A Florida pastor plans a news conference Monday to call on presidential candidate Mitt Romney to renounce his “racist” Mormon faith : The Rev. O’Neal Dozier, senior pastor of The Worldwide Christian Center Church on Pompano Beach, Fla., says Democrats and President Barack Obama would use Romney’s “racist religion as a secret weapon” to attack the Republican in the general election. “The Mormon religion is prejudiced against blacks, Jews and the Native American Indians,” Dozier says in a release previewing the news conference. “These allegations are substantiated and validated by the writings of the former prophets and seers of the Mormon church.” What Dozier’s release doesn’t mention is that he’s a supporter of rival Republican contender Rick Santorum, and, according to news reports, an honorary chairman of his Florida campaign. The Santorum campaign on Friday touted Dozier as one of its conservative leader endorsements. Santorum spoke in January at Dozier’s church, where the senior pastor noted that blacks will not vote for a Mormon because of the LDS faith’s racial history. Up until 1978, the Utah-based religion barred blacks from its all-male priesthood. Do you think Mitt should renounce his religion or just ignore the pastor? Source More On Bossip! Eff A Traveler’s Digest: 10 Countries With Beautiful BLACK Women Action! Stars That Were Offered Large Sums Of Money To Make Adult Movies…Did They Take It?! TwitterFiles: Tisha Campbell Says People Need To Leave Her Husband Out Of Will And Jada’s “Divorce” Crazy In Love: Women That Went A Little Cuckoo For The Men They Loved
Rick Santorum, speaking in Plano, Texas last night, claimed that the so-called Obama war on religion will lead people of faith to the guillotine. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The New Civil Rights Movement Discovery Date : 09/02/2012 14:55 Number of articles : 2
Can models covered from head to toe conquer the catwalk? It’s no secret that the fashion industry isn’t shy about baring all — so when we heard about a new modeling agency being founded for Muslim models, we liked the idea, but just weren’t sure it would work. Check out the details and tell us if you think it could work! Modeling and modesty are two words that seem mutually exclusive, but a Muslim fashion designer in New York City is trying to change that. A new agency for Muslim models, called Underwraps , is launching next week during New York Fashion Week. Its goal? To prove that models can be gorgeous, stylish, and yet still maintain their religious beliefs. Nailah Lymus is an American-born Muslim whose parents converted to Islam before she was born… Lymus is a self-taught designer who originally studied child development. While interning at a boutique, she ended up designing and selling some pieces there, and what was once a hobby suddenly got lucrative. She’s since made it a full time profession, and has turned her eye towards models. Specifically, Muslim models. There historically haven’t been many well-known Muslim models in western fashion, but that may be changing. Lancôme just signed its first ever Muslim model, Hanaa Ben Abdesslem, who’s Tunisian. Abdesslem broke into the mainstream after debuting on Vivienne Westwood’s runway, and is signed with IMG. Abdesslem doesn’t have her head covered in photographs, and doesn’t seem to be adhering—at least in her professional life—to modesty standards, and Lymus acknowledged that it has to be that way to get recognition right now. “[Muslim models] come from a background where they dress Islamically appropriate, but to be in this industry and to be a model you kind of have to forfeit that,” Lymus said. “That’s why I wanted to start this agency, so you don’t have to do that. You don’t have to lose who you are to be in this business.” To that end, she’s starting Underwraps as an agency for girls who are committed to maintaining modesty standards in their dress, but hope to work with mainstream designers. That’s Lymus’ long-term goal. “We take things seriously and are professional just like other models. During fashion week I’ll be sending them out to castings just like anyone else,” she told me. Right now Underwraps has four girls in development, who aren’t officially signed yet. She’ll bring them to industry events during fashion week and let them get a taste of the attention. Besides having a “look”, Lymus believes that the girls have to have strong personalites and be able to handle the pressures of the industry, and also the misconceptions. Especially since 9/11, there’s a lot of misunderstanding about Islam and its expectations of women. Lymus hopes to shatter the more common ones—like that women can’t work or that they have to wear full abayas. Could an agency like this succeed? It would take a special girl, and an open-minded designer to make it happen. While runways featuring lots of bare skin tend to get attention, there are many designers who could theoretically use Muslim models. Haider Ackermann’s spring show, which featured layered looks and even veils, is one that comes to mind. Regardless of whether or not Underwraps is successful, we love that agencies featuring non-traditional models are trying to make a go of it. We could see there being certain shoots and shows these models could do, but it seems like it might not be enough work to really pay the bills. Besides, why hire a model who won’t strip down when there are so many who will? Source More On Bossip! Ladies, Can We Watch?: RihRih Asks Ochocinco’s Permission To Get In Evelyn Lozada’s Panties Lady Lovin’: The 10 Most “Lesbihonest” Cities in America (Part 2) Wait, There’s More! A History Of Slore-y “Journalists” That Showed Off Their Cakes At Super Bowl Media Day For The Ladies: The Best Super Bowl Bangin’ Baller BAWWWWDIES!!! [Photos]
