Bigotry.

From The New York Daily News…

Muslim terrorist doll on birthday card angers Council on American-Islamic Relations: ‘blatant bigotry’

The card, released by a company called Noble Works, contains phrases such as ‘She’ll blow your brains out!’

By David Knowles / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

A New Jersey greeting card maker’s motto may be “Dare to laugh,” but don’t tell that to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Noble Works, the company that released a birthday card that features a digitally altered version of an hijab-wearing Muslim doll along with several incendiary phrases, finds itself under fire from the council.

“I see blatant bigotry,” Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told WGN.

The card’s cover, which says “Pull string for message, if you dare!” uses a photo of “Aamina, the Muslim Doll,” a children’s toy that teaches Arabic phrases and greetings when a string is pulled.

Further text meant to portray the doll as a suicide bomber reads, “She’ll blow your brains out!” and “She’ll love you to death!” Inside, the card contains the punchline “Hope your birthday is a blowout!”

Rehab says that reducing the children’s toy to a terrorist promotes harmful stereotypes of Muslims.

“It basically correlates Muslims and terrorism,” Rehab told WGN. “There’s nothing about that doll, other than that she’s a Muslim, that caused the makers of the card to think it was funny to put blurbs on the box of the doll to say, ‘Let me blow you up!’”

As Noble Works states on its website, all of its cards are printed on demand. In Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, the card of the Muslim doll was noticed at a stationery store called He Who Eats Mud, where it reportedly sold out.

“I can only imagine folks and friends who receive or read our cards, can help but wonder as to whether laughing is the appropriate thing to do,” Noble Works’ owner, Ron Kanfi, said on the company’s website. “But as our motto goes: “F--- ‘em if they can’t take a joke!”

Rehab counters that he can take a joke but that this one just wasn’t funny.

“I would urge him to make fun of us, but do it intelligently. Humor ought to have even a minimal amount of intelligence,” Rehab said. “But when it lacks all intelligence, and is the same kind of message you get out of a white supremacist group, it’s not so funny.”

10416: Mickey Mouse & Muslims.

From The Los Angeles Times…

Muslim employee’s suit accuses Disney of bias over head scarf

Imane Boudlal charges that she was harassed after she began wearing a hijab in 2010 while working as a cafe hostess.

By Kate Mather, Los Angeles Times

Imane Boudlal got a job two weeks after moving to California, a hostess position at a Disneyland Resort cafe.

She didn’t log many hours at first — it was April, the slow season — but as the summer of 2008 progressed, the 24-year-old worked more frequently as the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa’s Storyteller’s Cafe drew more tourists.

It was also, Boudlal alleges in a lawsuit filed Monday, when her co-workers began taunting her, calling the Moroccan-born Muslim a “terrorist,” a “camel” and someone who learned how to make bombs at her mosque. She complained to her managers verbally and in writing, she said, with no results.

Now, Boudlal is suing Walt Disney Corp. in federal court, saying that she was discriminated against and harassed for her religious beliefs. She also alleges that she unfairly lost her job in 2010 after refusing to remove her head scarf at work.

“It’s been hard,” Boudlal said in an interview. “I thought it was just a matter of complaining and a few days, and it wouldn’t affect my life, but it turns out … nothing has been done.”

The lawsuit charges that Boudlal, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, decided to wear her hijab full time in 2010, about eight months after she began wearing it publicly. She contacted her supervisors at Disneyland to request an exemption to the company’s “look” policy — general appearance guidelines that, according to a Disney website, touch on items ranging from contact lens color and visible tattoos to personal hygiene.

After weeks of discussions with company officials, the lawsuit says, Boudlal received initial approval to wear a Disney-designed scarf, but she was told it would need corporate approval before she could wear it to work. Not wanting to wait to mark Ramadan, Boudlal wore her own hijab to work Aug. 15, 2010, when she says she was told she could either remove the scarf, cover it with a hat or work in a job out of public sight.

She refused and, after a few additional meetings with Disney, filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency awarded Boudlal a notice of right to sue earlier this month, opening the door for litigation.

Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said the company tried to accommodate Boudlal’s needs — as it has with religious requests from other employees from various faiths.

:We presented Ms. Boudlal with multiple options to accommodate her religious beliefs, as well as offered her several roles that would have allowed her to wear her own hijab,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, she rejected all of our efforts and has since refused to come to work.”

Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney from the ACLU of Southern California who is representing Boudlal, said his client has not been scheduled to work at the cafe since Aug. 21, 2010. He said Boudlal was suffering from “one of the byproducts” of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“I think her experience is not unlike that of many Muslims,” he said. “America was invented based on our commitment to religious freedom and that got lost or shredded after 9/11.” The lawsuit, he said, “is an attempt to recapture this.”

“If you’re a Muslim,” he said of Disneyland, “It’s not the happiest place on Earth.”

Shortly after Boudlal’s dispute with Disney went public in 2010, another Muslim employee said she was also told that she would have to work out of sight if she chose to wear a hijab. Disney officials said they were able to reach a compromise with Noor Abdallah, then a 22-year-old intern from Chicago, and allowed her to wear a fitted blue scarf topped by a beret-style hat.

The lawsuit seeks damages for Boudlal, as well as harassment and discrimination training for Disney employees. It also asks the court to order Disney to allow Muslim employees to wear hijabs in public roles without a hat or other cover.

Boudlal has a degree in hotel management, an industry that she thought would allow her to travel the world and meet people. Now, after a quick Google search turns up news of her dispute with Disney, she doesn’t think she will be hired. She said she is taking classes at Cal State Fullerton in hopes of finding a new career path.

“I just want to pick something that will get me a job,” she said.

9611: Lowe’s Blow.

Don’t expect to see this banner ad on the Lowe’s website anytime soon.

9591: Rush To Judgment Of Lowe’s.

From The New York Daily News…

Russell Simmons tries to buy ad time on ‘All-American Muslim’ after Lowes pulls on-air advertisements

The hip-hop mogul brought attention to his plight on Twitter

By Joyce Chen, New York Daily News

Russell Simmons wants Lowe’s to own up to its mistake, and he’s more than willing to foot the bill.

The hip-hop magnate and entrepreneur offered to buy all the remaining advertising slots during TLC’s reality series “All-American Muslim” after the hardware giant pulled its ads earlier this week.

“Just purchased remaining spots for #allamericanmuslim for next week The show is now sold out!” he tweeted Monday. “keep your money @lowes and we will keep ours.”

Simmons said he planned to use the purchased air-time to advertise his prepaid Visa RushCard.

Lowe’s issued a statement earlier this week announcing their withdrawal, saying that the “program raised concerns, complaints or issues from multiple sides of the viewer spectrum” after the Florida Family Association lambasted the show as propoganda for the “threat of jihad.”

Simmons, 54, launched into a passionate rant against Lowes after hearing that the home improvement store had caved to pressures from the conservative group.

“This can’t happen in America; (Lowe’s) needs to fix this immediately,” Simmons told Entertainment Weekly. “They can’t get away with that, it’s ridiculous.

“There are American principles at stake here. I can’t imagine the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, the National Urban League or any organization that fights for their own rights will allow this to happen to any other group because they know they’re next.”

Later in the day, Simmons tweeted that all of the air-time was bought out already.

“I’m trying to buy ads during #AllAmericanMuslim airing this Sunday, but now they are saying they are sold out. I will keep trying…” he wrote.

Simmons is a chairman of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which promotes racial and interfaith harmony.

He called Lowe’s decision and poor explanation “a stupid thing to do.”

“If I go to work on this, they’re not even going to believe it,” he told EW. “This is not going to be a Muslim fight. I don’t want to take my time and start a boycott; don’t make me do that.”

Simmons already has his fair share of supporters.

“Shame on #Lowes and the #FFA,” one user tweeted. “They think suburban Muslim Michigan families are a threat to America? Ridiculous!!!”

“@UncleRUSH thank you for doing this! I had no idea who you were but will definitely be quitting Lowe’s & paying more attn to you!” another wrote.

9122: Patriotic Muslims.

From The New York Times…

Muslims Say They’re Loyal Americans, Poll Finds

By Laurie Goodstein

A decade after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a Gallup poll released on Tuesday found that the vast majority of Muslim Americans say they are loyal to the United States and optimistic about the future, even though they are more likely than other religious groups to say they recently experienced discrimination.

Nine out of 10 Muslim Americans said that their co-religionists in the United States were not sympathetic to Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization held responsible for the attacks 10 years ago. Majorities in other religious groups agreed that Muslim Americans did not sympathize with Al Qaeda, although the percentages were much lower.

