I am proud to say that I have never endorsed, supported, or watched a beauty pageant in my entire life. To me, a beauty pageant is the quintessential expression of sexism. Dozens of women parading around in front of a group of mindless, over-sexed, and over-botoxed judges and on-lookers is not what I call a competition; it’s a shallow meat-market in which a woman is defined by her body and nothing else – no exceptions.
Nevertheless, when Dearborn, Michigan’s Rima Fakih won Donald Trump’s Miss USA competition in May of 2010, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. Although my hostility towards the very idea of a beauty pageant never waned, I strongly felt that Rima’s victory challenged Americans to question popular depictions of (physical) beauty and their own preconceived notions about Arabs, Muslims, and sexuality. Don’t misunderstand me. Rima is, of course, physically beautiful according to typical American standards; she would not have become Miss USA otherwise.
However, she is clearly not your average white-bread beauty queen. Between her name, thick black hair, and olive skin, she couldn’t help but distinguish herself from the rest of the competition the moment she stepped on stage. As a result, I have to admit that, even though I have never met her, I’m proud of Rima and happy that she won. Her victory may have helped other Arab American women feel more confident (not that any woman needs a beauty contest to feel vindicated) or, at the very least, may have encouraged young women everywhere to disregard society’s stereotypes about how a “typical” woman – from any culture – should behave.
On February 22nd, I was perusing MLive.com, one of my go-to sites for all things Michigan, when I saw an article about Rima Fakih. To my horror, I learned that Rima decided to try her hand at another “competition”: USA Network’s “Tough Enough.” Yes, that’s right. Rima Fakih wants to become a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Diva.
I can think of few things that are more degrading than being a WWE Diva. Nevermind the trashy outfits and the soft-core porn performances that take place in front of thousands of drooling idiots. I just can’t imagine that any self-respecting person would choose to go and work for the likes of Vince McMahon, the scumbag that owns WWE.
With McMahon at the helm, WWE is a war-mongering racist corporation that unashamedly supports America’s occupation of Iraq and has a history of discrimination against Arabs and Muslims. Although there have been countless Arab and Muslim characters on WWE, there are two that clearly stand-out: the Iron Sheik (not to be confused with Will’s hip-hop stage name) and Muhammad Hassan, aka Mark Copani.
According to his biography, the Iron Sheik left behind a life of amateur wrestling in Tehran and made his WWE debut in 1979 (what a coincidence…). Known by his signature move called the “Camel Clutch,” the Iron Sheik won the WWE championship in 1983 and then moved on to tag-team wrestling in 1985 (go figure, his partner was Mocow native Nikolai Volkoff). The Iron Sheik also never missed an opportunity to be as obscene as possible, and tried his hardest to portray Iranians as ignorant and racist. For example, some of his more famous quotes are: “I’m a real Shia Muslim,” “He is a cheap Jew son of a bitch,” and “I born in Iran but made in America.” To be sure, the Iron Sheik’s complicity in the denigration of his Iranian identity makes him just as much responsible for WWE’s racist programming as Vince McMahon.
Raised in Syracuse, NY, Mark Copani’s father is Palestinian and his mother is Italian. He assumed the stage name Muhammad Hassan in December 2004 and was at the center of controversy following a July 2005 performance on UPN’s Smackdown. To make a long story short, Hassan knelt near the ring in “prayer” while five masked men attacked the Undertaker after he defeated Daivari, an Iranian American wrestler that poses as an Arab American. After choking the Undertaker unconscious, the masked men knelt down in “prayer” while Hassan lifted the Undertaker’s head up for the camera “in a scene that looked eerily like a beheading.”
Worse, the episode’s controversy wasn’t due to its clearly racist content. The show happened to air the same day as the July 7th bombings in London, which sent viewers into a frenzy over WWE’s “insensitivity.”
If WWE’s racist exploitation of Arabs and Muslims through characters like the Iron Sheik and Muhammad Hassan aren’t enough to dissuade Rima from becoming a WWE Diva, she should consider what happened to Stephanie McMahon, Vince’s daughter, when she appeared on WWE for the first time. When Stephanie entered the ring to the crowd’s chants of “Slut, Slut, Slut,” she singlehandedly revealed WWE for what it is: a sleazy, sexist, ignorant free-for-all that caters to America’s innermost patriarchal tendencies. And while one could argue that WWE should not be judged by its fans’ actions, we must remember Linda McMahon’s response to ABC’s Bill Weir when he asked her about the incident involving her daughter. According to the Huffington Post article, McMahon said that the incident was “simply a symptom of the show being a ‘soap opera,’” adding that, “It was acting. WWE is the longest running weekly episodic program in television, so sure, there are some storylines that are better than others.”
