All American Muslim TV series

[rosethecopycat]

This show has REALLY struck a nerve with me.

And not for the reasons you are thinking....

The TV Series All American Muslim features families from the city of Dearborn MI, a suburb of Detroit.
On an episode of All American Muslim there appeared a recent convert to Islam (caucasian) and a Muslim woman that wed.
They apparently never considered what would become of the man's aged dog.

The woman states that the dog is considered unclean by the religion, and her father will not come to their home because he (or anyone) is unable to pray if they have dog hair on them without purification. (she also states that cats are unclean-if they are wet ???)

Then comes the despicable part. Using the guise of 'allergies' she wants this poor aged dog of 16 years out of the home. The man has had the dog for 10 years..
She's there 'oh, my health...' ' oh, my asthma'. It's me or the dog.
She even states "I'm not a dog-person" at one point. Bingo.
Knowing that objection on 'religious' belief would not 'cut it' with her new husband, she backs her bet with the 'allergy card'.
I've worked in rescue TOO long not to see through this one.
There was no compromise, no allergy filters, no allergy shot treatment for the woman, no re-homing with friend or relative, no separate accommodation set up in the home.

How does it end? The poor 16 year old dog is put in a sanctuary.
And the man states: "She (the dog) means the world to me." *tears*
Sorry, but that dog meant nothing to you, Sir. IMO.

The couple justifies their decision as 'best for the dog' and the woman. How can this be? The old dog was once the center of attention from the man, and now she's one of a multitude of animals on some farm?
And he says that this was the first 'test' of their marriage. (which I say he failed hard)

They deliver the dog to the sanctuary. She is on her best behavior (which is typical in 'owner give up' situations) petting dogs (which you can see is an act) and showing NO signs of allergies while being surrounded by dogs.
(a person with true allergies would not even attempt going near a dog sanctuary)

End of story. The dog spends what are probably her last days wondering where is owner has gone, and why she was 'thrown away'. Or at least that's what the man should be thinking.

You, SIR, are the lowest of the low. It's all on you.


BTW, I am from Dearborn MI. Born and raised there.

[Karen]

How sad, poor old dog!

[Alysser]

I will NEVER understand religion. Any of them. You sacrifice FAMILY, lifestyles, personal morals for RELIGION? :rolleyes: I will never ever ever ever understand this mentality. EVER. I am not atheist, I believe in something, but I don't believe in giving up on a family member or PRINCIPLE for something like that. That's absurd.

I was raised Catholic, but I consider myself a "dead member" of the religion since you really can't get out of it when you're baptized. There are just things I cannot agree with and I will never be able to believe in something like that. :rolleyes:

If that were me, the guy would have been out the door in a split second. Sorry, if you cared so deeply for the dog you wouldn't have dumped it like a sack of ****.:mad::mad::mad::mad:

[caseysmom]

I got so pissed when I saw that. My husband was raised muslim, he isn't religous at all but I know lots of muslims that albeit are not devout but most of them have dogs, cats, etc.

That poor guy is going to get fed up, first he had to convert now give up his 16 year old dog who has been with him through thick and thin. I can't stand that Shadi chick now.

You knew he had a dog when you married him give me a break. When the show first came out I thought it would be good for people to realize most folks from other countries are just normal people that want the same things we all do. Now I am pissed about that!

[Randi]

Poor poor dog. :( What despicable behaviour!

[sana]

Okay...that's a horrid story....I have a dog and I'm a Muslim.

That woman..is...um...I don't have any words... and the man.. can't he just tell his wife that the dog needs him and he needs his doggie. The dog can also protect "Her Majesty" the delicate wife from thieves and robbers..

If the woman really wanted to be married into this household..why didn't she first discuss the household ways and things in it. If she really did have the "Ooohh!! Asthma" why didn't she tell the man and his family before, so they could have seen what could be done. I know divorcing over a matter like this would be too much, but, the woman should have discussed the asthma problem before, so, the man's side could have done something proper or could have declined the proposal. If she doesn't have an asthma problem...why not first look around the man's house? I'm sure she could have seen the dog then! The man was weak too in front of the wife. Islam isn't a religion who allows animals to be treated like dirt! :mad: He should have made proper arrangements for the dog. Giving it to responsible owners would have been nice..but, still the dog might not settle happily, because spending a lot of time with a person and suddenly being given away to another person or thrown away in a Sanctuary..that's hard and rough... :(

[Freedom]

Grrrrrrr

[rosethecopycat]

Okay...that's a horrid story....I have a dog and I'm a Muslim.

