June 12, 2009

It's gay pride in Tel-Aviv this week and the editors of TIME OUT magazine in Tel-Aviv decided to use an image of Muslims in prayer with the caption, "You see here a threat, we see here an opportunity."

I wanted to see if any major news organization in the U.S. and other Western countries picked this story up, but my search proved futile. I did not find one single news item on this. It's amusing and sad at the same time that something so insulting and homophobic gets ignored by the same media that went after Miss California for saying marriage should only be between a man and a woman. When it comes to insulting Muslims it seems that no one gives a crap and a blind eye is turned.

Haneen Maikey from Palestinian Al-Qaws organization said it best:

"Opportunities of what, we ask? "To fuck Islam"? "To fuck Muslims"? Is it because "they are a threat"? Or they are "exotic"? Is this an opportunity to "fuck" the "enemy" and stab them in the back as they pray? Is anyone who turns their back an "opportunity" for rape?

"Your celebratory front page mocks and humiliates Islam and Muslims by sexually objectifying their prayers, and it disseminates racist and violent messages. In this image, on the one hand, Islam is portrayed as a "threat", a religion and people we must fear from and be repulsed by; on the other hand, the Muslim men praying are sexual objects. Such representation would not have been accepted if it was humiliating other religions. If such representation was of Jewish people, there would have been, rightfully, a storm of strong resistance."


Un-freaking-believable!


Here's where you can send a letter in protest:



To: Editor of "Time Out" Tel-Aviv Magazine

Eatie Waldman

- editor@timeout.co.il



You can use this letter to voice your objections with this offensive cover.