Rima, I understand that your publicist(s) may be putting pressure on you to take this WWE gig. I understand that, considering the poignant anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment that pervades American popular culture, you may have found it difficult to secure opportunities from other mainstream avenues. I also understand that you are trying to get paid, a not-so-easy thing these days, especially if you’re still living in Michigan.
Yet, I urge you to reconsider your decision to participate in USA Network’s “Tough Enough.” While I realize that one must make sacrifices in order to “make it big” in the world of show-business, glitz, and glamour, being a WWE Diva is one sacrifice that you need not make. In fact, it may be one of the biggest mistakes of your life.
Related posts:
"Yet, I urge you to reconsider your decision to participate in USA Network’s “Tough Enough.” While I realize that one must make sacrifices in order to “make it big” in the world of show-business, glitz, and glamour, being a WWE Diva is one sacrifice that you need not make. In fact, it may be one of the biggest mistakes of your life."
Likely sage advice. With religious fanatics around the country calling for holy war on Dearborn, and some even coming to try their luck, the ethnic incitement that the McMahon franchise is certain to exploit given the opportunity should not be given a chance. There are better opportunities ahead where her talent will be valued ahead of opportunistic exploitation.
Posted by JR | March 15, 2011, 5:05 am1) Holy Hell, what's holding up that dress and preventing thost amazing chesticles from busting out?? Seriously I wanna know.
2) Daivari isn't an "Arab American" he's an Iranian wrestler too.
3) You must be gay…or fat…or both because who has the opportunity to watch 50 super hot hotties in dresses and swimsuits and refuses to because they're objectifying women?
4) I agree Rima shouldn't be a WWE diva but not b/c of the reasons you stated. Because McMahon really is a douchebag and would probably try to make her his new storyline squeeze which would make me and countless other vomit and because WWE sucks now. Ever since the F got dropped in favor of an E, they just ain't the same no mo'.
Posted by Val Venus | March 15, 2011, 5:57 am1. you're right; daivari isn't arab american. from what i understand, however, he played one on wwe. will clarify that.
2. you're wrong; i'm neither fat nor gay. i'm just not down with the whole idea of using a woman's body (or a man's body) to promote an agenda. in the case of miss usa, trump's agenda is to define beauty through a hyper-commercialized, shallow, and oppressive lens.
3. I believe your name is spelled Val Venis.
andrew
Posted by Andrew | March 15, 2011, 6:20 amNah, It's Venus. I'm not the wrestler. It's a coincidence.
Posted by Val Venus | March 16, 2011, 1:54 amah well, people got to do what they think they got to do…..because america demands bigotry, sexism and racism as entertainment. go U.S.A.!!
Posted by Josephine | March 15, 2011, 6:44 amWhatever happened to her, I want to go to law school and study international law.
Posted by Maryouma | March 15, 2011, 9:39 amThat's not sexy.
Posted by SanaKF | March 15, 2011, 3:23 pmMy kids watch WWE. I saw her on one of the shows a while back and thought it was a bit strange. Her career seems to be managed or influenced by Donald Trump who seems to be friends with Vince McMahon. Back when all that "Ground Zero Mosque" crap was happening she came out in favor of the "moderate" position of "mosques are a good idea, but not at that site." Since it had nothing to do with makeup and swimsuits it was clearly a position that was fed to her.
WWE gets a lot of its advertising and support from the US military. I'm guessing that a lot of pay per view purchases come from US military types. It's basically and advertisement for US style aggression.
Posted by jamal | March 15, 2011, 10:56 amHahaha dude, for a guy who doesn't care much for wrestling – you sure know a hell of a lot about it.
Posted by Programmer Buydatti | March 15, 2011, 11:08 amhaha the research for this post was like a trip down a very disturbing yet fascinating rabbit hole…
Posted by Andrew | March 15, 2011, 11:22 amhands up if u clicked this article cause rima was hot and didn't read it
Posted by im a sexist pig | March 15, 2011, 11:56 amThis hoe is out for the paper…period. Looking to her to represent Arabs in America is like African Americans looking to Melissa Ford to be the next Maya Angelou…
Let a hoe be a hoe. Rima, if you down to clown, i got one night in town…
Posted by Yasser | March 15, 2011, 12:53 pmNo woman is a whore. It is just a misogynistic term used by men for women they dislike, envy or fear (like the "frat stars" who refer to the women they sleep with as "sororitutes"). To label her as another corporate-military slave would be one thing, but to insult her using problematic expletives is another matter altogether.