That woman..is...um...I don't have any words... and the man.. can't he just tell his wife that the dog needs him and he needs his doggie. The dog can also protect "Her Majesty" the delicate wife from thieves and robbers..

If the woman really wanted to be married into this household..why didn't she first discuss the household ways and things in it. If she really did have the "Ooohh!! Asthma" why didn't she tell the man and his family before, so they could have seen what could be done. I know divorcing over a matter like this would be too much, but, the woman should have discussed the asthma problem before, so, the man's side could have done something proper or could have declined the proposal. If she doesn't have an asthma problem...why not first look around the man's house? I'm sure she could have seen the dog then! The man was weak too in front of the wife. Islam isn't a religion who allows animals to be treated like dirt! :mad: He should have made proper arrangements for the dog. Giving it to responsible owners would have been nice..but, still the dog might not settle happily, because spending a lot of time with a person and suddenly being given away to another person or thrown away in a Sanctuary..that's hard and rough... :(

Sana-

My comments are not a commentary on Islam, I hope you understand.
My qualms come when someone 'converts' for someone else. He doesn't adhere fully to the religion either, as in fasting (re- a previous episode) and then turns his back on his loyal dog.
The exact situation was/is that the couple bought a house and were moving in together. They were so juvenile and weak they could not even discuss it properly. An ultimatum was given and the woman made up posters for the dog, before the husband agreed to re-home her. (he should re-home the wife instead)
I doubt if a 16 year old dog could offer any protection from thieves and burglars, but that's not the point. They should be well aware of the situation before they got married. (just as I am with my cats)

It is still 'beyond me' why this woman could stand inside a dog sanctuary and not one sneeze or sniffle on camera.

There are two culprits here (the couple) and one victim (that poor old dog).

Now, I have to keep watching the show, to see how much more appalled I get from their behaviors...

[Asiel]

That story brought tears to my eyes. That poor dog will pine his last days away waiting for his master. What a despicable woman and that weakling nothing is also in for a rude awakening . He couldn't have cared for his dog much if he was willing to dump it when the dog needed him most. I wonder if he would dump his kids so fast...probably. Some people should never own dogs period :mad::mad::mad:

[smokey the elder]

How can ANYONE abandon a 16 year old dog? I think that's terrible.

[Cataholic]

I saw that, too. I couldn't believe it. I was so upset by it, and couldn't stay married to a man that would do that. I wonder if they got any negative publicity because of it?

[pomtzu]

I've only watched one episode in this series, and I didn't see this one. I just can't get into it. Glad I can't - it was bad enough reading about this, without watching it too, so I know I won't watch any more of them.

What a coward this guy is, and how heartless to get rid of his 16 year old companion. He should have gotten rid of the wife, or not taken her as his wife in the beginning.

That poor dog must be so confused. :( I hope he gets lots of love and attention at the sanctuary, to help him over this, and be content and happy for the rest of his life! :love: At least this guy didn't just have the dog PTS, but I still see it as a very selfish and cowardly way out! :mad:

[rosethecopycat]

Oh how I was expecting the PTS route from these people.
:mad:
I would have been ready to blow a hole into my TV set.

Realistically, Pomtzu, how much one on one attention can a dog expect at a sanctuary run by apparently one couple? Not much indeed.
Not enough time or hands to lavish affections. No sitting for hours on a couch with comforting hands on her. Not with that population to care for. :(

Can anyone find a way to contact the TV show and show how displeasing this is?

[cassiesmom]

I heard on SRN News on the radio last night that Lowe's pulled their advertising from this program and now the government is trying to hit them with fines and legal action. I think that as a private company Lowe's should be able to advertise wherever they want (and correspondingly, to pull their advertising as they see fit). The Home Depot also doesn't run ads on this program.