Presidential candidate, Rick Perry, has taken President Obama to task again in his newest ad. Texas governor Perry, promises to protect America from Obama’s “war on religion.” President Obama has done a number of things that deeply offended Christians, namely his attack on the faith, marriage and more recently, publicly chastising the U.S. Congress for a simple, but poignant measure to reaffirm America’s… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Judiciary Report Discovery Date : 06/12/2011 22:51 Number of articles : 2
Dear Bossip , Early this year I met a nice young man at a college party. We were introduced by mutual friends who thought we would be perfect together because we both share a love for business. He’s a 22-year old Arab who owns his own restaurant, while I’m a 21-year old business student that has a small clothing store online. We hit it off well. I used to come to his restaurant all the time and we would sit and talk. We both admired each other’s tenacity and after about 3 months of getting to know one another we decided to become boyfriend and girlfriend. Here’s where the problems started. He has never fully introduced me to his parents. I see them all the time when I’m in the restaurant and they definitely know my face, but he has never said, “Mom, Dad this is my girlfriend.” In fact he never introduces me to anyone as his girlfriend unless they give me a compliment or ask him. First side eye. He claims his parents are just super old school and protective and don’t want to know about his relationships until they’re serious to the point of marriage. I guess. Then it became a problem of his friends hitting on me. I hang with them occasionally with him and we have mutual friends, but they are always giving me inappropriate comments like, “damn you look sexy today,” or hitting me up on Facebook to see when I wanna hang out. I brought this up to my boyfriend and he got angry at the fact I don’t respond and said its “rude.” Hmmm. But, he does take me out and we spend a hell of a lot of time together which makes me doubt my suspicions. He takes me on the most wonderful dinners, takes me shopping, buys me diamonds on occasion and we just sit and talk for hours at times. I can truly say he’s one of my best friends and we mesh well, beyond color lines. When I brought up the issue of does he have a problem with me being black, he said it’s more of an issue of me not being Muslim, which confuses me. I can’t help it if I was born Christian and he knew that from the time we met, so how is it a problem now? I feel if it were really an issue he should have never pursued me seriously. It upsets me when I feel like I’m not good enough to get to know his parents even though his brothers call me sis because I’m an educated, nice black woman, there’s nothing stereotypical about me and I’ve worked hard to get to that point. And I’ve told him I’m willing to convert if we get married in the future but not for a relationship. We talk about marriage and kids all the time, but in the context of aligning our similar values for how we want our family to look like and be raised. I really like him and I can see a future but I don’t want to waste my time if he’ll never take me seriously because of my race or religion. I should also bring up the fact that he is super jealous of me going to college because he’s insecure about the fact he never went and is always making comments about it despite being at a place in business where most college grads dream to be. Go figure. Should I let it go, or hold out and try and work through this because I really do like him. – Confused Chick Dear Ms. Confused Chick , Here’s yet another letter from the “Young, Sprung, and Hopeless.” Let me ask you this: Do you speak Arabic? Just as I figured. (Yup, they’re talking about you and you don’t even know it.) Why, oh why, do you folks jump into relationships with folks and there is no communication about your relationship, no discussion of the relationship boundaries, and what it really means to be in a relationship. You expect the other person to just know you and your entire experience. You expect the other person to know everything about you, your likes, dislikes, and your entire background without any context of why you are the way you are. Then, you jump in the bed with them, fall in love with the sex and feel as if you should be in a relationship with them because they