Posted by sms | March 15, 2011, 1:17 pmSMS,
How can you tell something doesn't exist? A woman who uses her body or sex for financial gain is a hoe…who are you to tell me such definition doesn't exist?
Posted by Yasser | March 15, 2011, 2:52 pmFirst of all, get your spellings right. A hoe is a gardening tool.
Secondly, get your definitions right: a whore is a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money. It comes from the medieval English word hora meaning adulterer.
What proof do you have that she is having promiscuous sex for monetary gain? And if you don't have proof, what gives you the right to vilify her?
Posted by sms | March 15, 2011, 3:17 pmLook, I don't know anything about medieval English hoes…I've seen Robin Hood, but that does not qualify me as an expert. I can only speak on American ones-with whom I've had much experience. First of all, a hoe is someone, as I defined, as "using her body OR SEX for financial gain…" But there is proof that she has also tried to use sex for financial gain. In a DJ Whoo Kid (50 cent's DJ) interview after Rima won her "contest", he said she tried getting with him at a club…why would she get with Dj Whoo Kid? For love or money?
Posted by Yasser | March 15, 2011, 3:26 pmAlso, SMS, isn't it condesending to call her a "slave", as if she has no independent thought to make the decisions you view as her being trapped in slavery?
Posted by Yasser | March 15, 2011, 7:06 pm"he said she tried getting with him at a club" – that's what every jackass says about a hot woman. Did they actually get together? Where's the proof? Without proof, it becomes another bullshit rumor about a celebrity (who are much hated any way because of their money and influence). And your "much experience with hoes" makes me seriously doubt your integrity. And slaves are victims, so it is not condescending to call someone a victim. You are as much a victim/ slave of a patriarchal, chauvinistic, hyper-aggressive mindset as she is.
Posted by sms | March 15, 2011, 11:30 pmSMS, YOU must be fat, gay or both. Am I right?
Posted by Val Venus | March 16, 2011, 1:52 amVal Venus, that's not cool, stay out of this. I don't condone that kind of disrespect. I'm having a real discussion right now with SMS.
SMS, "victims" is also condescending. She's an adult who makes choices…She's of a sound mind and knows what she's doing. She shows her body to make money, that's a hoe. I've had women try to use their bodies to get money from me, they are hoes, period.
Also, DJ Whoo Kid's reputation for being honest and real, is impeccable. If he said she tried to get with him at a club because she knew of his affiliation with 50 Cent, then that's the truth. This "alleged" incident happened AFTER 50 Cent made his Vitamin Water Deal, only adding to the veracity that this woman was acting hoe-ish, i.e. trying to get Whoo Kid in hopes of enriching herself. Think my sista, think.
Posted by Yasser | March 16, 2011, 2:25 amA victim is someone who is "subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment" (that victim deserves sympathy, love and compassion so s/he can heal) and someone "that is tricked or duped" (that victim needs enlightenment so s/he can stand up for her rights). In my opinion, even straight white men are victims of a hyper-aggressive, patriarchal, capitalistic mindset – the only difference is when men including assholes like Tucker Max misbehave, they become rock stars and when Karen Owen does the same thing, the whole world rushes to damn her. These double standards are very distrubing. Capitalism demands every individual sell their mind, body and soul for money and that is exactly what Rima like every American is doing. If Rima is a whore, then I am one too for selling my mind to a corporation and then so are you. We are all one.
And Val Venus, yes I am a fugly feminist. Now go deal with it.
Posted by sms | March 16, 2011, 3:16 amAight, i hear you…good points. Don't respond to ppl like Val Venus.
Posted by Yasser | March 16, 2011, 12:34 pmThank you. I feel honored and blessed that I could get you to see what a messed up world we live in. We all need to collectively channelize our anger at the system and find viable alternatives. The selfish and greedy capitalists, the oil protection service (Department of Defense), their propaganda machine (Fox News, WSJ, WWE, Hallmark, Harlequin, the porn industry), and their lackeys in the Congress, Senate and DOJ all need to go out of business (and they are – the treasury is owned by Saudi and China, DOD is bleeding in Afghanistan, etc.).
We need a national debate on sustainable energy, an alternative socio-political-economic model, etc. Personally I have been inspired by E.F. Schumacher (Small is Beautiful) but there are progressive Christians and Muslims who have a similar vision. In my opinion, we need a new set of founding fathers and mothers.
And why is our friend Ooo so angry?