The poll in many ways contradicts the stereotype of Muslim Americans as an alienated and discontented religious minority. It was conducted by telephone from Feb. 10 to March 11, 2010, and Oct. 1 to 21, 2010, by the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center, a Gallup-affiliated research group based in the United Arab Emirates. The poll, which included interviews with 2,482 adults of whom 475 said they were Muslim, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus seven percentage points for Muslims.

“It’s not a completely rosy picture,” said Mohamed Younis, senior analyst with the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies in Washington and a main author of the study.

“The prejudice and discrimination are definitely there, and that’s something we have consistently seen in the data,” Mr. Younis said. “But at the same time many of the people in the Muslim-American community seem to be doing relatively well, and part of their doing well is being able to be full-fledged Americans, to participate in the American experience.”

The poll found that Muslim Americans were the most likely of any religious group to express confidence in the fairness of elections. The researchers speculated that this might be because of their high levels of support for President Obama, who said early in his administration that he would make it a priority to repair relationships with the Muslim world.

Since the terrorist attacks 10 years ago, Muslim Americans have been the target of intense scrutiny by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in counterterrorism investigations. Sixty percent of Muslims said in the survey that they had confidence in the F.B.I. That was fewer than those in other religious groups: about 75 percent of Americans in other religious groups said they had confidence in the F.B.I.

The sphere in which Muslim Americans were most critical of their country is in foreign policy. They are more likely than any other religious group to call the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan a mistake. Muslims also have the lowest level of confidence in the United States military of any faith group (70 percent for Muslims compared with more than 90 percent for all other religious groups, with the exception of atheists, with about 80 percent).

Two-thirds of Muslims who were asked the question said that the reason people in Muslim countries have unfavorable views of the United States was “based mostly on what the U.S. has done” — and not “based mostly on misinformation.”

Among the most intriguing findings: two-thirds of American Muslims say they identify strongly with the United States, about the same percentage as those who say they identify strongly with their religion. But other religious groups identified far more than Muslims with the United States. Protestants, Catholics and Jews said they identified with the United States far more strongly than they identified with their respective faiths.

Almost half of Muslim Americans said that they had experienced religious or racial discrimination in the last year. That was far more than the members of any other religious group. About one-third of Mormons said they had experienced discrimination in the last year, putting them second in that category after Muslims. About one-fifth of Jews, Catholics and Protestants said they had experienced prejudice.

On many key questions in the poll, it was American Jews whose answers most resembled those of Muslims. Jews were the most likely of any religious group besides Muslims to say that Muslims are loyal Americans, and that the war in Iraq was a mistake. Jews were just as likely as Muslims to say that American Muslims face prejudice.

8616: 110 Percent Insanity.

Percentages and pinheads in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Add this statistic to the 46 percent of Republicans who think President Obama is a Muslim: In the U.K., nearly 20 percent of adults believe light sabers exist, and 25 percent believe people can be teleported. Maybe Burger King’s CEO was onto something.

• 50 Cent and Gilbert Gottfried are taking heat for tweets that made light of the disaster in Japan. Fiddy’s comments included, “Look this is very serious people. I had to evacuate all my hoe’s from LA, Hawaii and Japan. I had to do it. Lol.” Gottfried chipped in, “I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, ‘They’ll be another one floating by any minute now.’” Wow, these guys should be writing for Groupon.

• A new survey showed 42 percent of millionaires don’t feel wealthy. Maybe that explains why so many of them consistently fuck up their tax returns.

8310: Fighting Islamophobia With Social Activism.

From The Los Angeles Times…

Working to boost social activism among Muslims

‘One of the solutions to Islamophobia is organizing around city-based issues,’ says Naim Shah Jr., who has worked with Christian and Jewish activists across L.A. to push a ‘responsible banking’ ordinance.

By Nomi Morris

For the first 15 years of his working life, Naim Shah Jr. was the personal assistant to the imam at Masjid Ibadallah, a mosque in Los Angeles. He helped with Friday sermons and religious classes and dealt primarily with his Muslim congregants.

But for the last six months, Shah has worked with Christian and Jewish activists across the city, drumming up support for the “responsible banking” ordinance, a law that would spur banks that do business with the city of Los Angeles to modify mortgages, increase loans to small businesses and invest in their neighborhoods.

