Sunday, May 28, 2006

Oprah on Jordan

From Debra Schlussel's article:-

...Only the week before, she did a glowing show on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the world's most anti-Semitic country.

The alleged premise of the show was, "The World's Youngest Queen," Queen Rania of Jordan (she's Palestinian). But that was the ruse to present viewers with features on several carefully selected Jordanian women whose message was: "Life in Jordan is just like yours." The women spoke perfect English with nary an accent. Just like us. They had careers and ordered Domino's Pizza. Just like us. And they and their husbands who love them are watching their weight. Just like us.

Oprah gushed so much over Queen Rania and her beauty, it was hard to remember she is from the Islamic Middle East. And that was the point. Oprah has been working overtime to promote Jordan and Islam. This is Rania's second Oprah appearance in five years, with the first on an "Islam 101" episode just after 9/11.

But here's the real Jordan you didn't--and will never--see on Oprah:

A 2005 Pew Research Center survey of 17,000 people found that Jordan the most anti-Semitic country in the world. Not just 95 percent of its people have unfavorable views of Jews. It is 100 percent. A full 41 percent of them don't like Christians either.

Queen Rania's largely Palestinian country (a demographic not mentioned on Oprah) didn't just beat the world in hatred for the Jews. Jordan leads in support for homicide bombings AND confidence in Osama Bin Laden "to do the right thing."

A whopping 88 percent of Jordanians support suicide bombings. That's up from 2002, when "only" 65 percent of Jordanians supported this "method" of dealing with perceived problems. Then, there's Bin Laden. Some 80 percent of Jordanians have "confidence in Osama Bin Laden to do the right thing regarding world affairs." And 57 percent of Jordanians said "violence against civilians in defense of Islam is justified."

Just like us?

Rania told Oprah that while Jordanians don't like U.S. policies, "they love America and Americans." Really? Pew Research says the country is the most anti-American in the world, with 79 percent viewing the U.S. unfavorably. Rania claimed women in her country are different and will end Mid-East violence. Pew Research found Jordanian women held the same hateful viewpoints as men.

Oprah, on her show and in her magazine, has called Queen Rania a "hero" for becoming queen. But there is nothing heroic about marrying a king or being beautiful. And there's nothing heroic about whitewashing a country whose degree of anti-Semitism surpasses even that of Nazi Germany at the height of the Holocaust.



Oiy vey.

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