US Muslims plan to launch cable TV network

khilafah ?? ^ | 5/17/03

[knak]

Washington: Suspicious glances follow them everywhere. American Muslims who have nothing to do with terrorism have taken an initiative to convey the truth about themselves through a unique cable network.

About six million to eight million Muslims currently reside in the United States, yet pop culture images of them are scant beyond the nightly news reports chronicling the war on terrorism and Hollywood portrayals of Islamic extremists blowing up buses in Brooklyn.

There isn't a single recurring Muslim character, for example, on a sitcom or drama. Some 1,500 other American Muslims are eager to change that -- so eager that they're willing to pay 10 dollars a month for a fledgling cable television network that doesn't even exist yet, reports Wired News.

Mo Hassan, a New York banker and ex-Procter and Gamble marketer, and Omar Amanat, founder of the Tradescape Internet brokerage, are betting that many more people will to do the same.

The founders of the new Bridges TV network hope that by delivering 10,000 "pre-subscribers" they will convince major cable companies to take on the first nationwide English-language Muslim television channel in the United States by the summer of 2004.

Hassan and Amanat say they plan to offer programming that resonates with the real-life experiences of moderate American Muslims.

"American Muslim life is, for the most part, quite similar to mainstream American life," said Hassan.

"But for an American-born Muslim kid growing up in America, there are virtually no realistic portrayals of Muslims in dramas, sitcoms, soap operas or talk shows."

Despite backing by celebrities like Muhammad Ali and early interest from viewers and investors, Bridges TV has its skeptics.

Mostapha Saout, president of multicultural advertising agency Allied Media, is one of them.

"Muslim and Arab Americans are concentrated in the top 20 cities, which are already saturated with cable stations," Saout said.

"And those 10,000 subscribers -- when you break it down per cable station nationwide -- it's not that many."

Saout said that most ethnically focused cable stations are subsidised by established networks or overseas governments, so being a start-up just adds to Bridges TV's list of challenges.

Source: The News (Jang Group)

[knak]

Yet another reason not to watch TV.

[Petronski]

There isn't a single recurring Muslim character, for example, on a sitcom...

Islam isn't very funny.

[joesnuffy]

whats next muslim history month?

[aimhigh]

OK folks, it's up to us to come up with their program schedule. I'll begin:

8:00 am - Making your own dymamite vests.
8:30 am - How to persecute other faiths.
9:00 am - Lying for Allah.

[philo]

9:00 - 10:00 Calypso Hour with Louis Farrakan

[dagnabbit]

American Muslims who have nothing to do with terrorism

Individual muslims collectively comprise the pond in which muslim terrorists swim and thrive with impunity. Every American muslim has something to do with muslim terrorism in America.

[dufekin]

Muslim Americans will celebrate and enjoy freedom of the press. Oh, yeah, and capitalism.

Funny thing is, most Muslim countries--including every Arab nation, except Israel wherein Arabs and Muslims are both minorities--don't know either of these. Then again, a large proportion of these people (all of 'em, I would hope) came to America to escape life under an assortment of ruthless despots, military dictators, terrorist ringleaders, absolute monarchs, brutal tyrants, power-crazed ayatollahs, mad mullahs, oppressive autocrats, and other miscellaneous strongmen.

[aimhigh]

10:00 am - Managing four wives.
11:00 am - Star Trek - Klingon leadership.
12:00 noon - Virgins in Paradise.
1:00 pm - Jihad

[gcruse]

SUNDAY:
0800 - My 33 Sons
0830 - Osama Knows Best
0900 - I Dream of Jihad
0930 - Let's Mecca Deal
1000 - The Kabul Hillbillies

MONDAY:
0800 - Husseinfeld
0900 - Mad About Everything
0930 - Monday Night Stoning
1000 - Win Bin Laden's Money
1030 - Allah McBeal

TUESDAY:
0800 - Wheel of Terror
0830 - The Price is Right if Osama Says it's Right
0900 - Children are Forbidden from Saying the Darndest Things
0930 - Saddam's Wackiest Public Execution Bloopers
1000 - No Survivor

WEDNESDAY:
0800 - Beat the Press
0830 - When Kurds Attack
0900 - Two Guys, a Girl, and Pita Bread
0930 - Just Shoot Everyone
1000 - Veilwatch

THURSDAY:
0800 - Fatima Loves Chachi
0830 - M*U*S*T*A*S*H
0900 - Veronica's Closet Full of Long, Black, Shapeless Dresses and
Veils
0930 - Married with 139 Children
1000 - Eye for an Eye Witness News

FRIDAY:
0800 - Spongebob Squareturban
0830 - Who's Koran Is It Anyway?
0900 - Teletalibans
0930 - Camel 54, Where Are You ?
1000 - Gas in the City

SATURDAY:
0800 - Judge Jihad
0830 - Suddenly Sanctions
0900 - Who Wants to Marry a Terrorist Millionaire?
0930 - Cave and Garden Television
1000 - No-Witness News

Sent by Nazanin

[Torie]

an initiative to convey the truth about themselves

Conveying the "truth" is a heavy lifting task indeed. Creating a vehicle with a sectarian slant is ill suited to that task, but perhaps, with the cacaphony of voices which this great nation of ours tolerates in a way no other place on this planet does, adding such a voice is valuable in the larger scheme, however biased. It might enrich the public square, if only to put forward American Muslim issues up for debate. Other voices can decry whatever BS emanates in real time, ASAP. ASAP is a profound change by the way in the public square. BS has a shorter half life than ever, with watchdogs prowling everywhere. And that systemic change is simply marvelous, and a marvel for this old bod of the modern age.

[dts32041]

You mean CNN is now becoming FINN (Fascoislamic News Network)

[philo]

2pm Make Room For Allah
3pm Osama Knows Best

[MinuteGal]

Watching re-runs of "Beau Geste" is enough Muslimism for me.

Leni

[MeekMom]

re: Post #4
...and lest we forget; "Convert or Kill!"

[MeekMom]

re: post #6
Truer words have not been spoken, Period.

[philo]

Osama Knows Best

Now what's the odds of us both coming up with that

[knak]

rofl ... Let's Mecca Deal!

[white trash redneck]

A Muslim moderate thinks the Holocaust didn't happen. A Muslim extremist thinks that it did, and that it was a good thing.

[aimhigh]

About six million to eight million Muslims currently reside in the United States.

A lie. They came up with this number in order to be considered just a little more numerous than the Jews.