ianstone
09-04-2010, 05:34 PM
BELIEFS
Video campaign invites American Muslims to share their normalcy
Dozens have filmed and posted clips for My Faith My Voice, telling viewers about their sports teams, hometowns or families. The grassroots effort aims to show that 'Muslims are like everyone else.'
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-09/55969407.jpg A grassroots video campaign is trying to counter recent anti-Muslim rhetoric by having individual American Muslims introduce themselves, give an interesting fact about themselves and tell viewers that Islam need not be feared. (Nadiya al-Khatib)
By Raja Abdulrahim, Los Angeles Times September 4, 2010
la-me-beliefs-my-faith-20100904 http://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_on.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_on.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_on.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_off.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_off.jpg
One of the most interesting things about American Muslims appears to be their sports loyalties.
That's what many have discussed in filming personal messages for an online campaign aimed at countering anti-Muslim rhetoric in the wake of controversy over a proposed Islamic center in New York City and mosque protests elsewhere. Several dozen videos have been posted so far.
The videos, which American Muslims are invited to record and upload onto the campaign's website, mostly follow a script: The speakers introduce themselves, give an "interesting fact" about themselves and then launch into a prewritten message about Islam's teachings. They say that Muslims do not want to impose their religion on others and should not be feared.
Get breaking news alerts delivered to your mobile phone. Text BREAKING to 52669. (http://www.latimes.com/la-email-splash-page,0,121618.htmlstory)
The grassroots campaign, called My Faith My Voice, grew out of conversations among a number of Muslim professionals about what they felt was a recent rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.
The campaign was launched this week at a news conference in Washington, D.C., with the unveiling of a public service announcement. The 1-minute video features Muslims of various ethnicities, ages and occupations, including a man wearing a Philadelphia Phillies (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/baseball/philadelphia-phillies-ORSPT000216.topic) T-shirt.
Those behind the campaign, which they say is not associated with any organization, are relying heavily on social media to encourage American Muslims to create the short videos about themselves and their faith. They are also raising money to turn the videos into TV ads to reach an audience beyond those visiting the website, http://www.myfaithmyvoice.com (http://www.myfaithmyvoice.com/).
The effort echoes previous campaigns geared toward showing Muslims as regular Americans and making them easier to relate to. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (http://www.latimes.com/topic/crime-law-justice/justice-rights/civil-rights/council-on-american-islamic-relations-ORCIG000002.topic), a Washington-based civil rights group, ran a yearlong print ad campaign in 2003 titled Islam in America, and this week announced public service announcements featuring Muslims who were among the first responders on 9/11 (http://www.latimes.com/topic/unrest-conflicts-war/terrorism/september-11-2001-attacks-EVHST000001.topic).
The My Faith My Voice videos are "a chance to speak to Americans without a filter," said Rabiah Ahmed, 33, who runs a public relations firm in northern Virginia on the outskirts of Washington and is one of the project members. "There's so many things that we do that people can relate to."
And it seems what some Muslims most want to share is their love for a sports team.
"That's very American for you," Ahmed said with a laugh when asked about the prevalence of sports in the videos. "We could have a recession going on, we could have a war going on, we could have the worst things going but we'll always have sports."
When Ahmed recorded her own video for the project, she decided not to describe herself as a Detroit Pistons (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/detroit-pistons-ORSPT000099.topic) fan — not wanting to offend those more partial to the Lions and Tigers — and instead declared herself a devoted Detroiter.
Irfan Mehmood, the campaign's outreach coordinator, had no problem making his loyalties public; he appears in front of a wall covered in New Orleans Saints (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/football/new-orleans-saints-ORSPT000050.topic) symbols and gives the team chant: "Who dat say they gonna beat them Saints?"
Sports references abound in a clip by two brothers, both alumni of Virginia Tech (http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/virginia-tech-OREDU0000161.topic) and dressed in "Hokies United" T-shirts.
"I'm Awais Sheikh."
"And I'm Imad Sheikh."
"And we're proud members of the Hokie Nation," Awais Sheikh says as the camera cuts to Imad lifting his head toward the ceiling and yelling, "Go Hokies!"
Awais begins the script, telling viewers that recently they've been told what to think about Muslims. The camera moves back to Imad, who interrupts his football video game to ask, "Oh, oh wait, I've been playing a lot of Madden lately. What do they say?"
Imad then laughs at the idea that Americans would fear his brother, wondering: Have they ever seen you throw a baseball?"
Another duo, Ahmed and Mae, tag-team the video script as Ahmed tells the viewer that "as huge Saints fans, it kills us to be so close to the Redskins (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/football/washington-redskins-ORSPT000226.topic) fans, but we do love living in D.C."
Sports isn't the only personal detail mentioned in the videos. Most border on the mundane, with participants talking about their home states, children, jobs, and occasionally, their ethnicity. The chosen specifics send the real message of the campaign: Muslims are just as ordinary as other Americans.
