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07-23-2011, 09:22 AM
http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/...0464.story
DEARBORN, Mich. -- Trying to shed light on a community that residents say is often misportrayed, a cable TV station is filming a reality show on the lives of Muslim Americans in metro Detroit.
Crews with TLC have been filming in recent weeks in the area as they follow the lives of about five Dearborn, Mich., Muslim-American families and their friends. Called "All-American Muslim," the series set to premiere in November will be on the same channel that has done reality shows on Sarah Palin and Kate Gosselin.
The new show is about "inviting viewers into a world they might not otherwise experience," Amy Winter, general manager of TLC, said Thursday. "Through these families and their diverse experiences, we will explore how they blend their values and traditions with everyday life in America."
Those being filmed for the show include Suehaila Amen, a Dearborn resident active in community groups who wears an Islamic headscarf, and her sister, Shadia Amen, who is not as observant; Mike Jaafar, a deputy sheriff in Wayne County; Nawal Aoude, a nurse, and her husband, Nader Aoude; and Fouad Zaban, coach of the Fordson High School football team.
The idea for the program came from Mike Mosallam, director of film initiatives for Wayne County.
Participants were not permitted to talk about their role in the series, but one Northville resident who is a friend of the Amens and has been filmed for the show said she was on the fence about it.
"On the one hand, it's great a network is coming to shed light on who Muslim Americans are; I hope that Dearborn is portrayed in a fair light," said Rana Abbas, 32. "On the other hand, you have to take into consideration it's reality TV, and reality TV is about sensationalism. ⦠I haven't completely bought into it."
TLC filmed Abbas and Suehaila Amen going to an Ohio beach over the weekend for a birthday party. Wednesday night, TV crews were filming a memorial service at a mosque for a 23-year-old Dearborn resident who was shot dead last week outside the mosque. Cameras rolled as Suehaila and her brother Bilal Amen delivered talks to a crowd of 300 youths about the importance of valuing life. A few weeks ago, a crew filmed the wedding of Shadia Amen, who married a Catholic man of Irish descent.
The show comes as Dearborn has been painted in a negative light over the past couple of years by some politicians, like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and others who claim the city is extremist because of its Muslim population.
"Some associate Dearborn with being backwards, but it's a community that has established itself firmly in the fabric of this nation," Abbas said. "I hope TLC makes a concrete effort to get that message across."
DEARBORN, Mich. -- Trying to shed light on a community that residents say is often misportrayed, a cable TV station is filming a reality show on the lives of Muslim Americans in metro Detroit.
Crews with TLC have been filming in recent weeks in the area as they follow the lives of about five Dearborn, Mich., Muslim-American families and their friends. Called "All-American Muslim," the series set to premiere in November will be on the same channel that has done reality shows on Sarah Palin and Kate Gosselin.
The new show is about "inviting viewers into a world they might not otherwise experience," Amy Winter, general manager of TLC, said Thursday. "Through these families and their diverse experiences, we will explore how they blend their values and traditions with everyday life in America."
Those being filmed for the show include Suehaila Amen, a Dearborn resident active in community groups who wears an Islamic headscarf, and her sister, Shadia Amen, who is not as observant; Mike Jaafar, a deputy sheriff in Wayne County; Nawal Aoude, a nurse, and her husband, Nader Aoude; and Fouad Zaban, coach of the Fordson High School football team.
The idea for the program came from Mike Mosallam, director of film initiatives for Wayne County.
Participants were not permitted to talk about their role in the series, but one Northville resident who is a friend of the Amens and has been filmed for the show said she was on the fence about it.
"On the one hand, it's great a network is coming to shed light on who Muslim Americans are; I hope that Dearborn is portrayed in a fair light," said Rana Abbas, 32. "On the other hand, you have to take into consideration it's reality TV, and reality TV is about sensationalism. ⦠I haven't completely bought into it."
TLC filmed Abbas and Suehaila Amen going to an Ohio beach over the weekend for a birthday party. Wednesday night, TV crews were filming a memorial service at a mosque for a 23-year-old Dearborn resident who was shot dead last week outside the mosque. Cameras rolled as Suehaila and her brother Bilal Amen delivered talks to a crowd of 300 youths about the importance of valuing life. A few weeks ago, a crew filmed the wedding of Shadia Amen, who married a Catholic man of Irish descent.
The show comes as Dearborn has been painted in a negative light over the past couple of years by some politicians, like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and others who claim the city is extremist because of its Muslim population.
"Some associate Dearborn with being backwards, but it's a community that has established itself firmly in the fabric of this nation," Abbas said. "I hope TLC makes a concrete effort to get that message across."
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