TLC’s new reality show, “All-American Muslim” debuted Sunday night. The show focuses on the lives of several families living in Dearborn, Michigan — the largest concentration of Arabs outside the Middle East. I recently had the chance to interview two of the young stars of the series, Shadia and Suehaila Amen.
(You can listen to a podcast of our full conversation here.)
In addition to The Amens, viewers were introduced to several moderate Muslims whose activities range from coaching high school football at Fordson High School to serving in the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. But even within the Amen family, it is clear that Muslims are not monolithic. Suehaila, for example, wears a hijab, while sister Shadia sports tattoos and listens to country music.
“I observe the faith more and incorporate it into my life at a much greater level,” said Suehaila, “though I would compare myself to be very moderate compared to other people who practice Islam and are more devout or conservative.”
While much of the show is lighthearted, some Christians might struggle through parts of the first episode — especially the storyline regarding Shadia’s fiance Jeff — an Irish Catholic — who converts to Islam. Asked how things are going, Shadia told me, “Jeff is doing as much as he can do. It’s only been a couple of months. He did convert for himself and so that we could get married in the eyes of God. It’s not something that he’s looking to become a scholar on,” she said.
Meanwhile, older sister Suehaila jokes about her marital status. “I’m as single as they come,” she said. “It’s funny because in our culture — yeah, being single at 32 is like being 65.”
Of course, though much of the show revolves around the personal lives of the families featured, it obviously exists in a post-9-11 world. As such, it is reasonable to assume that part of the reason the stars agreed to participate is to erase some misconceptions about Islam.
“There are radicals in every religion,” Shadia said. “[But] people like that don’t exist in my Islam…people who have hijacked the name of religion in order to do bad things give us a bad name — but we don’t claim that.”
“We are American — and yes you can be American and Muslim at the same time,” Shadia added. “We’re walking proof. We’re welcoming people into our homes — into our hearts — to see that we are just like everybody else.”
“We’re working mothers; we’re getting married; we’re having babies; we’re coaching — we’re living the American dream,” she said.
Listen to the full podcast here. And watch a video trailer of the show here.