sexually make you feel good. Well, here’s a suggestion, how about letting them stimulate your mind, your spiritual, your emotional and mental? How about getting to know them, their background, their history, and what stimulates their mind, their spiritual, and emotional and mental? Why am I making this suggestion. You’re grown and going to do what you want to do any damn way. You’re so “in like” that you are not listening to what he is saying. Well, here’s a newsflash for you Ms. I’m-A-Successful-Business-Woman: HE IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT YOU. HE IS NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU HIS WIFE SOME DAY, OR ONE DAY. YOU ARE HIS BLACK GIRL EXPEREINCE UNTIL HE MEETS HIS WIFE WHO WILL BE AN ARAB AND MUSLIM WOMAN . Was that clear enough for you? But, Ms. Honey, do you realize that you are adding three dynamics into your relationship of culture, race, and religion? Culturally he does not understand Black culture only what he sees on television i.e., B.E.T.’s 106 and Park , or experiences in bits and doses of the “hood” when he rides through to pick up the swag, language, music, and style. They are not interested in knowing the black experience or what it means to be black in America. And, you don’t know what it means to be an Arab in America. You don’t know his cultural beliefs, religious practices, or how and why they despise anyone who is not Muslim. You’re just jumping in the bed with him and hoping one day the two of you will be this loving couple who found love despite cultural, racial, and religious lines and be a big ole’ happy Madea family. LMBAO! Girl, grow the “F” up! Despite you being educated, non-stereotypical, and doing things for yourself, you are still a black Christian woman in America. That is all he sees. That is all his friends see. That is all his parents will see. Whatever stereotypes, colloquiums (Look it up I don’t have to time to explain it), and cultural knowledge they have obtained and witnessed about black people on television, well, Ms. Thing, you fall into that category. Regardless. Oh, yeah, that fact that he doesn’t introduce you as his girlfriend, and he doesn’t say anything about his friends hitting on you, well, that says it all. HE SEES YOU AS A PIECE OF MEAT. YOU ARE INSIGNIFICANT TO HIM. And, for the record, sweetie, you’re never going to meet his parents. You’re dating an Arab man who is Muslim. You are a black woman who is Christian. That is taboo. Do you watch the news at all? Are you up-to-date on cultural and religious issues? Chile, I swear you folks need to read a book, study, and learn something other than having sex on the brain, and who’s doing who on the Real Housewives of Atlanta or Basketball Wives . Culturally and religiously you two are not a mix. You’re his taboo black girl he’s getting it in with until he meets an Arab Muslim girl, or the one who is arranged by his parents to marry. You’ve even stated in your letter, “When I brought up the issue of does he have a problem with me being black, he said it’s more of an issue of me not being Muslim, which confuses me.” SMDH. What is confusing about that? Really! I want to know how can he tell you in a more 5 th grade level that the issue is you’re not Muslim. (The chickens have truly come home to roost) Please, and I am urging you to go read a book, study, and learn something about the culture, race, and religion of Arab men and women. Then, I want you to come back to me with a full dissertation on what you’ve learned and if you’re ready to seriously be in a relationship with a man who is Arab Muslim, and with parents who are old school Arab Muslim. Let me ask you this: What do you know about Arab men and their beliefs? What do you know about Arab culture? What do you know about the religion of being Muslim? What do you know about Arab women and the expectations of them to be with Arab men? What does he know about being black? What does he know about black culture and the history of black people in America? What does he know about black women and the significance and roles they play in the black family? What does he know about the history of Christian religion for black folk, or the historical significance of the Harlem Renaissance, the Pro-Black 70’s Movement, or The Black Panthers? What does he know about Sonia Sanchez, Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Malcolm X, Maya Angelou, Marcus Garvey, Angela Davis, or any historical black figure fighting for the cause and rights of black folk? Yeah, just as I thought, neither of you don’t know –ish. So, keep sitting your happy-go-lucky-ass up in the restaurant eating every day hoping he will introduce you to his parents as his girlfriend. Chile, once they discover he’s been tapping that, I suggest you don’t eat there any longer. – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter: @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook, click HERE! Make sure to get your copy of my new book , Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15). It is available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!
