The reality TV show All-American Muslim depicts the lives of five Muslim families of Lebanese descent in Dearborn. Although the project was conceived as mainstream entertainment and not as a political statement, it led to a controversy over the representation of 'true' Muslims. Indeed the interest of the show lies in the fact that it offers its participants an opportunity to express themselves in an otherwise hostile media environment. The reality TV format seems particularly apt at providing a

more »

... different vision of American Muslim, a vision clashing with images usually conveyed by TV news and Hollywood films. The show proposes a radical shift in the representational paradigm by making the Muslim families typical representatives of the U.S.A.