“He Looks Like a Muslim”

I hope we don’t all get whiplash, but suddenly we’re supposed to dislike beards. And if you have a full beard, you look like the Taliban.

 

Quick quiz: is the above an American icon or a terrible turncoat no-good traitor who is probably a *gasp* Muslim?

 

How about this one?

Okay, so remember: now we all hate beards, as they prove that you are a member of the Taliban.

All-Arabic Version of “America the Beautiful” Here

Last night’s Super Bowl included a commercial by Coca Cola in which “American the Beautiful” was sung in a few different languages along with English. I didn’t hear any Arabic in it, but here is Coke’s version in all-Arabic. This clip also includes some conversation with the delightful little girl who sang it.

Also, for a small sample of what America’s bigots, racists, and morons said on Twitter about the commercial, go to Public Shaming:

http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/

Super Cute Boy Band on Arabs Got Talent

This clip is from September, but hey, it’s new to me.

Arabic Horror Movies

Found this thoughtful article from 2012 about horror movies in the Arab world.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/13233

“Supernatural tropes are common in our horrors.This makes sense when dealing with what subconsciously scares our societies. It is within the foundation of Islam – and even among Arab Christians in a cultural sense. It’s not something you can grow out of. People grow old and still believe in exorcisms,” Tarek Jammal, a Lebanese filmmaker and hardcore movie enthusiast, explained to Al-Akhbar.

He pointed to the example of zombies, popular figures in American horror, to clarify his point. “Why are there no zombies in Gaza?” he asked.

“Zombies are not as terrifying as an Israeli bombing, and other real life horrors and tragedies. Zombies are commonly representative of various fears arising within affluent societies. People who are under constant attack by Israelis or whomever else aren’t going to be frightened by zombies.”

Jassim al-Nofaly, Egyptian-Omani filmmaker and zealous horror buff, shared a similar viewpoint during a separate conversation with Al-Akhbar:

“Jinn and black magic are foundational to our cultural beliefs. We are afraid of what we do not understand and what we do not see. Some people educate their children from the point of view of an omnipresent invisible being that is constantly watching you; quite horrifying when you think about it,” he said.

I found it a fun read. I’ll be back to read Al-Akhbar again.

Send Me Movie & Book Suggestions

Back at the end of 2006 I started this blog partly because I had recently learned of the existence of blogs and partly because I was reading a book in which the author did a hatchet job on Muslim Arabs, and I wanted to talk about that.

 

Well, it’s not stylish to spout off bogeyman nonsense about Arabs and Muslims anymore, so I don’t stumble across good stuff to blog about very often. It has become mainstream to point out racism and bigotry, which is good! It just doesn’t leave me with much material to blog about.

 

So please send me tips about novels and comics and tv shows and movies that I could investigate. Just comment on this thread. Thanks!

Weird/Funny YouTube Clip of the Day

Hunter Davis’s impression of Ian McKellen performing the theme song to Charles in Charge.

Funny Ad

This is a series of screen caps from an SNL parody ad. Found this on Pleated Jeans.

Wise Words from Homer Simpson

Parody Lowe’s Muslim Commercial

I found this on Loonwatch, a terrific blog that I highly recommend.

Merry Christmahanukwanzika to all!

One Line of Arabic On Modern Family

Relax, Mitchell. You’ll get your all-white-meat chicken.