By: Abdirahman Aynte
Fellow, The Center for Independent Media
“The repetitive skits, plays, articles, cartoons linking Islam to terrorism and violence is harmful to the local Muslim community,” said Zafar Siddiqui, the president of Minneapolis-based Islamic Resource Group (IRG) in an email response.
The station has since apologized for the incident, but local Muslims fear that the damage is done.
Siddiqui said that while the station’s “corrective action” is welcome, a spike in hate crimes against Muslims might have something to do with stereotypes like this one.
“Many Muslims have encountered hate crimes, mosques have been vandalized and these crimes have a strong link to the misinformation that people are exposed to about Islam and Muslims,” he said.
Salad Jimale, 63, who came for the noon prayer at the Karamel Mall mosque on Tuesday, said the action of the radio station is far from a comedy.
“It’s a mockery,” he said.
Local media, he said, should play a positive role in refuting “the suspicion” that Muslims are entangled with violence.
Abdirahman Aynte can be reached at [email protected]
Source: HOL, Oct. 5, 2006