The Arrivals Part 16 | THE ARRIVALS

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Episode 16 – The Media And Islam

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15 Comments for this entry

erum
July 21st, 2009 on 4:54 am
Its difficult being a Muslim at this point of time not just being an Arab…I think Muslims of South Asia are facing the same problems as Muslims of Middle East.
We are into this together.
Idiot Idol
July 27th, 2009 on 10:26 am
Hindus r indian muslims enemies we dont get time thinkng 4 …..others.
Anon.
August 18th, 2009 on 4:43 am
To Idiot Idol… What do you mean exactly?

To Erum i agree with you 1000%.
to bad no one really sees people (real people) that they are human too, that they are just trying to live on this planet.
The french interview just blew my mind… i really wonder do they know the meaning of True freedom? lol that interview made me laugh and cry; laugh because there is no such thing as freedom for example: are you free to not pay tax? are you free not to go to work every day? are you free to not use money? are you free to kill a person just cause you felt like it? (that is true freedom), i also wanted to cry because he didn’t understand what a real human being is really about for example: i don’t run around and make fun of someone by for their misfortune ( a persons mom died and i tell and draw for the child who loved his mom that she looked ugly and will come back as a zombie to eat peoples brains) meaning real humans know what respect is to other humans.

What scares me too is that if you look at US history where they destroyed the native American’s culture/religion/way of life just because they are not “civilized” its eerily similar to whats happening here, we are portrayed as savages. think about it.
ME
September 7th, 2009 on 4:41 am
they obviously think dat we r sum kind of hedious animals…they treat us so…we get job declines because our women wear scraves….i mean wat have we done to deserve that???
MINAAM
October 27th, 2009 on 1:12 am
thanku to the team of ARRIVALS waiting for your next video..i was a Muslim by chance (born muslim) but now i realized..i am now a Muslim by my own CHOICE! JAZAKALLAH.i wish our hearts are always connected to ALLAH.Ameen
afridi
November 7th, 2009 on 11:58 pm
I havent seen this episode yet but i’ve noticed on the news that they not once do they mention michael jackson turning muslim, instead points people in the other direction by talking about all his plastic surgeries and you know like touching children
ArefaMuslimah
November 13th, 2009 on 11:32 am
Islam is the most beautiful thing in the world..
Naaaaan
November 18th, 2009 on 2:25 pm
that french interview was so pathetic ! he didn’t know what he was talking about, he needs to know the real meaning of freedom.
Peace
November 28th, 2009 on 5:33 pm
This is the truth. You many write off somethings as co incidences but this entire series has so many co incidences that it makes so much sense that it is in fact NOT coincidence and IS THE TRUTH.

Whats more is how everything relates to each other perfectly, i feel extremely shocked at what i learnt. We have been played, HARD. Open your eyes people,i am a muslim but even a non muslim will agree as evident by these videos.
Ali
November 30th, 2009 on 1:18 am
I do agree with a lot of what has been said in this documentary but it seems like the producers are also in a state of denial. We need to wake up and see that it was not a bunch of masons walking around in the demonstrations, it was muslims. Let’s say that the ones holding the placards were masons, then why did the other muslims not stop them? The fact is that the media adds its spin and uses images like these to demonise the whole population, but why do we shoot ourselves in the foot and add fuel to the fire? The biggest enemies of islam is within, its our own people that are going to extremes and not leading by example and showing the west that islam is peace.
jabz
January 30th, 2010 on 9:24 am
listen…… all dees people r masons they try 2 brainwash everybody e.g the media all masons, rihanna jay-z nd kayne west biggest listen 2 the song run this town i noe its hard being a muslim but i live in australia but im from tha middle east just listen 2 tha bit where jay – z says nobody freshen im in ‘mason’ ah den pauses

allahuakbar
Ahmer
March 8th, 2010 on 4:46 am
I have googled up the book being upside down scenario. The book is not My Pet Goat as narrated in the video but the book shown is titled AMERICA. Could some one comment on this???? Thanks
Mike
May 8th, 2010 on 5:16 pm
Greetings all, I was sent this link and I’d just like to leave some feedback from my own British, atheist perspective.

Firstly, I accept that your religion as a whole is not to blame, I really do. The issue comes from extremists, lunatics, genocidal maniacs. THESE are the people with an agenda against the West, not ordinary folks.

We have a phrase in England which says “you should never tar everybody with the same brush”, which basically means you should never blame the majority for the actions of the few. That sums up how I personally feel about Islam, that’s it in a nutshell.

However, much as there is ‘anti-Islam’ propaganda in the media, there’s an element of propaganda in this video too. The insinuation at the end that this is an agenda pushed by Israelis through the American Masons is known as ’subliminal messaging’. It’s not blatant, but it’s very much there. Indeed, the first time I watched the video it didn’t sink in, but the second, third, fourth times it did. I have to say that has massive connotations, and it made me deeply mistrust the (Arabic) production studio. Perhaps they have an issue with Jews. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time.