So word is Fabolous knocked Ray J the f**k out at the Mayweather vs. Ortiz fight in Vegas this past weekend. This is just one of many celebrity fights to have occurred over in the past few years. Is it me or aren’t these fights always the most random match ups we never expect? Sometimes celebrities fight over real issues and other times it’s just the dumbest things you can ever imagine. TUD has decided to compile a list of the top 10 celebrity fights that have played out in the public and on the blogs. Check out the list below! 10. Usher Vs. Bobby Brown- Now this was not a real fight but the blogs were buzzing about Usher and Bobby Brown getting into an altercation. We would love to see two of R&B greats go at it as if they were really competing for the title but that was not the case. Bobby Brown attended Usher’s birthday party where he greeted Usher who was so happy to see him, he put Bobby in a headlock. Bobby tried to tell Usher he could not breathe but Usher couldn’t hear him over the loud music. Bobby then picked Usher up holding him over the DJ booth when Usher’s security came to his rescue. 9. Foxy Brown Vs. Jacki-O – Foxy is considered the most controversial female rapper of all time. So no one is surprised when she gets into fights. Back in 2005, Foxy Brown and Jacki-O got into a fight down in Miami. Rumor is Jacki-O and rapper, Gravy, were in the studio recording when Foxy Brown showed up along with her nasty attitude. Jacki-O, who wishes she could have a rap career like Foxy once had, was not feeling how shady Foxy was being and put feet on her. Check out the video where Jacki-O speaks on the altercation and Foxy’s response saying it never happened and Jacki-O was just fishing for free press. Jacki-O later released a diss record aimed at Foxy titled “TKO.” 8. Joe Budden Vs. Raekwon- We all know Joe Budden loves having drama played out on cameras. He somehow believes it will help his brand and he will one day go platinum. The beef started with Joe Budden talking trash about being better than Method Man. Now you already know the Wu is going to hold it down. At Rock The Bells 09, someone in The Wu-Tang’s camp swung on Joe. Of course, Joe Budden would make a video holding a ice pack to his face. Check the video out HERE . 7. Maino Vs. Yung Berg- Maino made it clear that he was not being a bully. The two were on tour together at the time and Maino was even featured on Yung Berg’s “The Business” remix. Yung Berg approached Maino at a club in Atlanta. “I heard you was talking reckless about me” is what Yung Berg said to Maino. Being from the streets of Brooklyn, Maino open handed slapped him. Check out the audio where Maino speaks on what happen. 6. Ne-Yo Vs. Jim Jones- This is a rare match up that we never saw coming. The fight took place at the Louis Vuitton store on 5th Avenue in New York City. Word is one of Jim Jones’ goons made a disrespectful comment about Jay-Z to Ty Ty, who is Jay’s best friend, and when Ty Ty responded things got crazy. A source told MTO that someone had a Prada shoe on Ne-Yo’s neck. Sounds like a serious brawl doesn’t it? No one suffered any major injuries. Charges against Jim Jones were pressed and he later appeared in court and was issued a Desk Appearance Ticket. Jim Jones says he was lucky not to have received any time behind bars. 5. Ray J Vs. Fabolous- We never saw this one coming. Ray J and Fabolous scrapping down after the Mayweather vs. Ortiz fight is just hilarious. Now the fight is rumored to be instigated by 50 Cent. We all know how 50 can get the beef popping off. The altercation started off as just jokes but things got real after 50 instigated. This resulted in Fabolous hitting Ray J with a two piece and a biscuit leaving him unconscious. Word is Ray J’s jewelry was stolen in the process. Read about the full story HERE . 4. Junior Mafia Vs. Dipset- Just may be one of those classic hip hop beefs. Brooklyn Vs. Harlem if you really want to take it there. The brawl took place about 10 years ago at Ruker Park in Harlem, NY. We still don’t exactly know how this fight got started but according to JM, Cam’ron fled the scene when things got real. Check out the video where Lil’ Cease and Junior Mafia speak on the brawl. 