CAIR Pissed Over 24: Surprise!

CAIR is angry over season six of 24's selection of baddies: Muslim terrorists.

From The Mercury News:

"The overwhelming impression you get is fear and hatred for Muslims," said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. She said Thursday she was distressed by this season's premiere.

"After watching that show, I was afraid to go to the grocery store because I wasn't sure the person next to me would be able to differentiate between fiction and reality."

Really? Now I'm offended that you think I'm such an idiot!

CAIR had a conference call with FOX executives on Wednesday to protest the "negative" portrayal of Muslims on 24.

Of course, this is ridiculous. What religious terror group has openly attacked this country? Yet, in six seasons of television, only TWO have used Islamic terror as a plotline. Also, Kiefer Sutherland did PSAs during the last season featuring Islamofacists, reminding us simpletons at home that not ALL Muslims are terrorists.

I guess FOX will have to dust those off again...

In a written statement issued late Wednesday night, the network said it has not singled out any ethnic or religious group for blame in creating its characters.

"24 is a heightened drama about anti-terrorism," the statement read. "After five seasons, the audience clearly understands this, and realizes that any individual, family, or group (ethnic or otherwise) that engages in violence is not meant to be typical.

"Over the past several seasons, the villains have included shadowy Anglo businessmen, Baltic Europeans, Germans, Russians, Islamic fundamentalists, and even the (Anglo-American) president of the United States," the network said. "The show has made a concerted effort to show ethnic, religious and political groups as multidimensional, and political issues are debated from multiple viewpoints."

So where are the Russian protesters? Why aren't the 'Anglo-Americans' in an uproar? Did the President Bush have a hissy fit when 24 portrayed the President as a conniving back-stabber last season?

Sohail Mohammed, a New Jersey immigration lawyer who represented scores of detainees caught up in the post Sept. 11, 2001 dragnet, watched the episode depicting the nuclear attack with an Associated Press reporter.

"I was shocked," he said. "Somewhere, some lunatic out there watching this will do something to an innocent American Muslim because he believes what he saw on TV."

I'm shocked that some lunatic might do something to an innocent American 'infidel' because he believes the hatred being spewed from some mosques.

Engy Abdelkader, a member of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee from Howell, N.J., launched a campaign Wednesday to encourage Muslims offended by the program to complain to Fox.

"I found the portrayal of American Muslims to be pretty horrendous," she said. "It was denigrating from beginning to end. This is one of the most popular programs on television today. It's pretty distressing."

You know what I find pretty distressing? That CAIR and similar Muslim groups are getting their panties in a bunch over a fictional television show, rather than taking on and protesting the very real threat posed by extremists here and abroad.

Rather than sweeping the problem under the rug and crying "bigot" every time someone dares to impugn a Muslim, how about changing the reality that the art imitates?

How about showing us a little compassion?


Why, do you ask, would we fear Muslims in the first place?

Because of the open threats coming from some of their religious leaders:

From CNN.com:

DUBLIN, Ireland (CNN) -- At a recent debate over the battle for Islamic ideals in England, a British-born Muslim stood before the crowd and said Prophet Mohammed's message to nonbelievers is: "I come to slaughter all of you."

"We are the Muslims," said Omar Brooks, an extremist also known as Abu Izzadeen. "We drink the blood of the enemy, and we can face them anywhere. That is Islam and that is jihad."

Some Muslims in the crowd were appalled and disgusted by Brooks' sermon, and openly objected.

"These people, ladies and gentleman, have a good look at them. They actually believe if you kill women and children, you will go to heaven," said one young Muslim who waved his finger at the radicals.

"This is not ideology. It's a mental illness."

Why doesn't CAIR speak out against this sort of thing, like the man in this crowd? He doesn't have an organization behind him, but he still had the courage to denounce the pig Omar Brooks.

Choudary, whose group Al-Mahajiroun disbanded before the British government could outlaw it under its anti-terror laws, spoke to CNN and made clear he wants to see Islamic law for Britain.

"All of the world belongs to Allah, and we will live according to the Sharia wherever we are," said Choudary, a lawyer. "This is a fundamental belief of the Muslims."

Asked if he believes in democracy, he said, "No, I don't at all." "One day, the Sharia will be implemented in Britain. It's a matter of time."

But we aren't supposed to feel threatened? We aren't supposed to be wary? We've been attacked, and openly threatened non-stop for years now. WE'RE HANDSHY.

While Choudary and other radicals continue to try to spread their beliefs, others say there is no justification for jihad in England. Imam Usama Hasan memorized the Quran by the time he was 11 and at 19, he briefly fought in Afghanistan against the Soviets.

"If you have the wrong intention, you can justify your criminal actions from any text -- whether it's the Quran or Bible or Shakespeare," Hasan said.

He said it makes him "furious" when radicals quote the Quran out of context to justify killing of innocents. It's a "very tiny" minority with such beliefs, he said, but "it only takes a handful, of course, to create devastation."

"Many people are terrified of Muslims. They are terrified of a brother walking down the road with his eastern dress and his hat and his beard, because they have seen these images associated with suicide bombers," he said.

"It is up to us to dispel that fear -- to smile at people to tell them that ... the message of Islam is not about bits of cloth. It is not about the beard or head scarf or the face veil or violence.
It is about peace."

It is about peace! It is up to Muslims to counter the extremism of Muslims. It cannot come from the infidel, and it certainly won't come from CAIR's solution of sweeping any complaint or bad portrayal under the rug.

Americans have been understanding, waiting for a reformation... Let's hope it comes before the extremists use all of our patience up.