Muslims applaud Spongebob Square Pants Ramadan Mubarak message
Popular American children’s cartoon offers Ramadan Greeting to Muslim worshipers in a first from popular American culture for children and young people
Today, the television show that has brought smiles to so many, brings smiles to Muslims across the globe with an Instagram post depicting the show’s main characters wishing audiences “Ramadan Mubarak.” Muslims everywhere, including high-profile Muslim figures, are applauding the inclusive move by the hit television show.
“Thank you Brother Spongebob,” tweeted Muslim Americans across Twitter.
“This is the type of media representation Muslims have been waiting for,” said Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage.
“It is incredible how far a simple depiction of Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star celebrating Ramadan can go in making Muslim Americans feel seen, heard, included, and embraced in American media.
“Too often, the portrayal of Muslims in American media is laden with references to terrorism and other Islamophobic tropes. We applaud Spongebob for setting an example for Hollywood in acknowledging our communities and representing us positively. We want to see more of this!”
Emgage is a 501c(3) that implements an ecosystem of programs to develop the capacity of the Muslim voter to ensure that our narrative is part of the American fabric. Our programs include civic educational events such as issue forums and town halls, voter initiatives including Get Out The Vote (GOTV), and specific programs for the youth in order to mentor and support the next generation of leaders.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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