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On a New Showtime Series, America's Protector Is a Muslim
NY Times ^ | 7/4/05 | JACQUES STEINBERG

Posted on 07/05/2005 8:07:02 AM PDT by Valin

LOS ANGELES - The two members of the Islamic terrorist cell pulled up to the curb at the airport and quickly exited their Cadillac Escalade.

(snip) The lead character is an undercover F.B.I. agent who has managed to infiltrate a Southern California sleeper cell largely because he is a practicing Muslim. The character, Darwyn, is the first major role created on an American series - whether before or after the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings - that depicts a Muslim as a hero seeking to check the intentions of terrorists.

That the production has such a high gloss of credibility - at least in terms of the prayers that Darwyn utters, the ways he interprets the Koran and his struggles to reconcile his religion with his daily life - is a function of the creative team supporting it: three of those playing prominent roles behind the scenes are themselves Muslims. And having been raised on a steady diet of Arab bad guys - whether on shows like "JAG" or "24," or movies like the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle "True Lies" - they say they welcomed the opportunity to put a character on television who looked like them, shared their values and sought to save the day.

(snip) Among the creative risks being undertaken by the producers, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, is that "Sleeper Cell" also seeks to imagine the motivations and ordinary lives of a handful of Muslims seeking to do Americans great harm. They are shown huddling not in far-away caves but, in a page ripped from "The Sopranos," in such quintessentially American venues as a park (for a child's birthday picnic) and a bowling alley.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: counterterrorism; muslimamericans; showtime; sleepercell; tv

1 posted on 07/05/2005 8:07:09 AM PDT by Valin
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To: Valin
Been there done that got blown up on USA, a year ago.

Of course that's not main stream.

2 posted on 07/05/2005 8:12:06 AM PDT by dts32041 ( Dear Senator Durbin, I am not an Illinois Nazi. (US ARMY RET))
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To: dts32041

Or was it TNT or TBS, they were trying to take out a blonde chechen musselman terrors.


3 posted on 07/05/2005 8:13:21 AM PDT by dts32041 ( Dear Senator Durbin, I am not an Illinois Nazi. (US ARMY RET))
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To: Valin
The lead character is an undercover F.B.I. agent who has managed to infiltrate a Southern California sleeper cell largely because he is a practicing Muslim

That seems so plausible in light of the Muslims FBI agent that wouldn't even wear a wire against a fellow Muslim. /sarc

Maybe they'll schedule this right after "Queer as Folk"

4 posted on 07/05/2005 8:15:39 AM PDT by aynrandfreak (When can we stop pretending that the Left doesn't by and large hate America?)
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To: Valin

They will be able to get away with Muslims as terrorists because the hero is a Muslim. Until they start getting the death threats from the radicals anyway.


5 posted on 07/05/2005 8:16:14 AM PDT by Sir Gawain (When in doubt, cite the Commerce Clause)
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To: Valin

Highly implausible as our intelligence services are so inept they cant hire enough language translators or agents of the correct ethnicity for the current conflict.


6 posted on 07/05/2005 8:18:13 AM PDT by LongsforReagan (Not a Hannity Republican who just spouts talking points.)
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To: aynrandfreak

The hero will be a left handed lesbian latina of color muslim amputee.

The bad guys will be wife-beating fundamentalist Christian white supremist Republican men.


7 posted on 07/05/2005 8:21:47 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Error 404: Page Not Found)
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To: Valin

It's implausible. Muslims think that their duty to Allah comes first, so they are likelier to betray their FBI employers than their Muslim colleagues.

The FBI did have a number of Muslim double agents working for them, around the time of OKC, and the evidence suggests that all these double agents were busy betraying the FBI and that some of them were involved in the bombing.

On the other hand, although the story line is implausible, this show may still be a good idea. A story that shows Muslims turning in their traitorous brethren to the FBI every week sets a good example, and could conceivably influence some Muslim viewers.

I doubt that that is the intention of the producers, who probably are more interested in persuading a broad American audience that Muslims are good, trustworthy fellow citizens who should be distinguished from the evil terrorists. But it could have a useful effect nonetheless.


8 posted on 07/05/2005 8:34:39 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Valin
Not surprising. The only person type it couldn't be is a Caucasian Christian.
9 posted on 07/05/2005 8:39:27 AM PDT by Spirited
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To: Valin

"The character, Darwyn, is the first major role created on an American series ... that depicts a Muslim as a hero seeking to check the intentions of terrorists."

Won't fly, too unrealistic.


10 posted on 07/05/2005 8:40:01 AM PDT by BadAndy (Specializing in unnecessarily harsh comments.)
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To: Jeff Chandler

Don't forget the obligatory scene where rednecks attack the agent while screaming epithets at him.


11 posted on 07/05/2005 8:50:15 AM PDT by aynrandfreak (When can we stop pretending that the Left doesn't by and large hate America?)
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To: BadAndy

Won't fly, too unrealistic.

Right
"I Punched Saddam in the Mouth"
River Front Times ^ | April 13, 2005 | CHAD GARRISON
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1391805/posts


12 posted on 07/05/2005 5:27:17 PM PDT by Valin (The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.)
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