Posted on 12/24/2015 11:17:11 PM PST by Impala64ssa
Dear Mr. Abrams,
When you were younger, did your elders ask you questions like, "If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be?" I have a hunch your answers were a lot like mine: Jean-Luc Picard, or rather Data. Possibly Q. Definitely Princess Leia. Maybe Darth Vader. (On second thought, maybe not Vader. I feel like he’d be distinctly unimpressed with me.) Star Trek gave me hope. Star Wars was my happy place.
Which makes you my hero. And a lot of other people's, too.
You’ve rebooted both sacred franchises. You not only get paid to live in some of the greatest worlds ever conceived, but to extend them into our age. What an honor and a privilege it is to re-imagine our most cherished tales. But with great power, as Ben Parker would say, comes great responsibility.
This should be a joyous week for me, with the release of both the new Star Trek Beyond trailer, and Star Wars:The Force Awakens. Had you asked me about this a few months ago, I would’ve told you so much happiness in so few days should be banned.
But that was before Paris, San Bernardino, before leading presidential candidates began actually talking about people like me being banned. The national climate for Muslims is uglier than I can recall. I'm legitimately afraid folks dressed up as Jedis at the premiere might be confused for Muslims, and attacked.
That’s where we are right now.
When it comes to Islam, a fair proportion of Americans seem to go nuts. We’ve had Ben Carson saying Muslims aren't loyal enough to be be president, Jeb Bush claiming Muslim refugees shouldn't be let in, Donald Trump talking about special IDs, databases, surveillance techniques, killing family members of the San Bernardino shooters, and Klu Klux Klan members are recruiting anew on the fear of Islam.
I think you can see where I'm going with this. Many Americans fear Islam and think our faith is incompatible with U.S. values. We cannot possibly change these narratives on our own. Whether or not someone likes Muslims is dependent on whether or not she even knows a Muslim. It’s unlikely, even if every Muslim had a transporter device, that we could meet everyone, and change minds single-handedly.
As Muslim American parents, we’re struggling to keep our kids faith innocent
There are a few million American Muslims. There are over 300 million Americans.
Movies and music, art and popular culture — your purview — they can make the introductions we need. At light speed. I know there will be many other projects and films with your name, your vision and your lens flares inside them. (I'm hoping someone gives you the money to make The Silmarillion.) But please, Mr. Abrams, consider going back to Sector 001 one more time. There’s just nowhere like it.
Especially for the away mission we need you to go on.
A Pakistani kid growing up on the margins, I was an awkward child with overly large glasses and way too much hair (not a problem for me anymore, incidentally), who had his first conversation with a girl he was attracted to many years after most of his peers forgot about their braces. I adored Star Trek because it portrayed a future where imagination, discovery and courage were all that mattered. Who cared about races or religions when there was an entire universe out there to explore and discover?
That's the very kind of place where America can not only meet a Muslim, but see her as a hero. What other franchise can do that? A white guy called Luke, born on a planet named after a city in overwhelmingly Muslim Tunisia (Tataouine inspired Tatooine), that we can all believe. But a Jedi named Muhammad? Right now that feels unlikely.
By bringing a Muslim to Star Trek or Star Wars, you'd be so very faithful to the enterprise, too, continuing a proud tradition of breaking boundaries, of reconfiguring the stuff of our stereotypes. Just like Gene Roddenberry, of course the original creator of the Star Trek TV series.
When the Star Trek creator cast Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura, he made a Trekkie out of Martin Luther King Jr. One of America’s greatest leaders knew the power of visibility. In fact, he urged her to stay even when she was disillusioned with her role. (When Kirk and Uhura kissed, the show was banned by CBS affiliates in parts of the South.) There was a Russian character too, Pavel Chekov, when Russians were the evil empire on the other side of the world. There was Hikaru Sulu, too, of Japanese descent, when the internment camps were not so distant a memory.
All of them, on the bridge, against Khan or, better yet, joining forces to expand our knowledge of the universe. These weren’t characters briefly introduced and revoked. They were protagonists who opened the door to the diversity many of us now take for granted, precisely because they challenged the norms and expectations of their time. Let’s do it again.
A crew of Asians and Caucasians, Vulcans and Muslims (bottom line, there would need to be a few of us to represent anything close to global population stats, but I'd be satisfied at this point with one), seeing what's just around the corner, facing down danger together: Star Trek against the clash of civilizations, a movie that inspires generations, that takes hold of our imagination, that forces us to wonder whether the things that divide us today might not tomorrow. Make it so, please.
noun
a title given to rulers and officials in central Asia, Afghanistan, and certain other Muslim countries.