Posted by sms | March 16, 2011, 2:56 pmOoo is not my friend. I roll solo boo…
It's not that I fundamentally disagree with you or that you don't raise valid points, I just don't think it's fair or honest to claim everyone who lives a certain way (even if we agree that way of life is "wrong" or perpetuates inequaltiy/injustice etc) to being "ignorant" or "mentally enslaved"… Rima, again, is an adult…she pole danced/stripped and continues to use her t&a to profit. Does the system we live in make it EASIER for her to make a living doing this, considering her God given beauty? Yes. Does that excuse her from being called a hoe? No…
Also, RIP, Nate Dogg…"cause if you smoke like i smoke, then you're high like everyday."
Posted by Yasser | March 16, 2011, 3:04 pmMy only issue is that if Rima is going to be judged as a morally compromised woman for trading her sexual appeal for profit, then the consumers of these shows should also be condemned in equally derogatory language. And so should male celebrities who bare their chests. I have never heard of Brad Pitt or Ashton Kutcher being labeled as whores or gold diggers or Jerry Springer being labelled as a pimp. Let us judge all morally compromised people equally.
Posted by sms | March 16, 2011, 4:31 pmYou're right…and excellent point.
Posted by Yasser | March 16, 2011, 5:02 pmHoe. Hoe. Hoe!!
Posted by angry*Ooo | March 16, 2011, 7:22 amShe's was apparently dating the exboyfriend of skeevy Paris Hilton…and you can find some nice thong shots of her on Google image search. Girl's got some nice round badonk a donk going on. Then again, she's Lebanese and alot of Lebanese girls are known to be materialistic and out for the spotlight. So it's not surprising.
Posted by SyrianRima | March 17, 2011, 3:02 amAnd Syrian women aren't? You chicks would marry the Hunchback of Notre Dame if he were a DOCTOR!
Posted by Yasser | March 17, 2011, 10:26 amPeanut butter sandwiches? Riding a bike? Yeah, when I was 10. I'm a grown ass man…if I'm not dippin in a whip daily and eating a juicy Ribeye, at least 3 times a week, I am not a man.
Posted by Yasser | March 17, 2011, 10:28 amFirst, Muslims deserve everything the get in this country. You Muslims are lucky there are a bunch of liberal douchebags in this country because you should all be deported. Second, Dearborn should be nuked by the US military, before your hateful shariah law continues to infect the rest of this nation and we end up looking like a little mecca just like England. Third, if you consider yourself ‘moderate’ then don’t come to this country demanding an Islamic caliphate in place of our Constitution. Fourth, if you are a ‘moderate’ muslim, then have some respect for the people of your adopted country by not building your victory mosque 3 blocks away from where your muslim friends slaughtered almost 3,000 innocent people. Fifth, if you come to this country you need to understand that “honor” killing is in no way acceptable, and neither is beating the crap out of your wife, no matter how loudly CAIR yells that it is religious freedom. Sixth, you are not allowed to behead your wife because she wants a divorce. This isn’t even allowed for “moderate” muslim tv executives. The no killing clause also covers teenage girls that have become too “westernized” or girls that have the gall to convert to Christianity.Seventh, CAIR is a front group for the Muslim brotherhood, and should be shut down. The CAIR executive staff should be put on trial for aiding and abetting terrorism. Eighth, until the Muslim nations start showing tolerance for their own citizens that convert to Christianity, don’t even try to bitch about your religious freedom in our nation. Ninth, Israel has the right to exist. Muslims love to scream apartheid in Gaza and Judea and Samaria. The Israelis allow Arabs to live where they want. It is the Muslims that are racist, and want no Jews in their midst. Tenth, the Temple Mount is exactly that, the TEMPLE mount. Muhammad never even went to Jerusalem, except in a dream while flying on an ass. Eleventh, Muslims have no claim to jerusalem or Israel. It isn’t even mentioned in the Koran. Thank you and have a nice day. PS please look up Muslim Mafia on amazon, and read it.
Posted by crusader | March 21, 2011, 8:54 pmCrusader, nobody reads long comments…Please revise and I'll read. thanks.
Posted by Yasser | March 21, 2011, 11:02 pmCrusader, besides being factually wrong on many accounts, it seems you are getting your perspective from jihad watch (which is also an instrument of mind control). The only people who truly belong to this land are the Native Americans and we know that "guns, germs and steel" have eliminated 94% of them (and the remainder have been caged in reservations). Besides that, this is a nation of immigrants (and some forced immigrants like Afro-Americans) and you need to remember that Islamism is CIA's baby. Both the extremists are partners in crime but have sadly managed to divide the people so they can rule them. Genetically and spiritually (please note spirituality does not equal religiosity), we are all one.
