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Muslim American comedian discusses anti-Arab sentiment

V_MuslimsAreComing_ChrisFerri_CMYK
V_MuslimsAreComing_ChrisFerri_CMYK

Only 21 percent of Americans view Muslims favorably, and the media narrative needs to begin reflecting Muslims’ positive contributions to society, Muslim comedian Dean Obeidallah said at a lecture on Monday.

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“Before 9/11, I was a white guy,” Obeidallah said. “I used to get comments, sometimes nice, sometimes not, but never the same as before 9/11. Before 9/11, if I said I was Arab, people were like, ‘Whatever.’ Now it's like, ‘Oh you’re Arab, I love hummus.’ It’s like, ‘Oh you’re Arab, you look normal.’ ”

Much of the worsened attitude toward Muslim Americans has been due to the media focus on al-Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram, Obeidallah said, noting that only .02 percent of all Muslims have any affiliation with ISIS.

Most prejudice against Muslim Americans isn’t the product of historical racism, he added.

“[My hometown, Lodi, N.J.,] was a very Italian town,” Obeidallah, who is half-Sicilian and half-Palestinian, said. “My mom’s Catholic, my dad’s Muslim; we were raised with both faiths. It was never an issue there, ever.”

Politicians, however, continue to capitalize on 9/11, which explains why anti-Muslim bias shows up most in polls around elections, Obeidallah said. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in particular has continued to repeat claims about the existence of ‘no-go zones’ in Europe, where Muslims supposedly rule using sharia law, he added, noting that Fox News has apologized four times for making the claims.

Obeidallah said that, because he has a Caucasian appearance, people biased against Muslims have told him things they would normally only mention to like-minded people, including remarks about the desire to kill Arab people.

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While a small proportion of people happen to be both Muslim and bad, nearly all of the media’s attention is directed toward this group, he said. Even this coverage tends to ignore the fact that ISIS’ violence is overwhelmingly directed against other Muslims and that Muslim terrorists tend to be motivated by the message that Muslims are being killed by various forces rather than the literal text of the Qu’ran.

The Qu’ran does not advocate for violence, and in cases in which violence is depicted by the prophet Muhammad, this should not be read literally to encourage violence, he added. The Qu’ran has been subject to non-literal interpretation throughout its history and this is the proper mode for reading it, he explained.

Also concerning is the existence of “professional anti-Muslim bigots” who have recently paid over $100,000 to purchase anti-Muslim ads in major American cities, he said. Jesus’ Arabic background is also frequently ignored, he added.

“I’m going to be honest, it’s not Democrats, it’s Republicans,” he said. “How many of you have heard about sharia law ... which Republicans think we want to impose in America? How are we going to overpower the rest of you and impose sharia? ... To them, Jesus was born in Iowa and wrapped in an American flag and was taken home in a pickup truck listening to Toby Keith.”

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Sharia law varies widely from country to country and says more about the cultures of the countries that choose to impose it than Muslim people themselves, who are found all over the world and have a variety of ethnic backgrounds, he said.

Obeidallah said that when he talked to President Barack Obama, he told him that Democrats need to stop remaining silent on the issue of Muslim rights and that the radical rhetoric surrounding Islam in the United States would continue to contribute to violence against Muslims. Six days later, he said, three Muslims were “executed point blank” in North Carolina, an attack he attributed to anti-Muslim bias.

Mostly, however, the United States continues to be mired in ignorance about Muslim people and Islam, he said.

Last summer, a poll came out showing that only 32 percent of Americans had at least one Muslim friend, a number which has somewhat inexplicably dropped to 24 percent recently, he said. Most people are getting their view of Muslims and Islam from television, he explained.

“[In the wake of the attacks in Canada,] CNN used this term saying, ‘We think [the attacker] suffered from sudden jihad syndrome,’ ” Obeidallah said. “I’m not making this up ... Suddenly, you become a jihadist. You don’t even know what happened.”

Obeidallah expressed his belief that someone should start an “adopt a Muslim” program so Americans have more contact with Muslim people. In contrast, people in the Arab world enjoy American chains and entertainment and show an immense interest in American culture, he said.

Muslims in America should continue to make a mockery of bigots, which is one of the most effective ways to reduce anti-Muslim prejudice along with Muslims contributing more to the media and entertainment industries, he said.

Obeidallah also recalled some humorous interactions about his Muslim background and time traveling in the Arab world.

“ ‘Insha'Allah’ means anything that happens in the future — even things God doesn’t care about — is God willing,” he said. “I was at a restaurant in Jordan one summer, and I asked the waiter, ‘Where’s the bathroom?’ and he goes, ‘It’s over there.’ I said, ‘I’ll be right back.’ He said, ‘Insha'Allah.’ ”

He also joked about so-called “Insha'Allah time.”

“You have Princeton time, which is 10 minutes late,” he said. “We have Insha'Allah time ... Muslim event starting at 7 o’clock, it’s like 9:30, ‘I think we’re going to give it a shot.’ ”

He also recalled being in Jordan and seeing ashtrays next to treadmills and advertisements from Jordan's medical association telling smokers “not to be quitters.”

The event took place at Whig Hall at 7 p.m. and was sponsored by the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, the Muslim Life Program and the Council of the Humanities.