3. Jay-Z Vs. R. Kelly – When the best of both worlds go wrong. There were rumors of Jay-Z and R-Kelly having some disagreements while touring for their second joint album Unfinished Business . I would assume the rumors true when R. Kelly was sprayed in the face with pepper spray by Jay-Z’s best friend Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith. This occurred when R. Kelly had stopped the concert and exited the stage, claiming he saw two men with guns in the audience. This caused Jay-Z to put an end to the tour. R. Kelly wanted to go on, but Jay had enough of R. Kelly’s wild antics and continued on without him with the help of artist like Kanye West, Foxy Brown, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott and more, calling the show Jay-Z and Friends. R. Kelly later hit Jay with a $75 million breach of contract lawsuit. 2. Jay-Z Vs. Lance “Un” Rivera- Now we still don’t know the truth about this fight as Nas pointed out in his “Ether” diss. The incident dates back to December 1999 when Jay was gearing up to release “Life & Times Of S. Cater” Vol. 3. Word had got back to Jay-Z that Un was responsible for his album being leaked before the release date. Jay-Z and his entourage ran into Un at The Kit Kat Club on west 43rd street in New York City. Rumor has it during the altercation Jay-Z stabbed Lance. Later, Rivera drafted a civil suit against Jay-Z but never filed it after the two settled out of court for about $500,000 to $1 million. 1. Diddy Vs. Steve Stoute- Nas’s “Hate Me Now” video displayed Diddy and Nas being nailed to a cross like Jesus. Diddy later did not want the world to see him like that because of his religion. Steve Stoute who was Nas’a manager at the time promised Diddy that he would have him taken out of that part of the video. The video premiered with both Nas and Diddy being nailed to a cross. This resulted in Diddy and his bodyguards breaking into Steve Stoute’s office and hit him over the head with a champagne bottle. Now what I wanna know is, did Diddy bring the champagne bottle with him or did he hit Steve Stoute in the head with his own Champagne bottle? Recent Posts: Fabolous Clears Up Ray J Altercation On The Radio [AUDIO] Ray J After His Fight With Fabolous [VIDEO] Ray J Gets Heated Talking About His Fight With Fabolous [AUDIO] Fabolous & Ray J Brawl In Vegas! The Fight Before Christmas! Jim Jones Beats Up Ne-Yo At Louis Vuitton Store VIDEO: Maino Clarifies On Yung Berg Smackdown!
So word is Fabolous knocked Ray J the f**k out at the Mayweather vs. Ortiz fight in Vegas this past weekend. This is just one of many celebrity fights to have occurred over in the past few years. Is it me or aren’t these fights always the most random match ups we never expect? Sometimes celebrities fight over real issues and other times it’s just the dumbest things you can ever imagine. TUD has decided to compile a list of the top 10 celebrity fights that have played out in the public and on the blogs. Check out the list below! 10. Usher Vs. Bobby Brown- Now this was not a real fight but the blogs were buzzing about Usher and Bobby Brown getting into an altercation. We would love to see two of R&B greats go at it as if they were really competing for the title but that was not the case. Bobby Brown attended Usher’s birthday party where he greeted Usher who was so happy to see him, he put Bobby in a headlock. Bobby tried to tell Usher he could not breathe but Usher couldn’t hear him over the loud music. Bobby then picked Usher up holding him over the DJ booth when Usher’s security came to his rescue. 9. Foxy Brown Vs. Jacki-O – Foxy is considered the most controversial female rapper of all time. So no one is surprised when she gets into fights. Back in 2005, Foxy Brown and Jacki-O got into a fight down in Miami. Rumor is Jacki-O and rapper, Gravy, were in the studio recording when Foxy Brown showed up along with her nasty attitude. Jacki-O, who wishes she could have a rap career like Foxy once had, was not feeling how shady Foxy was being and put feet on her. Check out the video where Jacki-O speaks on the altercation and Foxy’s response saying it never happened and Jacki-O was just fishing for free press. Jacki-O later released a diss record aimed at Foxy titled “TKO.” 8. Joe Budden Vs. Raekwon- We all know Joe Budden loves having drama played out on cameras. He somehow believes it will help his brand and he will one day go platinum. The beef started with Joe Budden talking trash about being better than Method Man. Now you already know the Wu is going to hold it down. At Rock The Bells 09, someone in The Wu-Tang’s camp swung on Joe. Of course, Joe Budden would make a video holding a ice pack to his face. Check the video out HERE . 