Fox News and the Religious Right Attack Muslim Author

[Rob H.]

5. It might be better that you can't watch it

I was laughing in disbelief at the interviewer's willful ignorance by the end of it. She obviously didn't do any research and learn anything about Dr. Aslan (other than "OMG MUSLIM!&quot nor did she seem to have taken even a brief glance at the book. She made a big deal about how it never comes up in TV interviews that he's Muslim (which he countered by pointing out that it's the one thing that always gets mentioned) and that he doesn't reveal he's Muslim in the book. He had to point out--more patiently than most people would have, no doubt--that it's mentioned on the book's second page. Watching Aslan have to keep explaining things to her was like watching an adult try to explain something to a child with ADD.

I don't think I've ever seen a more agenda-driven interview. She kept asking, "But why, as a Muslim, would you want to write a book about Jesus?" and followed it up later with, "Well, here's what other people have to say about your book..." rather than reading it herself and offering her own take on it. (The latter struck me as a newer, even hackier version of Fox's classic "Some people are saying..." canard.)

If she had any shame at all, she'd be embarrassed at such a piss-poor interview--then again, if she had any shame she wouldn't be working for FoxNews in the first place.