How exciting would it be to open up your favorite publication, and see your picture? In a recent CNN news article, I read about journalist Noor Tagouri. She shrieked in anticipation as she opened up a secular magazine and saw her photo filling a full page! Unfortunately, she quickly realized the magazine had identified her as a “Pakistani actress” with the wrong last name. Noor is a Muslim in the US and has shared that this type of representation has put her life in danger multiple times.
When I read this article, my first reaction was … life-threatening? How? In a later interview, Noor explains how news reporters fail to fact-check Muslim women accurately. Often the assumption of having the “right information” comes from seeing a woman in a hijab (when not all Muslim women wear a hijab). In other instances, Noor’s been mixed up with the wife of a terrorist simply because they have the same first name.
In truth, many of us are not in tune to the Muslim culture or the sensitivities that surround Islamic communities. But fact-checking for the correct first and last name is a good start! As evangelicals, we need to understand our audience and what they believe, what they face, and how their trust is sometimes compromised inadvertently.
By airing Samy Tanagho’s, 1:00 feature Glad News for Muslims, you can narrow the disconnect that Christians have with Muslims and grow in your knowledge of people you share daily life with. Contact me to start airing this broadcast today.
