I'm Miss World, Watch Me Break and Watch Be Burn

by Eric Martin

The Eds comments on the recent conservative uproar over the fact that a, gasp, actual Muslim American (who also celebrates elements of the Christian faith) won the Miss USA pageant:

Rock-ribbed American conservative foreign policy savant Daniel Pipes uses his entirely not-creepy knowledge of beauty pageants to uncover a pattern of liberals pandering to the Islamofascists.  Michelle Malkin points out that she obviously won because she supports birth control.  So, to sum up – wingnuts hate when Muslim women wear revealing outfits, express political opinions, and have open discussions about sexual health.  And they superhate the new Miss USA.  Miss UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  How very interesting.

Don’t let it bother you, Miss Fakih.  They hate you for your freedom.

Adam Serwer adds:

Professional Islamophobe Daniel Pipes combs the internet for other instances in which Muslim women have won beauty contests, and concludes there's some kind of "an odd form of affirmative action" going on. Because how could anyone choose a Muslim over a "real American" in a beauty contest?

I'm not really a fan of beauty contests, but the tone and substance of the fever swamp's reaction to an Arab-American winning a beauty contest is at least useful for pointing out how some people's political opinions aren't based so much in questions of policy as anti-Muslim animosity. The level of anger is just so plainly disproportionate to the matter at hand as to be self-implicating. These people aren't worried about terrorism -- they're offended by the idea of Muslims being integrated into the most mundane and banal aspects of American society.

The United States has thus far fared better than Europe in terms of discouraging its Muslim citizens from joining terrorist groups, as well as in garnering cooperation from its domestic Muslim population in connection with rooting out violent Muslim extremists when they do emerge.  This relative success is based, in part, on the assimilative nature of American culture. 

What is clear from the profiles of those that pervert Islam by pursuing terror is that a sense of alienation coupled with harsh encounters with racism are frequently part of the combustible mixture that can radicalize otherwise ordinary individuals.  In addition, fear and alienation can deter Muslims from actively participating with law enforcement when suspicion arises within their community.  To date, America has done a decent job of staving off the widespread feelings of persecution that would create an environment conducive to radicalization - and the subsequent reluctance of indigenous groups to cooperate with investigators. 

Given that, it is particularly discouraging to see such naked bigotry on the part of so many conservative pundits and opinion makers.  Racism is a vile enough phenomenon as is, but in the current context it also serves to undermine counterterrorism efforts.  And all that because of a beauty pageant win?  Really?

Comments

[dr ngo]

Just a quick glance at Pipes' original post makes me cringe as much at his ignorance and/or innumeracy as his obvious bigotry:

this surprising frequency of Muslims winning beauty pageants

To support this he cites five (5) winners of pageants, local as well as national, in three countries, over the past six years.

Now I do not know for certain how many beauty pageants there are in the USA nowadays, much less in England and France, but if the total is less than several hundred I'd be amazed. (And I restrict myself to those of the order of magnitude of "Miss Nottingham" and "Mlle Picardie," both of which Pipes cites.)

So we're talking at least a couple of thousand winners here, out of which Pipes has found five (5) putative Muslims and concluded that this constitutes a "surprising frequency."

Sometimes I weep for the state of American education . . . of about half a century ago, which is when I assume that Pipes (like I myself) received it.

O Tempora, O Mores!

[John Thullen]

Iraq and Afghanistan should be awarding beauty pageant crowns to plain, uptight, real American girls as partial reparation for
giving Daniel Pipes and Michelle Malkin the pleasure of killing so many of the young women and girls who stood in the way of cruise missiles bringing freedom from birth control throughout the Mideast.

If only Malkin would shut her mouth as tight as her legs are shut and as tight as she'd like America's borders to be. The barbed wire, watchtowers, rabid dogs, land mines, crocodile-filled moats, IEDs (not to be confused with IUDs) and military hardware alone deployed to preserve Malkin's chastity could solve so many of our Nation's problems.

[McKinneyTexas]

Why is Pipes' ridiculous observation more interesting that, say, both Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano not having read the Arizona law re: illegal immigrants? I mean, you know, on a substantive level?

[Eric Martin]

Why is Pipes' ridiculous observation more interesting that, say, both Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano not having read the Arizona law re: illegal immigrants? I mean, you know, on a substantive level?

Why do you ask this question as if you have asked it before?

Few thoughts:

1. This was not Pipes alone, but an entire raft of right wing pundits.

2. Holder and Napolitano hadn't read the law because it was newly released. Both acknowledged that they were waiting to read it when they got a copy. Both got copies. Both read it.

Why, on a substantive level, would that be interesting?

[JanieM]

Why is Pipes' ridiculous observation more interesting that, say, both Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano not having read the Arizona law re: illegal immigrants? I mean, you know, on a substantive level?

Why come here if what's here isn't interesting? I mean, you know, it's not like there aren't a lot of other blogs to visit.

[John Thullen]

I never made it through more than a few pages of either Das Kapital or Mein Kampf and haven't read a word of a little-known book called "Ignorant F**kers Speak Their Mind", published by Regnery, so I think I'll stop giving my hasty, snap-judgement opinions on all three until I take a closer look.

Maybe they're all correct and should be adopted as law nationally.

By the way, how do we know Holder and Napolitano read the REAL Arizona immigration law, since they were given only copies, which like birth certificates, ain't the real item?

Maybe the copies left out the substantive bits.