Posted by sms | March 22, 2011, 3:15 amFactually wrong, huh? So England isn’t a little Mecca? So CAIR isn’t a front for the Muslim Brotherhood- an organization that describes the United States as the “Great Satan”? The Native Americans were a bunch of uncivilized tribes killing eachother before the Europeans came to this continent. Why are the Native Americans stuck on reservations? Because they refuse to assimilate into modern society, and would rather sit on their reservations and drink on the taxpayer dime. Kind of like your people. Refuse to assimilate into the country that they have immigrated to, and trying to shove Shariah law down everyone else’s throats. I’ve lived in Bahrain, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. The laws in Arab countries are so ass backwards that your people are fighting tooth and nail to get the hell out of there and come here. They get here, and get the same radical doctrine from Imams that have been indoctrinated in the Middle East.
Posted by crusader | March 22, 2011, 2:56 pmCrusader, have you ever suffered from a brain injury? I'm curious. I've come to realize that a lot of people who talk like you have. Brain injuries are actually quite common among US military veterans. It's a tragic problem.
Posted by Jamal | March 22, 2011, 4:14 pmCrusader, you are right, England is a Mecca, but for the Anglican Church (which still has the Queen as its head). And I do agree with you that CAIR can be hypocritical and selective but it does not speak for every Muslim. I do take great offense to your classification of Native Americans as uncivilized tribes. If you are a WASP, then your ancestors also belonged to one of the feuding Celtic or Germanic tribes. You have been brainwashed into believing that Native Americans are "subhuman" so you can continue to glorify the Pilgrims and Conquistadores instead of seeing them as the racist war mongerers that they were.
Posted by sms | March 23, 2011, 3:36 amAnd now, you are telling me that in the civilized Christian America in the 1940s, there were no conflicts between the Afro-Americans, Catholics, Japanese, WASPs, etc.? Btw, the same fundamentalists and dictators who you detest for imposing Sharia law in the GCC and for fantasizing about imposing it in the West are the same people that most educated and moderate Muslims also fear and dislike. Are you telling me that a modern Muslim woman in the GCC feels thrilled that her husband can get a second, third, fourth wife if she dares to displease him in any way? Do you think modern Muslim men enjoy paying mehr to women who are more educated and get better paychecks than them? Do you know who is funding these radical imams across the world? Saudi Arabia. And do you know where they get their money from? Petrodollars. And do you know where Saudi Arabia derives its legitimacy as an imperial power in the Middle East? From the US (where were you when the protests in Bahrain were crushed as a foreign coup thanks to the Saudi army?). So you know what, instead of blowing off the steam on your neighbors, direct it at the White House and the State Department.
Posted by sms | March 23, 2011, 3:37 amSir, I find offense with your comment. Well actually I agree about the honor killing thing. That's grotesque and anyone who commits an honor killing should get fried no matter what the reasoning behind it was. To love someone so much and then bash their brains inside out is the ultimate evil that no religion under God should advocate. However, I know there are tons of muslims who don't prescribe to the honor killing thing either so you shouldn't generalize all muslims.
Second of all, as a Christian Palestinian, I find great offense with your statement: "Ninth, Israel has the right to exist. Muslims love to scream apartheid in Gaza and Judea and Samaria. The Israelis allow Arabs to live where they want. It is the Muslims that are racist, and want no Jews in their midst."
Posted by Rami | March 23, 2011, 3:16 amWhat's all this talk about "Judea and Samaria"? That's Zionist talk. It's called Palestine, homie. Get with the program. 9 million countries agree except for 1. You tell me who's wrong, huh? I agree that Israel has a right to exist……..but not in West Bank/Gaza Palestine. So that means all of that settlement colonialization mumbo jumbo needs to stop b/c it's stealing Palestinian land. If you claim muslims are so evil and backwards, take a look at the settlers. Those racist zealots are way more backwards than any one else. They'll smash in the brains of a little kid in Hebron and beat to death an old man in Nablus just because they're Arabs. Prove me wrong.
Posted by Rami | March 23, 2011, 3:16 amFinally, if it looks like apartheid, smells like apartheid, has racist laws like apartheid (hold the phone, three more bills being passed by the Knesset this week!) then it's probably apartheid. By the way, even the Israelis are discrediting your statement because one of the bills they're passing lets Israelis vote on where Israeli Palestinians are allowed to live. That don't smell like Israel lets Arabs live wherever they want. As for me, I don't mind Jews or Israelis being in my "midst"…just get the hell off my property.
Posted by Rami | March 23, 2011, 3:17 am