Islamic Speakers Bureau of New York
P.O. Box 720908, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
(212)725-7922 Fax: (347)710-8432 Email: lee@isbny.org Web: http://www.isbny.org
December 12, 2001
Rob Burnett, Barbara Gaines, Maria Pope
Executive Producers
Late Show with David Letterman
Dear Rob, Barbara and Maria
Peace be on you.
Most Americans learn about how to support or ridicule/hate a segment of society from either television or movies. Unfortunately both forms of media have been hell bent in remaining ignorant of Islam and Muslims as well as Arabs.
Since September 11, Islamic Speakers Bureau of New York (ISBNY) and other Muslim organizations have been frantically spending their time and resources to dispel the misinformation about Islam and Muslims, yet the media continues to pull its generations-old shenanigans against Islam.
Case in point, the recent Top Ten list on the Late Show that contained reference to "Jihad" in a derogatory way. "Jihad" does not mean "holy war". It means, "struggle", and it is an extremely important concept in Islam. In order to be a better Muslim, one has to constantly struggle to: better herself/himself as a human being, help others, and correct the wrongs in the society.
When we conduct our presentations in front of children and adults, and explain the meaning of jihad along with other Islamic concepts, they understand the peaceful nature of the Islamic religion, and the social norms it shares with other great religions of the world. But when they go home and turn the TV on, the TV tells them a different story.
I have no doubt that David is "one of most influential personalities in the history of television." You will agree with me that influence demands responsibility. You will also agree that, consciously or unconsciously, humor and “jokes” have traditionally been used as “vehicles” to carry hateful and biased messages against “others”; whether they are Japanese, Jewish, German, Italian, Polish, and certainly Arabs and Muslims.
If you study the findings of the Census 2000, the America we live in today is much different from the America we “thought” we lived in. Although the Census describes the emerging ethnic make-up of our nation, it does not talk about religious trends. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and the United States, not only in the African-American and Latino communities, but also, increasingly, in the European-American communities. According to the CIA World Factbook and other sources, there are more than 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. That is right. One out of every four human being is a Muslim. There are 7 million Muslims in the United States. Most American Muslims were born in the United States.
Satire is a powerful form of expression. However, I urge your team to be careful in portraying sensitive aspects of the Islamic religion, and others religions and ethnicities for that matter. ISBNY would be happy to make a FREE presentation for the Late Show staff and writers. They would be able to ask questions about Islam and Muslims in a “No Holds Bar” environment to increase their knowledge and sensitivities about the religion.
They will then continue to produce great humor to make everyone laugh; not at someone’s expense, but because the humor was thoughtfully and creatively produced, by people who are not only master satirists and humorists, but also because they are Americans who care.
Lee Ali
Islamic Speakers Bureau of New York
212.725.7922
http://www.isbny.org