7. Maino Vs. Yung Berg- Maino made it clear that he was not being a bully. The two were on tour together at the time and Maino was even featured on Yung Berg’s “The Business” remix. Yung Berg approached Maino at a club in Atlanta. “I heard you was talking reckless about me” is what Yung Berg said to Maino. Being from the streets of Brooklyn, Maino open handed slapped him. Check out the audio where Maino speaks on what happen. 6. Ne-Yo Vs. Jim Jones- This is a rare match up that we never saw coming. The fight took place at the Louis Vuitton store on 5th Avenue in New York City. Word is one of Jim Jones’ goons made a disrespectful comment about Jay-Z to Ty Ty, who is Jay’s best friend, and when Ty Ty responded things got crazy. A source told MTO that someone had a Prada shoe on Ne-Yo’s neck. Sounds like a serious brawl doesn’t it? No one suffered any major injuries. Charges against Jim Jones were pressed and he later appeared in court and was issued a Desk Appearance Ticket. Jim Jones says he was lucky not to have received any time behind bars. 5. Ray J Vs. Fabolous- We never saw this one coming. Ray J and Fabolous scrapping down after the Mayweather vs. Ortiz fight is just hilarious. Now the fight is rumored to be instigated by 50 Cent. We all know how 50 can get the beef popping off. The altercation started off as just jokes but things got real after 50 instigated. This resulted in Fabolous hitting Ray J with a two piece and a biscuit leaving him unconscious. Word is Ray J’s jewelry was stolen in the process. Read about the full story HERE . 4. Junior Mafia Vs. Dipset- Just may be one of those classic hip hop beefs. Brooklyn Vs. Harlem if you really want to take it there. The brawl took place about 10 years ago at Ruker Park in Harlem, NY. We still don’t exactly know how this fight got started but according to JM, Cam’ron fled the scene when things got real. Check out the video where Lil’ Cease and Junior Mafia speak on the brawl. 3. Jay-Z Vs. R. Kelly – When the best of both worlds go wrong. There were rumors of Jay-Z and R-Kelly having some disagreements while touring for their second joint album Unfinished Business . I would assume the rumors true when R. Kelly was sprayed in the face with pepper spray by Jay-Z’s best friend Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith. This occurred when R. Kelly had stopped the concert and exited the stage, claiming he saw two men with guns in the audience. This caused Jay-Z to put an end to the tour. R. Kelly wanted to go on, but Jay had enough of R. Kelly’s wild antics and continued on without him with the help of artist like Kanye West, Foxy Brown, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott and more, calling the show Jay-Z and Friends. R. Kelly later hit Jay with a $75 million breach of contract lawsuit. 2. Jay-Z Vs. Lance “Un” Rivera- Now we still don’t know the truth about this fight as Nas pointed out in his “Ether” diss. The incident dates back to December 1999 when Jay was gearing up to release “Life & Times Of S. Cater” Vol. 3. Word had got back to Jay-Z that Un was responsible for his album being leaked before the release date. Jay-Z and his entourage ran into Un at The Kit Kat Club on west 43rd street in New York City. Rumor has it during the altercation Jay-Z stabbed Lance. Later, Rivera drafted a civil suit against Jay-Z but never filed it after the two settled out of court for about $500,000 to $1 million. 1. Diddy Vs. Steve Stoute- Nas’s “Hate Me Now” video displayed Diddy and Nas being nailed to a cross like Jesus. Diddy later did not want the world to see him like that because of his religion. Steve Stoute who was Nas’a manager at the time promised Diddy that he would have him taken out of that part of the video. The video premiered with both Nas and Diddy being nailed to a cross. This resulted in Diddy and his bodyguards breaking into Steve Stoute’s office and hit him over the head with a champagne bottle. Now what I wanna know is, did Diddy bring the champagne bottle with him or did he hit Steve Stoute in the head with his own Champagne bottle? Recent Posts: Fabolous Clears Up Ray J Altercation On The Radio [AUDIO] Ray J After His Fight With Fabolous [VIDEO] Ray J Gets Heated Talking About His Fight With Fabolous [AUDIO] Fabolous & Ray J Brawl In Vegas! The Fight Before Christmas! Jim Jones Beats Up Ne-Yo At Louis Vuitton Store VIDEO: Maino Clarifies On Yung Berg Smackdown!
