MMMMMM
12-15-2002, 01:07 PM
Here's a show which could have had great potential for REAL and OBJECTIVE documentary of Muhammad and Islam--something we might all find informative.
Instead, what we will get is a show admittedly designed by the creators for the specific purpose of "countering" Americans' negative perceptions of Islam.
Interestingly, both of the show's creators are Muslim converts.
I suspect we will see a whitewashed version of Muhammad's highly aggressive, violent life; his myriad exhortations to violence, terrorism, and torture; his many military campaigns, genocide, extortion of special taxes from non-Muslims; promises of sex with youngsters in Paradise for warriors; horribly oppressive codes for the treatment of women, belief that most women are evil and will go to hell; and overall religiously sanctioned fascism. I also wonder how much time will be spent on detailing his sexual relationship with his 9-year-old wife which is detailed quite extensively in the Hadiths.
PBS: I'm very disappointed. You have some great shows, but you should keep your own views OUT of it all and go back to producing OBJECTIVE documentaries---not unbalanced "documentaries" with agendas. Documentaries should NOT be constructed to further any views or to counter any views, but rather to inform in an unbiased manner. Shame on you PBS.
(excerpt)
"Americans get most of their images about Islam and Muslims from
the headlines. Demonstrations and shouting in the streets makes the
news, and those images are repeated," said producer Alex Kronemer, an
American convert to Islam with a master's degree in theology from
Harvard University.
"We wanted to offer a counter to that, to help Americans
understand that every Muslim is not Osama bin Laden," Mr. Kronemer
said yesterday.
"Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet" will air on most of the 349 PBS
affiliates nationwide Dec. 18, though District-based WETA will
broadcast the program Dec. 26. PBS also plans to rebroadcast
"Muslims," a two-hour "Frontline" special, on Dec. 19.
Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum and author of
"Militant Islam Reaches America," said yesterday that he had only
"seen advance materials" of the production.
"But all of this suggests that the American taxpayer is
subsidizing an attempt to proselytize Islam in America," Mr. Pipes
said.
The production airs in an uncertain marketplace as Americans
continue to assess their stand on Islam after September 11.
In the past two weeks, evangelist Pat Robertson took on President
Bush, who visited a Washington mosque Dec. 5 and praised Muslims who
"lead lives of honesty, integrity and morality."
In interviews with The Washington Times and ABC, Mr. Robertson
called Islam "violent at its core," and said that Mr. Bush should
refrain from religious commentary, as he "is not elected as chief
theologian."
ABC characterized the dust-up as "a theological dispute which is
driving a political wedge between President Bush and some of his
conservative Christian allies."
Meanwhile, representatives from PBS and the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting (CPB) said yesterday that they have received no
negative responses from viewers about the new program, or its
scheduled air time of Christmas week.
Producers say that their project has been a long time coming, and
the direction has changed more than once.
"The ground kept shifting under our feet," Mr. Kronemer said.
Work began on the production three years ago, and was two-thirds
complete when terrorists struck September 11. What began as a
narrative documentary became a potential foil to public backlash
against American Muslims after the attacks.
Initially, Mr. Kronemer and partner Michael Wolfe, also an Islam
convert, sought out the perspectives of American Muslims.
The pair partnered with filmmaker Michael Schwartz, who said in a
statement that he was struck "by the numerous affinities between basic
American values and core Islamic beliefs" and that the production was
intended for "a predominantly non-Muslim American audience."
Instead, what we will get is a show admittedly designed by the creators for the specific purpose of "countering" Americans' negative perceptions of Islam.
Interestingly, both of the show's creators are Muslim converts.
I suspect we will see a whitewashed version of Muhammad's highly aggressive, violent life; his myriad exhortations to violence, terrorism, and torture; his many military campaigns, genocide, extortion of special taxes from non-Muslims; promises of sex with youngsters in Paradise for warriors; horribly oppressive codes for the treatment of women, belief that most women are evil and will go to hell; and overall religiously sanctioned fascism. I also wonder how much time will be spent on detailing his sexual relationship with his 9-year-old wife which is detailed quite extensively in the Hadiths.
PBS: I'm very disappointed. You have some great shows, but you should keep your own views OUT of it all and go back to producing OBJECTIVE documentaries---not unbalanced "documentaries" with agendas. Documentaries should NOT be constructed to further any views or to counter any views, but rather to inform in an unbiased manner. Shame on you PBS.
(excerpt)
"Americans get most of their images about Islam and Muslims from
the headlines. Demonstrations and shouting in the streets makes the
news, and those images are repeated," said producer Alex Kronemer, an
American convert to Islam with a master's degree in theology from
Harvard University.
"We wanted to offer a counter to that, to help Americans
understand that every Muslim is not Osama bin Laden," Mr. Kronemer
said yesterday.
"Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet" will air on most of the 349 PBS
affiliates nationwide Dec. 18, though District-based WETA will
broadcast the program Dec. 26. PBS also plans to rebroadcast
"Muslims," a two-hour "Frontline" special, on Dec. 19.
Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum and author of
"Militant Islam Reaches America," said yesterday that he had only
"seen advance materials" of the production.
"But all of this suggests that the American taxpayer is
subsidizing an attempt to proselytize Islam in America," Mr. Pipes
said.
The production airs in an uncertain marketplace as Americans
continue to assess their stand on Islam after September 11.
In the past two weeks, evangelist Pat Robertson took on President
Bush, who visited a Washington mosque Dec. 5 and praised Muslims who
"lead lives of honesty, integrity and morality."
In interviews with The Washington Times and ABC, Mr. Robertson
called Islam "violent at its core," and said that Mr. Bush should
refrain from religious commentary, as he "is not elected as chief
theologian."
ABC characterized the dust-up as "a theological dispute which is
driving a political wedge between President Bush and some of his
conservative Christian allies."
Meanwhile, representatives from PBS and the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting (CPB) said yesterday that they have received no
negative responses from viewers about the new program, or its
scheduled air time of Christmas week.
Producers say that their project has been a long time coming, and
the direction has changed more than once.
"The ground kept shifting under our feet," Mr. Kronemer said.
Work began on the production three years ago, and was two-thirds
complete when terrorists struck September 11. What began as a
narrative documentary became a potential foil to public backlash
against American Muslims after the attacks.
Initially, Mr. Kronemer and partner Michael Wolfe, also an Islam
convert, sought out the perspectives of American Muslims.
The pair partnered with filmmaker Michael Schwartz, who said in a
statement that he was struck "by the numerous affinities between basic
American values and core Islamic beliefs" and that the production was
intended for "a predominantly non-Muslim American audience."