Muslim-Americans’ Self-Image Concerns Read the article by Navarrette and take notes on his argument. What is his argument? Write a clear sentence or two d

Muslim-Americans’ Self-Image Concerns Read the article by Navarrette and take notes on his argument. What is his argument? Write a clear sentence or two describing his argument.Do you like the argument?Is there something you don’t agree with?Make notes on his rhetorical appeals.Document is attached down below RUBEN NAVARRETTE JR.
THE UNION-TRIBUNE

Muslim-Americans’ self-image concerns
January 31, 2007
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s become far too acceptable to openly question the Americanness of Muslim-Americans. It’s a degrading and shameful practice that says more about those
doing the questioning than it does about those being grilled.
We’ve been here before. Look at how German-Americans were treated during World War I or
Japanese-Americans during World War II. Throughout history, there have been cases of
paranoid Americans demanding that other Americans swear loyalty oaths.
That is essentially what CNN Headline News host Glenn Beck did when, during an infamous
exchange on his show in November, he asked then newly elected Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn.,
the country’s first Muslim congressman, to “prove to me that you are not working with our
enemies.” Beck, who is now also a commentator on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” has
since acknowledged that his remarks to the American-born congressman were poorly
worded.
I don’t buy that. I believe Beck said precisely what he was thinking, and that he meant every
narrow-minded and bigoted word. So I’ve decided to help out and try to prove to Beck and
others like him that Muslim-Americans have earned their thread in the national fabric.
Let’s skip the cultural, economic and professional contributions of Muslim-Americans and
the fact that many of them have donned the nation’s uniform in defense of this country. Let’s
go to something that a lot of people might not think about – that, like many of their
countrymen, some Muslim-Americans worry far too much about how they’re portrayed on
television.
Muslim advocacy groups are doing battle with their old nemesis: the Fox drama “24.” The
way the groups view it, the hit television show is stirring anti-Muslim animosity with edgy
plot lines that pit agent Jack Bauer against Muslim extremists.
That was the complaint two years ago when the show portrayed Islamic terrorists launching a
nuclear missile at the United States. And it’s the complaint now that this season’s plot has
another group of Islamic radicals successfully detonating a nuclear bomb north of Los
Angeles. The concern seems to be that, with such a dramatic story line, viewers might be
provoked to react violently toward Muslim-Americans.
Are they kidding? Give viewers some credit for being able to distinguish fact from fiction. Of
course, Muslim-Americans aren’t alone. Since the advent of television, other groups often
have made the same mistake.
Italian-American groups long have complained about HBO’s “The Sopranos.” They claim the
show doesn’t offer enough positive images of Italian-Americans to counter the negative
image of a family of mobsters.
Latino groups remain concerned that Hollywood can’t seem to get beyond the popular
stereotypes of Latinos as housekeepers, gardeners and gang members.
Some Irish-Americans bristled at the Showtime series “Brotherhood,” which tells the story
of two Irish brothers in Rhode Island. One is a known gangster, the other an up-and-coming
politician.
And it wasn’t so long ago that Asian-Americans were complaining about the character of
Charlie Chan, which they believed relied too heavily on stereotypes about the wisdom of the
Chinese.
Finally, prominent artists and entertainers such as Spike Lee and Bill Cosby are still raising
concerns about how African-Americans are portrayed on television, including what you
would assume would be the more-enlightened venue of Black Entertainment Television.
So, of course, Muslim-Americans are up in arms over how they’re depicted on television.
That’s what Americans do. Who needs loyalty oaths?
Representatives of the Muslim groups recently met with Fox executives to air their concerns
and demand more positive Muslim characters on “24.” The network insists that it isn’t
picking on any one group, and it does seem to have made an effort this season to create a
sprinkling of positive Muslim characters. They include a Muslim-American intelligence
analyst, and a leader of an Islamic organization who is helping the government thwart the
detonation of more bombs.
In fact, in this week’s episode, the intelligence analyst, who has lived in the United States
since she was a toddler, found herself hamstrung by a government directive to racially profile
U.S. agents who happen to be Muslim. And the Islamic leader is planted in a holding pen
with Muslim detainees who, it turns out, aren’t terrorists but men who were yanked away
from their families without cause or due process.
Those are precisely the kinds of stories that Americans need to see. And, how ironic that, if
censorship prevails, they could miss them.

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