"The whole point is to normalize; we're not trying to sensationalize anything, we're trying to show the face of Muslims as it is," said Hassan Ahmad, 34, Rabiah Ahmed's husband and an immigration attorney who is helping organize the video campaign. "Muslims are like everyone else; we go crazy for March Madness (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/march-madness-EVSPR0000028.topic) and we like the Super Bowl (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/football/super-bowl-EVSPR000004.topic) and we like pizza."
In a suggested script sent out by Rabiah Ahmed, she says an interesting personal detail might be something like "I'm a Detroit Pistons fan." When Mehmood forwarded the same e-mail, he changed Pistons to Saints. The script was meant only as a guideline, Mehmood said, but he also noted the universal appeal of sports.
"As an avid sports enthusiast, I would say whenever I meet someone from a different city, [sports is] usually in the top three things discussed," he said. "It's a great ice breaker that brings people together."
innercity at 1:19 PM September 04, 2010 Ok, wow, so American Muslims are just as mundane as everyone else. I look forward to the hardcore Christian Right version of this website, in which fundamentalists tell us they do not want to impose their religion on others and should not be feared. Maybe the Koran-burning "Christian" can explain how book burning exemplifies the American values of embracing our differences and freedom of religion.
casalobo1 at 12:25 PM September 04, 2010 Well, it's so reassuring to see that the paranoid crackpots are out in force with their comments on this piece. As always, they are convinved that they possess some secret inside information that the rest of us lack. And it's always something else to fear (be afraid! be very afraid!). I wonder how they think it is that Sharia law will come to rule the United States. It would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic. Some people just can't seem to live without being afraid of The Other. First it was European immigrants, Catholics, and Jews, then blacks, and now it's Muslims. As if Islam is a monolithic thing and every Muslim is the same (a terrorist! booga booga!). America's culture always leads to assimilation if you are just patient and wait a generation or two. But that's not a very interesting or exciting story, is it? A Muslim family is welcome to live next door to me if they'd like (a Hindu family lives a few houses away and there are two Hispanic families on my block, including a state senator named Florez). I wonder how many people in the past would have refused to let them live here, not to mention the Jewish family that lives in my very own house. God bless THIS version of America.
tredannick at 12:13 PM September 04, 2010 For the record, my comment was purely sarcastic. Anybody who takes it seriously is in real need of a psychiatric exam. Or improvement in their reading comprehension.
Comments are filtered for language and registration is required. The Times makes no guarantee of comments' factual accuracy. Readers may report inappropriate comments by clicking the Report Abuse link. Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form (http://www.latimes.com/services/site/lat-terms,0,6713384.htmlstory).
Video campaign invites American Muslims to share their normalcy
Dozens have filmed and posted clips for My Faith My Voice, telling viewers about their sports teams, hometowns or families. The grassroots effort aims to show that 'Muslims are like everyone else.'
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-09/55969407.jpg A grassroots video campaign is trying to counter recent anti-Muslim rhetoric by having individual American Muslims introduce themselves, give an interesting fact about themselves and tell viewers that Islam need not be feared. (Nadiya al-Khatib)
By Raja Abdulrahim, Los Angeles Times September 4, 2010
la-me-beliefs-my-faith-20100904 http://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_on.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_on.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_on.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_off.jpghttp://www.latimes.com/hive/images/ratings/rating_off.jpg
One of the most interesting things about American Muslims appears to be their sports loyalties.
That's what many have discussed in filming personal messages for an online campaign aimed at countering anti-Muslim rhetoric in the wake of controversy over a proposed Islamic center in New York City and mosque protests elsewhere. Several dozen videos have been posted so far.
The videos, which American Muslims are invited to record and upload onto the campaign's website, mostly follow a script: The speakers introduce themselves, give an "interesting fact" about themselves and then launch into a prewritten message about Islam's teachings. They say that Muslims do not want to impose their religion on others and should not be feared.
Get breaking news alerts delivered to your mobile phone. Text BREAKING to 52669. (http://www.latimes.com/la-email-splash-page,0,121618.htmlstory)
The grassroots campaign, called My Faith My Voice, grew out of conversations among a number of Muslim professionals about what they felt was a recent rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.
The campaign was launched this week at a news conference in Washington, D.C., with the unveiling of a public service announcement. The 1-minute video features Muslims of various ethnicities, ages and occupations, including a man wearing a Philadelphia Phillies (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/baseball/philadelphia-phillies-ORSPT000216.topic) T-shirt.
Those behind the campaign, which they say is not associated with any organization, are relying heavily on social media to encourage American Muslims to create the short videos about themselves and their faith. They are also raising money to turn the videos into TV ads to reach an audience beyond those visiting the website, http://www.myfaithmyvoice.com (http://www.myfaithmyvoice.com/).
The effort echoes previous campaigns geared toward showing Muslims as regular Americans and making them easier to relate to. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (http://www.latimes.com/topic/crime-law-justice/justice-rights/civil-rights/council-on-american-islamic-relations-ORCIG000002.topic), a Washington-based civil rights group, ran a yearlong print ad campaign in 2003 titled Islam in America, and this week announced public service announcements featuring Muslims who were among the first responders on 9/11 (http://www.latimes.com/topic/unrest-conflicts-war/terrorism/september-11-2001-attacks-EVHST000001.topic).