In the end it’s implausible. The constructs of atheists are shallow and brittle. Spirituality comes knocking on people’s doors and gets let in, and people find it has far more heart. Sometimes it even manages to look like a pretty good parable of Christian belief. (That’s my impression upon looking at the modern anime tale of Pegasusa Fantaju, i.e. Pegasus Fantasy, that even has “Saints” who are on a journey of celestial achievement.)
The Soviet leaderhip was an evil empire, it wasn't just 'US perception'. Ask immigrants who've come to the West after fleeing Soviet oppression. It doesn't mean that all persons living under such dominance were evil or agreed with it.
Too many muslims say "that is not reflection on muslims". Show me the good muslim nations.
True believer Communists in America say that the USSR, Cuba, Vietnam, China, North Korea, et al were not example of REAL Communism. Funny how they supported each of these dictatorships at the time and each of these imperialist Communist nations provided them aid.
Didn’t ‘24’ hero Jack Bauer convert while talking to a Muslim imam on his deathbed?
Sorry, Haroon, it’s Muhammad or cut your head off.
Them’s the choices.
Why muslims can’t do this themselves than beg infidels to do it for them.
Reminds me of the old joke ...
Why are there no muslims on Star Trek?
Because it takes place in the future!
Fictional characters qualify in this person's mind as "anyone in the world?" As if that's not stupid enough, the author lists fictional characters who, with the exception of Picard, aren't even described as being from this planet or solar system.
[nopardons] "IF", a Muslim character was introduced into Start Trek or Star Wars, hardly ANYONE ONE would go to that movie.
The Roddenberry franchise introduced an authentic Moslem to Deep Space 9 in the person of Siddig El-Fadil, an Egyptian actor, who partway through his gig changed his screen name to "Alexander Siddig" but kept his own name for directorial and other credits.
His screen name was "Dr. Juian Bashir", suggesting a secularized Moslem background. In one episode, his character's parents were introduced; they, too were Middle Easterners.
Siddig El-Fadil, in turn, introduced another Moslem to DS9 as a one-episode walkon, that being none other than Crown Prince Abdullah of Jordan, now King Abdullah, patriarch of the Hashemite house and kingdom.
Kevin Costner’s “Robin Hood” featured a muslim good-guy, compatriot/warrior
Remember when dr. Bashir on ds9 demanded the women on the station wear hijabs ...... because i don’t. If he did major kira would have tossed his arse out of the airlock.
Also another funny thing the guy that played bashirs dad is actually jewish!
How could star wars have muslims if it happened long before mad mo mohammed was even born????????
Not to mention in a galaxy far far away....
The writer at the washington post is retarded.....
(A crew of Asians and Caucasians, Vulcans and Muslims )
Race, race, alien race, and alien to anything resembling a peaceful non political religious systam.
Muslim is not a race!
It is not a religious system.... it is an immutable socio political life plan that is tyranny codified as religious doctrine.
Otherwise known as dangerous as helll.
“Many Americans fear Islam and think our faith is incompatible with U.S. values.””
You have a choice. You can be a good Mohammedan wanting to impose your cult of hate on all of us OR accepting the Constitution. Until you accept the Constitution, your faith IS incompatible with U.S. values.
How can you have a Muslim hero, when it’s founder was a murderous thug? In order to become a hero, one would have to renounce Islam which would have you killed, end of the hero wannabe.
A suicide bomber that reincarnates
It’s worth noting that this Muslim writer is requesting this from a Jewish producer/director.
So add that, which speaks for itself, to all the other justifiable rebukes I’ve read here.
Haroon, you are a sniveling enabler!
Would you compare the rationale of your fear to that for those who fear Islamic terrorists?
There is no innocence in your faith. Quit pretending there is.
By giving cover, with this whine, to your terrorist brethren, you encourage more terrorist acts, increasing the level of fear in Americans, thereby increasing the level of your fear.... I call that delicious irony!!!
Besides, aren’t the Klingons Muslims? They have all the identifying characteristics.
... until a member of ISIS or AQ or Boko attacked: "Separate into muslims and others groups."
"No. You will have to kill us all."
"Fine."
Opens fire, killing everyone, Shouts, "Allah u Akabar" with each killing.
It just depends on the level of depravity and insanity a particular muslim has descended into ... who and how many are killed ... it does not matter who dies or how many as long as Islam goes forward.
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