Fox News & Islam: The Shifting MAGA Alignment

Fox News commentators are criticizing a “Sesame Street” segment featuring actor Ramy Youssef teaching Elmo Arabic greetings, while remaining silent about financial ties between Middle Eastern investors and a U.S. Media company, Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a report by Lorraine Ali of the Los Angeles Times.

The segment, which aired in mid-April as part of Arab American Heritage Month, featured Youssef explaining the meanings of “as-salamu alaykum” (peace be upon you) and “habibi” (my love) to the Muppet character Elmo. Fox News commentator Raymond Arroyo warned viewers about the dangers of the language lesson, suggesting it could be a gateway to Islamic indoctrination.

“I wish ‘Sesame Street’ would stick to teaching kids about letters and numbers and leave the Arabic immersion to someone else,” Arroyo said on “The Ingraham Angle.” “Next, Bert and Ernie will be praying five times a day on ‘Sesame Street,’ facing east….”

Raymond Arroyo, Fox News

Ali’s report highlights what she describes as a pattern of “cherry-picking” by Fox News and the Republican administration regarding their tolerance of Islam. The criticism of the “Sesame Street” segment stands in contrast to the network’s lack of coverage regarding the financial involvement of Middle Eastern royal families in Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN, HBO, and other major media outlets.

This selective focus on Islam has been a recurring theme in conservative media, where the religion and its followers are often portrayed negatively, unless financial interests are at stake, according to the Los Angeles Times report. The report suggests a double standard in how conservative media outlets approach the topic of Islam, criticizing cultural expressions while overlooking financial connections.

The situation comes amid heightened scrutiny of potential foreign influence in U.S. Media, as well as concerns about the spread of radical Islam within the United States. A recent shooting in Austin, Texas, allegedly committed by a suspect motivated by religious ideology, has further fueled these concerns, as reported by Fox News. The suspect, Ndiaga Diagne, was found wearing clothing referencing Allah and the Iranian flag.

a report by Argyle Consulting Group, as reported by Fox News Digital, suggests that a significant portion of online backlash against Operation Epic Fury originated from accounts based outside the United States, presenting themselves as American voices. Sixty percent of the most viral posts on X mentioning “Iran” during the first week of the operation came from accounts based outside the U.S., according to the report.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an expert on radical Islam, warned that Islamist networks may regroup in the West following recent strikes, as reported by Fox News. These developments contribute to a complex and evolving landscape of political and cultural tensions surrounding Islam in the United States.