What does community banking have to do with his commitment to Islam? Everything, says Shah, 41, who is also a professional accountant and a former director of Humanitarian Day, an American Muslim day of service to local communities, especially the homeless.

“One of the solutions to Islamophobia is organizing around city-based issues,” he said. “Trying to deal with global issues can lead to entanglements. Uniting around local issues can broaden understanding.”

Shah is one of four paid trainees in Southern California and 16 nationwide who are completing a six-month Community Organizing Residency (COR), a program launched a year ago by Jewish Funds for Justice, a national nonprofit organization.

Shortly after Shah arrived at his placement with the group LA Voice, he noticed that there were no mosques — and no Muslims — among its 24 faith-based organizations. LA Voice is an ecumenical federation that promotes civic action on the congregational level.

So Shah lined up 35 one-on-one meetings with Islamic clergy and lay leaders, and within two weeks he had mobilized 70 Muslims to participate in a responsible-banking rally organized by LA Voice. Now several mosques have joined the group’s network of churches and synagogues, which represents 30,000 families.

Simon Greer, president and chief executive of Jewish Funds for Justice, said COR’s guiding principles are that activists need not distance themselves from their faith traditions when they engage in community organizing and that true dialogue happens when people work closely toward shared goals.

“For those who say that the Jewish and Muslim communities can’t work together, I have the program that says otherwise,” Greer said. “This is not interfaith discussion. It’s not about finding two Jews, two Christians and two Muslims who know each other.”

Greer had noticed that although many Jews work toward social justice, their activities are not always connected to their Jewish identities. And those active in Jewish organizations often take a “parochial” approach, he said, not looking beyond their own group.

At the same time, agencies that receive grants from his group — many of which are not Jewish organizations — have expressed frustration that staff and volunteers are ill-equipped to deal with the religious dimension of the diverse populations they serve.

“There weren’t enough people doing community work who were comfortable in their faith traditions,” Greer said. “We found the same thing affected the Christian and Muslim communities.”

Read the full story here.

8288: Sometimes Intolerance Fuels Inclusion.

From The Chicago Tribune…

On Muslims, gays and tolerance in America

By Eboo Patel

No one is happier to wave goodbye to 2010 than American Muslims. Favorability ratings for our faith actually declined this year. Leading public figures compared Muslims to Nazis, swift-boated one of our most respected religious leaders and basically suggested we were planning a hostile takeover of America.

But there was a silver lining to this year of religious bigotry. Every time the forces of intolerance made a move to marginalize Muslims, the forces of inclusion in America rose up to defend us. In the process, Muslims learned that we have some pretty unlikely allies.

There were prominent Evangelical preachers like Jim Wallis who helped organize a Christian response to Terry Jones’ threatened Quran burning, and Bob Roberts who tweeted a series called “What I Love About Muslims” to his followers. There were prominent Jewish figures like Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who made an impassioned call for a canopy of religious tolerance that extends over every geographic area of New York City and includes all its diverse communities.

As the founder and president of an interfaith organization, I’ve had the chance to witness the forces of inclusion up close. Much of the attention of our staff and board — people who come from five faiths and include a number of nonreligious folks as well — has been focused on speaking out for their Muslim neighbors.

One young intern at Interfaith Youth Core stands out to me. He’s a student at DePaul University with a bright smile and a snappy wardrobe. We gave him the task of tracking media relating to the Cordoba House situation in New York City and the public discourse around Muslims. He spent hours every day reading the hundreds of articles and blog posts on the slings and arrows suffered by Muslims, compiling regular reports on the trends, highlights and points of concern.

Recently, he wrote an article of his own. It was about Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University student who committed suicide after his sexual encounter with a man was streamed live. Nick wrote that he understood Clementi, because as a gay man, he had planned his own suicide many times. He described it in detail: the note he would write, the pills he would swallow, the look on his grandmother’s face when she found his body. And he called out one group in particular for causing his distress: religious people.

It occurred to me that Muslims weren’t the only people who had experienced bigotry in 2010. Yes, we faced an especially ugly strain of intolerance, but nothing like what gay men had suffered — torture in the Bronx, bullying so severe it led to multiple suicides.

It amazed me that a member of that group was spending his time sticking up for Muslims.

