Saturday, July 23, 2005

Realities and TV

Irshad Manji writes "Is Islam to blame?" and chastises "moderate Muslim leaders" who have been silent through the carnage. They were mostly silent when Israeli civilians were targeted and now have trouble finding their voice when others, including Muslims, are targeted.

London's "Red" Ken Livingston and others on the left have long equated Israeli air strikes with Arab suicide bombers. Tragically, civilians die in each case but it is not too subtle to add that they are specifically targeted in only one case.

Meanwhile "Sleeper Cell" is coming to a cable TV station near you. The terrorists are: "... a wealthy blond ex-student from UC Berkeley, a former skinhead from France, a Bosnian Muslim whose family was murdered -- and a practicing black Muslim secretly dedicated to thwarting their plans as an undercover agent for the FBI."

They say that TV audiences get the programming they deserve (or demand). Sleeper Cell will surely be an important test of this idea.