Sandy GholstonSince Sept. 11, 2001, people of Middle Eastern descent have been unfairly looked upon with a suspicious eye as terrorism paranoia has gripped the United States of America.
On the Feb. 16 edition of Fox & Friends, host Steve Doocy was corrected by his guest, Ahmed Rehab, after he falsely (saying he was speaking for “critics”) asserted that for the most part “All of the people who try to blow airliners out of the sky pretty much look alike.” This is the kind of dangerous stereotyping that helps create an atmosphere of hostility toward people who are perceived to be of Middle Eastern descent.
Doocy realized that he had been caught making what many people will consider a racial stereotype and tried to pull himself out of the hole by bringing up the name of Oklahoma City bombing terrorist Timothy McVeigh (a white guy).
Clearly, however, the damage had been done and Rehab should be thanked for correcting the false information (and potentially dangerous information) Doocy was feeding viewers.
Check out the video at the Media Matters for America Web site:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201002160002