[russell]

Why is Pipes' ridiculous observation more interesting that, say, both Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano not having read the Arizona law re: illegal immigrants? I mean, you know, on a substantive level?

There are some simple, obvious features about the AZ law that folks may, reasonably, find objectionable without having read the text of the law.

Compare and contrast with this:

They are all attractive, but this surprising frequency of Muslims winning beauty pageants makes me suspect an odd form of affirmative action.

The dude went to the effort of researching all of the beauty contests in Western countries which had been won by Muslim women.

He found six over the last five years, including Miss Picardie, Miss Nottingham, and Miss A&T at the North Carolina Aggie.

Explain to me how these things are in any way similar.

[Anarch]

How is it that we have pages of comments without the one, substantive truth:

Rima Fakih is smokin'.

[hairshirthedonist]

Yes. Highly improbable that a woman who looks like that would win a beauty contest, of all things. Gadzooks.

[gwangung]

He found six over the last five years, including Miss Picardie, Miss Nottingham, and Miss A&T at the North Carolina Aggie.

Isn't A&T North Carolina a historically black college? And traditionally draws Muslim students?

[gwangung]

How is it that we have pages of comments without the one, substantive truth:

Rima Fakih is smokin'.

Obviously an affirmative action choice.

[russell]

And traditionally draws Muslim students?

Whatever you do, don't tell Pipes. His brain will explode.

[Eric Martin]

And traditionally draws Muslim students?

More examples of dhimmitude!

They're taking over!!##@$@!!@!!!

[elm]

This has been another episode of Tu Quoque, brought to you by McKinneyTexas.

Whatever you do, don't tell Pipes. His brain will explode.

Also don't tell him that there are hundreds of State and university beauty pageants across the U.S. every year. The fact that roughly one muslim woman wins a pageant per year hardly seems surprising.

Also, how is granting awards to non hijab-wearing muslim women supposed to pander to radical muslims. The last time I checked, traditional muslims weren't big fans of beauty pageants.

[Ugh]

Not to be forgotten in this latest stupid wingnut vortex of outrage, part eleventybillion, is the other half of the "story" where the runner-up was Miss Oklahoma, who gave an "un-PC" answer to a question about the Arizona immigration law, which "cost" her the crown.

So, it really touches all the nerves here. Muslim? Check. "Affirmative-action"? Check. Blond white-woman "victim"? Check. "Persecution" of the right? Check. "Advantaged" minority? Check.

[russell]

More examples of dhimmitude!

And at an AG SCHOOL IN THE SOUTH, for God's sake!

They hate us for our pork!

[Ugh]

Mckinneytexas: Why is Pipes' ridiculous observation more interesting that, say, both Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano not having read the Arizona law re: illegal immigrants? I mean, you know, on a substantive level?

They have better things to do and felt they were adequately briefed on the subject, which is part of the whole idea of having things like, e.g., subordinates?

[Eric Martin]

Ugh: the funny thing is, though, that each heavily caveated their statements on the subject with the fact that they hadn't read the law fully themselves.

Each volunteered this information as disclosure, upfront.

Each said that they would ultimately wait to read the full text to pass final judgment.

So...what exactly is so burning about this non-contraversey?

[Ugh]

So...what exactly is so burning about this non-contraversey?

Foxnews.com has them on a "NO-READ LIST". QED.*

*I have no idea if this is a proper use of "QED."

[Eric Martin]

Looks right enough to me. QED.

;)

[Marty]

I'm with gwangung. I wonder why we would assume any other reason. Idiots.

[John Thullen]

When Pipes see a pretty Muslim girl in a swimsuit competition, all he can think about is water-boarding.

[Tony P.]

Thullen scores again!

BTW, has the Taliban weighed in on this? (I mean the AfPak Taliban, of course, not our home-grown mullahs.) Would they denounce Pipes for idiocy, or the pretty Muslim girl for apostasy?

--TP

[gwangung]

Thullen scores again!

That's a REALLY barbed score, given the raw, ugly sexism that that I suspect underlies his rant...

[Omega Centauri]

To try to get semiserious for a moment, I don't think racism is the proper term. I think sectarianism is much closer to what we are seeing here. I don't think Pipes and his ilk care much about race, but anyone who doesn't profess the right religion and ideology is an infidel.

I was surprised to see this (I don't pay attention to the whole beauty thing). As someone said above what we think of as traditional Islam forbids participation in such a contest. I would think the least of her problems is the distaste of the American rightwing.

[JakeB]

Given that, it is particularly discouraging to see such naked
bigotry on the part of so many conservative pundits and opinion makers.

naked.

heh heh.

[Eric Martin]

Would they denounce Pipes for idiocy, or the pretty Muslim girl for apostasy?

I'll take "c", all of the above.

I think sectarianism is much closer to what we are seeing here.

Fair point. Religious bigotry is probably a better term, however, given that sectarianism is a slight bit technical.

[Hartmut]

In the countries where those evil Muslisms dwell blond, blue-eyed and tall Western females are clearly favored in the most-beautiful category (Claudia Schiffer won numerous informal polls on that iirc). And the typical blond Western male is alleged to lust for those diminutive black-haired East Asian females. Do I spot a pattern there? For the Pipes of this world it is probably just a sign that those sand-n-words are lusting for 'our' pure females and they are probably also delighted about stories about gay sex slavery being the new big thing in Afghanistan because that too rhymes well with their understanding about those degenerate brown Untermenschen.