Why would Nick volunteer for an organization advocating tolerance for religious people? For Nick, the reason was simple. If he wanted his community to be free and safe in America, he had to work for an America where everybody was free and safe.

I’ve done a lot of public speaking this past year, from Evangelical churches to Jewish conferences to campuses across the country, talking about the importance of people standing up for Muslims in this time of Islamophobia. Nick’s story made me wonder: Would we Muslims stand up for him?

Many people have observed that suffering intolerance seems to be a rite of passage in America. Jews, Mormons, Catholics, blacks, Latinos, gays — lots of groups have known the fire of bigotry. It’s part of becoming American.

Well, right now Muslims are in the fire. But I don’t think getting burned is the most important step in a group’s American journey. Communities achieve their American identity not so much by knowing the fire themselves, but by refusing to let others get burned.

And we — collectively — achieve America when we put the fire of prejudice out for everybody, for good.

Eboo Patel is founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core, Chicago.

8254: Fast Food On A Slow News Day.

Deep-fried news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Brown’s Chicken is out of bankruptcy and airing a commercial starring Steve Carell—that was originally shot in 1989 when the actor was relatively unknown. Guess Brown’s Chicken is in creative bankruptcy.

• Mickey D’s will be selling oatmeal in 14,000 restaurants nationwide by the end of the week. The fast feeder is jumping on the bandwagon already being driven by places like Starbucks. Maybe Mickey D’s will present an original twist by introducing McRib-flavored oatmeal.

• Glenn Beck sparked controversy last week by declaring 10 percent of Muslims are terrorists. It’s safe to say that at least 10 percent of Beck’s brain is oatmeal.

• A new survey found that over 50 percent of Americans have put off getting some kind of health care because of cost. And at least 10 percent of Americans believe buying oatmeal at Mickey D’s constitutes health care.

• President Obama signed the Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act into law on Monday. The law will increase the number of fruits and vegetables on America’s public schools lunch menus. Wouldn’t it be more effective to legislate the food on Mickey D’s lunch menu?

8246: Joking Jackasses.

Friday Night Funnies in a MultiCultClassics Monologue...

• An Alabama storeowner is perplexed over all the controversy sparked by his sign that read, “BBQ PORK RESTURANT (sic) IS SAFEST NO MUSLIMS INSIDE.” The storeowner insisted that the message—intended to be a lighthearted joke—was actually true. “Muslims do not eat pork,” explained the man. “It’s a known fact that Muslims have tried to commit crimes in this country.” He also claimed, “I have gotten a few complaints about it, but for every one complaint about it I’ve had, 10 people tell me that they like it and support it.” Well, he is in Alabama.

• Kathy Griffin is on the defensive after sparking controversy with comments made during a recent performance aimed at Bristol Palin. The D-List comic joked that Palin had “gained 30 pounds” and looked like “the white Precious.” Although critics thought Griffin was unfunny and offensive, she refused to apologize. “I made several scandalous jokes, as I like to do—and I stand by all of them,” said Griffin. “There’s a big difference between being a comedian and bullying. It is a job. It’s what we do.” If it’s a comedian’s job to be offensive, then Michael Richards should have been promoted to CEO of Comedy Central.

8144: Miscellaneous Mumbo Jumbo.

Miscellany in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The first licensed clothing line commemorating the Jackson 5 will launch in February 2011. Look for plenty of clumsy tie-ins with Black History Month.

• General Motors is firing Mr. Goodwrench. Despite 37 years of serving as GM’s dealer service icon, the character will be eliminated February 1, 2011. Great, dump him on the first day of Black History Month.

• A conservative Muslim government minister in Indonesia sparked controversy for shaking hands with First Lady Michelle Obama. The official has historically flaunted his conservatism, saying he avoids contact with women not related to him. Now the man is claiming Michelle Obama forced him to shake her hand. Whatever. This scenario will no doubt completely confuse the group of Americans who believe President Obama is a Muslim.

• Former BP Chief Tony Hayward admitted during a recent interview that the oil company was unprepared for the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the media frenzy it generated. Gee, thanks, Tony. Although the majority of people on Earth could have told you that around, oh, April 20, 2010.

• Sources indicate the initial findings of President Obama’s independent commission into what caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster will support many of the conclusions BP made in its own internal investigation. Hey, somebody make sure Tony Hayward gets copies of both reports.