I don't CAIR about your problem with "24"

(hat-tip: Blogs4Bauer)

It looks like CAIR, along with other Muslim groups aren't as big on the sixth season of "24" as I am.

The plot of the hit Fox drama “24” may make for exciting television, but Muslim groups fear their representation as terrorists does more than entertain - it vilifies an entire religious group.

[snip]

Of course, it’s a show. But TV not only reflects the zeitgeist - it also influences it, some say, meaningthe writers of “24” have to be careful, said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“I saw ‘24’ (on Monday) and we do have concerns with the show,” Ahmed said. “We are monitoring it and will be contacting our contacts at Fox to discuss those concerns.”

Fox responded with a statement basically saying that they haven't singled out anybody:

24 is a heightened drama about anti-terrorism. After 5 seasons, the audience clearly understands this, and realizes that any individual, family, or group (ethnic or otherwise) that engages in violence is not meant to be typical.

The show takes great pains to ensure that all characterizations are seen in the overall context of the series. "Bad guys" may ultimately be good and those that seem to be guardians may in fact be the worst kind of criminals. Even the show's hero, Jack Bauer, is seriously flawed. It's that acknowledgement of the diverse nature of the show's characters that makes 24 such a compelling series.

Over the past several seasons, the villains have included shadowy Anglo businessmen, Baltic Europeans, Germans, Russians, Islamic fundamentalists, and even the (Anglo-American) president of the United States. Over the course of the series, no ethnic group has been singled out for persecution or blame. In fact, the show has made a concerted effort to show ethnic, religious and political groups as multi-dimensional, and political issues are debated from multiple viewpoints.

Having watched every episode to date, I can tell you off-hand that this is the third time that Muslims have been involved in a plot, these seasons being 2, 4, and 6 (the curremt season). Have they been used a lot? Yes. Crack open your newspaper though and take a look

Either way, lighten up folks. "24" is just a TV show. I think just about every American is smart enough to seperate a TV show from reality. We may see another "muslims are our friends" thing done by Kiefer like they did in the fourth season.

Odds are that the rabbit hole runs much deeper than the muslims we're seeing right now anyway... and I'd be willing to bet that they won't pray towards Mecca.

Crossposted to Through our eyes