[pomtzu]

Realistically, Pomtzu, how much one on one attention can a dog expect at a sanctuary run by apparently one couple? Not much indeed.
Not enough time or hands to lavish affections. No sitting for hours on a couch with comforting hands on her. Not with that population to care for. :(



Admittedly, not much, but it is better than the PTS route, or being put in a shelter where it most likely would never be adopted because of it's age, and would end up being PTS anyway.

We can only speculate on the future of this poor dog, and hope for the best. Perhaps she will be happy among the other dogs there, and will bond with one and have a friend for comfort.

We can only hope...........

[Karen]

I was glad that Sana weighed in, as a responsible Muslim who can explain that this is NOT true of the religion in general. After all, we first met Sana in the company of One Down, her beloved Corgi mix with the silly ears!

People have used all sorts of excuses - including religion - for the mistreatment of others, human and animal alike, and it is the responsibility of the rest of us, who know better, to call them to task on this.

Write to TLC and let them know we - the potential viewing public - are offended not that they are portraying the life of a Muslim family, but that this behavior is not acceptable to any of us, regardless of religion.

TLC is part of the Discovery Network, and they have a comment form online here:

http://corporate.discovery.com/contact/viewer-relations/

[caseysmom]

This is TLC its all about the ratings, this station has turned into a circus. No doubt the producers knew this would tick people off.

[phesina]

The reason Lowe's pulled their advertising from the show is not because of the dog but because some fringe "Christian" right-wing group in Florida was complaining that Muslims are all terrorists and the show was propaganda in the service of them taking over this country, etc., etc., etc.

This is all over the news here in the Detroit media. There is a lot of talk of organizing a boycott against Lowe's because of this.

Incidentally, I also grew up in Dearborn. I was born in Detroit, and when I was 3 years old my family moved to Dearborn. My parents lived there the rest of their lives, and my brother and his family still live there. I'm about 30 miles away here in Ann Arbor.

Thank you, Sana, for expressing your thoughts on this as both a Muslim and a dog-owner and -lover. Too many people use religion to excuse all kinds of utterly reprehensible actions.

May that poor dog find love and warmth again.

[sparks19]

This is TLC its all about the ratings, this station has turned into a circus. No doubt the producers knew this would tick people off.

This

they will likely be glad to know it struck a nerve with people as I'm sure that's why they showed it in the first place.

[cassiesmom]

I think it's unfortunate. TLC could have done a program that would inform and enlighten people, but they chose not to. I wish TLC would really be a channel for learning instead of what it is.

[Lady's Human]

It is a learning channel.....

Learning how sensationalism sells ad space, generates ratings, and increases website traffic.

TO quote Mr. Shaw, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.

[Catty1]

Wasn't that Mr. Wilde?

[lizbud]

Is this program one of those "Reality" shows? If so, they are probably
all actors. They are probably all following a script .

[Grace]

Is this program one of those "Reality" shows? If so, they are probably
all actors. They are probably all following a script .

No, they are real people. One of them is a football coach at Fordson High School; another is a policeman in Dearborn. They have real jobs. They are not actors. Some of them were on Anderson a couple of weeks ago.

I left a comment about the dog on the TLC line - Karen left a link a page or two back. We've found the pieces interesting - until the bit with Wrigley on Sunday. Not sure I will watch anymore,

Lowe's is taking a hit in this area - they pulled ads because of the rantings of a small, radical right evangelical group in Florida. This group complains, loudly, about Muslims and gays. Sort of like the church in Kansas :mad:

[Grace]

An article from the Freep (http://www.freep.com/article/20111213/NEWS05/111213040/Lowe-s-All-American-Muslim-pulling-ads-conservative-group?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE) about the group that persuaded Lowes to stop the ads.

[Lady's Human]

Wasn't that Mr. Wilde?