Young Muslims and Arab-Americans tell MTV News about their lives as Americans in the decade since the September 11, 2001, attacks. By James Montgomery, with reporting by Tami Katzoff Photo: Robert Nickelsberg/ Getty Images Life changed for every American on September 11, 2001, but perhaps no group felt that change so profoundly as Muslims and Arab-Americans, who, after spending decades living largely under the radar, suddenly found themselves the target of scorn, harassment, discrimination and, in some cases, violence — and all because of the color of their skin. In the months following the attacks, as reports of anti-Muslim hostility circulated and protests outside of mosques became a regular occurrence, MTV News’ Sway Calloway worked on a story that attempted to document the lives of young Muslims in post-9/11 America, in part because he saw parallels between their ordeal and the ongoing civil-rights struggles faced by African-Americans. “The country was in fear, people were scrambling, no one trusted anyone, no one knew what was coming next,” Calloway said earlier this week. “At the time, there were a lot of racially motivated crimes that were starting to take place against Muslim-Americans … so, it was important to go into the Muslim community and talk to our audience. “It was something that I truly wanted to do, because I could, in some way, relate to it. There were kids who were school-age, kids who were college-age, parents and grandparents, who all had horrible stories to tell. It definitely divided us as a people.” But, 10 years later, has that division grown or has time helped heal the wounds? Sadly, given recent events like the fervent debate over the planned Park51 Muslim community center , the answer appears to be the former. MTV News recently sat down with a group of young Muslims and Arab-Americans, who have spent the past decade growing up in a society that has fundamentally changed, to hear their experiences in this very new America. Adil Ibrahim, 26, student “I remember: It was physics class and … we were watching [the aftermath of the attacks] on TV, and immediately, I felt people around me giving me a look. Twenty minutes later, the teacher asked me, ‘Hey, you’re from Pakistan, right?’ And my global knowledge grew eons in, like, a week. I became an educator for my religion. “I think, in some aspects, things have gotten worse since, and in some aspects, they’ve gotten better. People are more aware of the religion of Islam, and some people are more aware of what the Middle East is, and the differences between the regions and the people there. … People have become more knowledgeable. But, at the same time, people have become more angry, people’s relatives and sons and daughters have died in the war, so there’s a hatred there, and I understand that. We need to educate people even more.” Nadine Sfeir, 24, law student “[On September 11, 2001,] I was 14 years old, in high school, in drama class, and I remember my mom pulling me out, crying, because she thought it was going to be just like when America detained all the Japanese [after the attack on Pearl Harbor]. And I remember, distinctly, on the drive home, hearing on our local radio station: ‘It’s the Palestinians.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ Because if our local radio station was saying it was the Palestinians, we were in deep trouble. … It was very scary. “I think people are starting to get more numb to the whole issue of Muslims in America. … The ignorance is still there, of course, in many ways, but I feel most people aren’t as scared anymore.” Ramy Youssef, 20, artistic director, New York Arab-American Comedy Festival “I was in fifth grade [on September 11, 2001], and I remember, pre-9/11, I was just a kid, and then after 9/11, I was a kid on the defensive. … It became a positively defining thing for me in a lot of ways, because it became the cause I was fighting against, as opposed to fighting against, like, my parents. “I feel like I grew up in a very fear-based society, and I feel like we’re at a breaking point. I don’t know if things have gotten better. For a while, like in 2007-2008, I thought they had, then a taxicab driver gets stabbed for being Muslim, then a mosque can’t be built in New York City. … I don’t think things have gotten better, I think people’s perceptions have just settled.” Cyrus McGoldrick, 23, civil rights manager for the New York chapter of Council on American Islamic Relations, rapper/singer performing as “The Raskol Khan” “I was 13 [in 2001]. 9/11 was in my first week of high school, so it was a pretty dramatic coming of age. I was in a small town near Pennsylvania, and, at first, it was just fear. As soon as the news started zeroing in on ‘These were Muslims, and they did it because of Islam,’ we were getting calls from my aunts and uncles who were getting yelled at on the street, were getting flipped off by cars, were getting chased in the city … and I think Muslims were terrified. “A lot of things have changed. … Back then, the hate was just directed at individuals, but now, I see it more formalized in police. Now we see this anti-Muslim bigotry being formalized in law-enforcement policy and so-called ‘counter-terrorism policy.’ It’s almost a harder battle to fight now. We have a lot of work to do, as Muslims and Americans.” Share your comments on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the comments below. Related Videos Commemorating The Tenth Anniversary Of The September 11 Attacks
Mos Def has announced that he will be retiring his name in 2011 and changing it to Yasiin. M os says he will not be offended if you walk up to him and call him by his original rap name because it is the name he has built for years. At least he didn’t change it to “Swag” like Diddy! It should be noted that Mos Def is a Muslim so the name change may have had something to do with his religion. Erykah Badu & Lauryn Hill “Rock The Bells” [PHOTOS] Mos Def Signs To Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music Mos Def’s Wife Takes It Off
