Muslim-as-Apple-Pie Videos Are Greeted With Skepticism

Four new videos showing American Muslims feeling happy and at home in the US are being pre-screened in Indonesia. The videos, paid for by the US State Department, feature a baker, a teacher, an emergency medic, and the head of the US National Institutes for Health, all offering glowing testimonials to American tolerance and acceptance of Muslims. The spots are intended to be shown in Muslim countries throughout the Ramadan period, but at a recent screening in Indonesia, criticism abounded, including charges that the clips don't show the struggles over tough questions, such as religion in schools, that many Muslim Americans face. The videos are the latest effort by the US government to project a vision of America as a good society and improve the country's image in the Muslim world. - YaleGlobal