The '24' Conundrum

By Kamran Memon

As an American, I root for Jack Bauer to stop the bad guys. As a Muslim, I realize people may think I'm one of them.

I'm an American Muslim, and I root for Jack Bauer on Monday nights. But on Tuesday mornings, I worry about strangers giving me suspicious glances because I look kind of like the terrorists plotting to nuke American cities on the Fox TV series "24" the night before.

Many Americans absorb information about Islam and Muslims from media, so American Muslims always have been concerned about TV shows and movies that portray them mostly as terrorists. Fox's "24" causes more concern, because it portrays a suburban Muslim mother, father and teenager as a terrorist sleeper cell that has been activated after years of just living next door. This plot line is of particular concern to American Muslims, who fear that innocent Muslim moms and kids might be viewed with suspicion and subjected to abuse in an already highly charged environment.

It is the case, unfortunately, that some angry Americans don't distinguish between terrorists and law-abiding American Muslims: "They all look the same." American Muslims who had nothing to do with the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, have been beaten and killed. Mosques have been attacked and burned down. I've represented several American Muslims who have been harassed and fired by employers angry about 9/11 and others who have been mistreated by businesses they patronized.

So why would an American Muslim cheer for Jack Bauer in his fight against terrorists? Because he wants to keep our country safe. He wants to protect the people he loves. He's not racist or anti-Muslim; he goes after the bad guys, whoever they are.

Would I prefer it if the bad guys this season weren't Muslim? Sure. But Osama bin Laden has declared war on the United States, and it's logical for "24" to rip plot lines from the headlines. Would I prefer it if there were positive Muslim characters on "24," maybe a Muslim member of Jack Bauer's counter-terrorist unit, CTU? Of course. In the real world, American Muslims have served in the Secret Service and FBI and police forces around the country, so why not at the fictional CTU?

No one can deny that there may be some foreign "hostiles," as Jack Bauer calls them, hidden in the United States; al-Qaida members operated right under our noses while they prepared for 9/11. But the 9/11 commission found no American Muslim involvement with the 9/11 attacks. No American Muslim moms, dads or kids played any role. Those American Muslims who disagree with American foreign policies have expressed their views with ballots, not bullets. Not a single American Muslim has been convicted for planning terrorist attacks here at home.

Nonetheless, many Americans remain fearful, and, in light of 9/11 and continuing threats from al-Qaida, it's understandable that law enforcement would be alert for terrorist threats from Muslims. Many American Muslims are concerned, however, that law enforcement sometimes targets Muslims solely based on religion, without any evidence of terrorist activity.

Despite their concerns about the government's tactics, American Muslims want their families to be safe. No American Muslims want their families or friends killed in a suicide bombing at a mall. No American Muslims want another terrorist attack that could lead to more discrimination and hate crimes and government crackdowns.

Is it reasonable for "24" to address the issue of terrorism by Muslims? Sure. Should Fox avoid inflaming passions against innocent American Muslim moms and kids? Absolutely.

Some argue that "24" won't have a real-world impact; those who hate Muslims today hated Muslims before the season premiere. But the show certainly can reinforce those negative views. It also can sway millions of Americans sitting on the fence; after all, a lot of anti-Muslim anger is driven by emotion, and television images can be emotionally powerful.

Still, there is one good thing that could come out of this season of "24," in addition to Jack Bauer saving America again: We need more open discussion within the American Muslim community - and among Muslims and Americans of other faiths - about Islam, violence, national security, foreign policy and the obligations of citizenship. If "24" stirs more Americans of all faiths to step forward and engage their neighbors and co-workers in honest conversations about these subjects, that would be a positive ending to this story line.

But if "24" just leads to greater religious suspicion, that's not going to do anyone any good on Tuesday morning.

Kamran Memon is a civil rights attorney in Chicago.

This article was first published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It is republished here with the author’s permission.