Yeah, been a long day. My apologies. :p

[sana]

Sana-

My comments are not a commentary on Islam, I hope you understand.
My qualms come when someone 'converts' for someone else. He doesn't adhere fully to the religion either, as in fasting (re- a previous episode) and then turns his back on his loyal dog.
The exact situation was/is that the couple bought a house and were moving in together. They were so juvenile and weak they could not even discuss it properly. An ultimatum was given and the woman made up posters for the dog, before the husband agreed to re-home her. (he should re-home the wife instead)
I doubt if a 16 year old dog could offer any protection from thieves and burglars, but that's not the point. They should be well aware of the situation before they got married. (just as I am with my cats)

It is still 'beyond me' why this woman could stand inside a dog sanctuary and not one sneeze or sniffle on camera.

There are two culprits here (the couple) and one victim (that poor old dog).

Now, I have to keep watching the show, to see how much more appalled I get from their behaviors...

Hehe! I know you aren't saying anything to Islam :) You didn't say anything about Islam anyway, you only spoke about the couple :) I didn't remember the dog was aged, so, yeah, you're correct, she might not be able to offer any protection from thieves and burglars.

I haven't watched these episodes, but, if she didn't sneeze, cough or even sniffle on the camera, she's a definite fraud!

Thanks and no problem Phesina :)

Haha! Thanks Karen! :D

---

Prayers for the poor little doggie :( I hope she finds a better home soon. If only somebody would take it in :( I know some stuff is kind of on the impossible side and some probably wouldn't come true, but I will still pray that this doggie finds a lovely, happy and a good home! Aameen! :)

[rosethecopycat]

Sadly a sanctuary is not in the business of finding animals homes. As I understand it, it is a place of last resort for basically unadoptable animals. It was weird to me that the sanctuary contacted the couple from the flyer they posted. Most sanctuaries are kept 'under wraps' as they have way too much to deal with. So, no, I don't imagine this dog finding a home again, unless the notoriety of the event generates some interest or concern by someone.

I have spoken with someone from Dearborn that says the neighbors of the participants of the show are very unhappy with the disturbance to their neighborhoods (with shooting of exteriors, etc.) But I guess this would apply to the whole plethora of Reality shows these channels try to drum up. (I'm just glad there is not one going on next to me- not sure if my neighbors are 'lady hoggers' or not LoL)

I believe the people are real. And I also believe there is a considerable amount of hype on this show. For example, the one woman was flying to D.C. for some event, and she basically said how she's treated differently in the airport, how she's stared at. etc.
Well, this is certainly untrue, there are so many veiled women in the area, it's silly to think that others are staring at them. When something is so common place, it loses it's uniqueness.

The Lowe's issue is totally not what this thread is about, and I wish it weren't a topic here.

[Grace]

Wrigley is home !!!!!!

[Karen]

We just watched the show for the first time. The woman decided that she would rather deal with her allergies so Wrigley could live out the rest of her life at home, than having to spend the rest of her life regretting that decision.

It is good that they know they would keep Wrigley out of the carpeted areas, as that's where dander can accumulate and cause issues, and everyone seemed happy to have Wrigley back home.

[caseysmom]

I think she realized it would cause a rift in their marriage right from the start, it sounded like they have lived together for a few years so it really made no sense, no doubt just something for the show.

[sana]

Omg!! Yaay!!! that's wonderful!! :D I hope Wrigley lives a happy long life with her owners! :D My prayer was answered! Woohoo!!! :D :) Yaay!! I hope the wife doesn't annoy her or dislike her anymore and the couple treats her with love and kindness :) Aameen! :)

[pomtzu]

I doubt that this woman "allowed" the dog to come back, out of the kindness of her heart. I'd suspect she was getting negative responses, and knowing how people can be, probably hate mail too.

[rosethecopycat]

I doubt that this woman "allowed" the dog to come back, out of the kindness of her heart. I'd suspect she was getting negative responses, and knowing how people can be, probably hate mail too.

I think you are probably correct. :rolleyes:
I can tell a person who just doesn't like dogs or cats.
Neither religion nor allergies were her real problem.

I haven't seen the latest episode, but I hope that it's true and genuine and the dog can live our her life in peace and love (at least by him- but he has shown his weak character, and her- the lack of character)

As for Dearborn, (being born and raised there) I don't see this show helping relations in any way. There have long been protests and 'parades' taking place (on every side) Dearborn has always been sort of a 'stewing cauldron' ready to boil over, and now this show is turning up the heat. :rolleyes:
Can't we all just live in peace?