I MUST comment about the scene in the French studio. Yes, there was a massive difference in the attitude of the host towards the two topics. However, it was the host allowing his own personal feelings to get the better of him. Both topics SHOULD have been treated equally, but not the way the video suggested. My opinion (and I stress, this is my opinion only) is that the comedian playing the Jew should not have been banned from the show. Yes, the host may have taken issue with the performance, it may have hurt his feelings, outraged him, disgusted him, whatever. However, censorship was wrong because there are more important things than hurt feelings, and freedom of speech is one of them. Freedom of speech allows me to question my government, my employer, any religious leaders, my teachers…well, anybody I choose, without fear of reprisal. By the very nature of no topic being taboo, EVERYTHING that is said will offend somebody, will it not?

If we start putting restrictions on this freedom, then we are on a slippery slope. If it’s censorship on Mohammad now, what’s to stop you asking for censorship on something else down the line? And then something else? And then something else? It is a dominos effect, and gradually we have no right to freedom of speech any more. We become a totalitarian state, terrified of our government, much like China and North Korea. Simply put, this cannot happen.

I believe the comedian was using his right to freedom of expression. If he hadn’t have been banned, there would be no inequality between the two issues.

As for the scene in London, were we really ‘played’? I’m not sure I agree. OK, so the signs were written by one person, but there were still plenty of people willing to hold them; to express their hatred. I’ve seen first hand Islamic militants in England, people who have moved here looking for ‘a better way of life’ preaching hatred. It’s not all a media message, I can see it for myself. But that doesn’t mean that all Muslims in England preach those same hate-filled messages. I can differentiate between moderate, ordinary Muslims (many of whom I’ve met, play soccer with, have a laugh with) and the extremists. For every Abu Hamza (Google him if you like) there’s a million people like my friends at the soccer.

Now, the ‘front page’ news. I studied Journalism at University, so I know quite a bit about this topic. There’s a saying in the industry that ‘bad news is good news’. That can be applied to the photos. Yes, the images used were negative, but that is because the negative images get more of a reaction from the readers. How many times does a ‘good news’ story make the front pages? Hardly ever, it’s always bad news about earthquakes, riots etc. It’s the way the industry works I’m afraid. I don’t agree with it, but I accept it. To suggest that this is only used because Arabs were the topic is a fallacy. If there was a riot of the Klu Klax Klan in Alabama, or an Alabama family on a peaceful march, they’d still use the shot of the KKK. Race doesn’t come into it.

One thing I truly do believe in though, is that comedy and satire are fantastic tools to ‘break down barriers’. I agree with the video that Arab comedians will help the cause greatly. I hope that Arab comedians will also help the Arab world to laugh at themselves; after all, the sign of a good sense of humour is the ability to self-depreciate. This also needs to spread as far as religion. We see hundreds of Jewish comedians, Catholic comedians, even Scientologists telling jokes about their faiths. This does not make them bad Jews, Catholics or Scientologists. It makes them people.

Shows like South Park are an extension of that. The beauty of shows like South Park is that when the world is too serious, South Park ridicules it. There’s a film made by the makers of SP called ‘Team America’, that ridiculed the Islamaphobic nature of the US under George Bush. Hell, every comedian in the world ridiculed Bush. Everybody. And American society softened it’s view on ‘The War on Terror’, and the ordinary, moderate Muslim. Before, most Americans were solidly behind the war in Iraq. Now, most Americans believe it was wrong…comedy helped that conversion.

Comedy can lead to all kinds of social benefits, but you only have it with freedom of speech, and the right to express yourself. In time, hopefully the extreme reaction felt in the Islamic world to ‘offensive’ material like a simple cartoon will disintegrate, and you’ll understand it’s not an affront to you, but simply an act of expression.

I truly hope the ordinary Muslims, the moderates, the peace-loving people, will stand up as one against the extremists. And comedy will have helped.

I can honestly say that in the West, if we see that happen the general unease some of us feel will lift massively by simply seeing moderates having the guts to say “no more” to extremists, by standing up to them and saying “your views don’t represent us”. Yes, it may be scary, but it’s the right thing to do.

“The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”. Edmund Burke.

Sorry for such a long winded comment. I hope you’ll take it in the spirit it was intended.

Take care folks.
Steve
July 3rd, 2010 on 5:47 pm
Yo Brittish athiest.

I am from London. I was born christian, turned athiest and then I became Muslim 2 years ago.

These is clear evidence in the existence of God (Allah). So research if you want the truth.

There is clear evidence that Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the final Messenger. These evidences can be found in all religious scriptures, also by studeing his life, and the gospel of Barnabus.

I wish you eternal salvation my friend, of which there is not a single doubt, believe me.

Also look at the miracles in the Qur’an.

All wars and all religions are deviations. Only Islam will save any of us.

And screw freedom of speach! I will die willingly to defend the name of the greatest man who ever lived. (unanamous opinion of non-muslim world biographers)
AMEEN
Sameerah
July 4th, 2011 on 1:07 pm
The reason the media is against Islam fist of all we know who runs it second it’s gotta be the right path otherwise why would satan worshipers be so threatened by it.