Multi-American ®

A liveblogged review last night of the premiere of “All-American Muslim,” a new TLC reality show, drew a lively crowd of viewers to the site and a long string of comments. The chat was hosted by KPCC interns Yasmin Nouh and Fareeha Molvi, both second-generation Southern Californians who grew up Muslim in the post-9/11 decade.

They set out to provide a reality check of the show, which follows five Lebanese American families living in the long-established Arab immigrant enclave of Dearborn Michigan. Among the central characters: a cop, a football coach, an aspiring nightclub owner, a young Muslim woman who likes country music and, during last night’s episode, married a young man of Irish American descent.

Would the show reflect the reality of ordinary American Muslims, especially those who have come of age during this unique period in history?

The overall consensus was mixed, leaning heavily toward “not really.” One complaint was that it focused on Lebanese Americans, who with other Arab Americans make up less than half the Muslim immigrants in the U.S. Others had different objections. For example, Nina, the dyed-blond and scantily dressed aspiring nightclub owner, drew some groans for portraying what some viewers considered an extreme example. Menkay wrote:

Why are all the women either total hijabi’s, or the complete opposite of that (tanktops and miniskirts)? I wonder if the show producers were just not able to find a non-hijab-wearing musim girl to be in the show?

“Guest” wrote:

Media only portrays the Muslims that are either very far left or very right, so two extremes here. But what about the majority of Muslims who are in the middle? The muslims that dress modestly, but still call their self American AND Muslim.

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Tonight is the premiere of “All-American Muslim,” a TLC reality show based in Dearborn, Michigan, a long-established Arab American enclave that is home to the largest community of Muslims in the United States. The show follows five families, including a pair of newlyweds, a cop, a football coach, an aspiring nightclub owner and a large family with four grown children.

While they grew up far from Dearborn in Southern California, KPCC interns Fareeha Molvi and Yasmin Nouh can relate to the young people whose lives the show follows. Both grew up Muslim in the post-9/11 era, Fareeha in a Pakistani immigrant family, Yasmin as the daughter of immigrants from Egypt and Iran. While their cultural backgrounds are different, they shared common experiences coming of age during this unique period in history. Will the reality show accurately capture the experience of living as a Muslim in the United States? Join Fareeha and Yasmin at 10 p.m. Pacific time as they liveblog the show’s premiere and provide a reality check.