The My Faith My Voice videos are "a chance to speak to Americans without a filter," said Rabiah Ahmed, 33, who runs a public relations firm in northern Virginia on the outskirts of Washington and is one of the project members. "There's so many things that we do that people can relate to."
And it seems what some Muslims most want to share is their love for a sports team.
"That's very American for you," Ahmed said with a laugh when asked about the prevalence of sports in the videos. "We could have a recession going on, we could have a war going on, we could have the worst things going but we'll always have sports."
When Ahmed recorded her own video for the project, she decided not to describe herself as a Detroit Pistons (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/detroit-pistons-ORSPT000099.topic) fan — not wanting to offend those more partial to the Lions and Tigers — and instead declared herself a devoted Detroiter.
Irfan Mehmood, the campaign's outreach coordinator, had no problem making his loyalties public; he appears in front of a wall covered in New Orleans Saints (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/football/new-orleans-saints-ORSPT000050.topic) symbols and gives the team chant: "Who dat say they gonna beat them Saints?"
Sports references abound in a clip by two brothers, both alumni of Virginia Tech (http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/virginia-tech-OREDU0000161.topic) and dressed in "Hokies United" T-shirts.
"I'm Awais Sheikh."
"And I'm Imad Sheikh."
"And we're proud members of the Hokie Nation," Awais Sheikh says as the camera cuts to Imad lifting his head toward the ceiling and yelling, "Go Hokies!"
Awais begins the script, telling viewers that recently they've been told what to think about Muslims. The camera moves back to Imad, who interrupts his football video game to ask, "Oh, oh wait, I've been playing a lot of Madden lately. What do they say?"
Imad then laughs at the idea that Americans would fear his brother, wondering: Have they ever seen you throw a baseball?"
Another duo, Ahmed and Mae, tag-team the video script as Ahmed tells the viewer that "as huge Saints fans, it kills us to be so close to the Redskins (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/football/washington-redskins-ORSPT000226.topic) fans, but we do love living in D.C."
Sports isn't the only personal detail mentioned in the videos. Most border on the mundane, with participants talking about their home states, children, jobs, and occasionally, their ethnicity. The chosen specifics send the real message of the campaign: Muslims are just as ordinary as other Americans.
"The whole point is to normalize; we're not trying to sensationalize anything, we're trying to show the face of Muslims as it is," said Hassan Ahmad, 34, Rabiah Ahmed's husband and an immigration attorney who is helping organize the video campaign. "Muslims are like everyone else; we go crazy for March Madness (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/basketball/march-madness-EVSPR0000028.topic) and we like the Super Bowl (http://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/football/super-bowl-EVSPR000004.topic) and we like pizza."
In a suggested script sent out by Rabiah Ahmed, she says an interesting personal detail might be something like "I'm a Detroit Pistons fan." When Mehmood forwarded the same e-mail, he changed Pistons to Saints. The script was meant only as a guideline, Mehmood said, but he also noted the universal appeal of sports.
"As an avid sports enthusiast, I would say whenever I meet someone from a different city, [sports is] usually in the top three things discussed," he said. "It's a great ice breaker that brings people together."
innercity at 1:19 PM September 04, 2010 Ok, wow, so American Muslims are just as mundane as everyone else. I look forward to the hardcore Christian Right version of this website, in which fundamentalists tell us they do not want to impose their religion on others and should not be feared. Maybe the Koran-burning "Christian" can explain how book burning exemplifies the American values of embracing our differences and freedom of religion.
casalobo1 at 12:25 PM September 04, 2010 Well, it's so reassuring to see that the paranoid crackpots are out in force with their comments on this piece. As always, they are convinved that they possess some secret inside information that the rest of us lack. And it's always something else to fear (be afraid! be very afraid!). I wonder how they think it is that Sharia law will come to rule the United States. It would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic. Some people just can't seem to live without being afraid of The Other. First it was European immigrants, Catholics, and Jews, then blacks, and now it's Muslims. As if Islam is a monolithic thing and every Muslim is the same (a terrorist! booga booga!). America's culture always leads to assimilation if you are just patient and wait a generation or two. But that's not a very interesting or exciting story, is it? A Muslim family is welcome to live next door to me if they'd like (a Hindu family lives a few houses away and there are two Hispanic families on my block, including a state senator named Florez). I wonder how many people in the past would have refused to let them live here, not to mention the Jewish family that lives in my very own house. God bless THIS version of America.
tredannick at 12:13 PM September 04, 2010 For the record, my comment was purely sarcastic. Anybody who takes it seriously is in real need of a psychiatric exam. Or improvement in their reading comprehension.
Comments are filtered for language and registration is required. The Times makes no guarantee of comments' factual accuracy. Readers may report inappropriate comments by clicking the Report Abuse link. Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form (http://www.latimes.com/services/site/lat-terms,0,6713384.htmlstory).