TLC’s groundbreaking series, “All-American Muslim”, explores the lasting impact the tragedy of 9/11 has had on the cast and their community, as they also experience a backlash by some of their fellow Americans because of their faith. This revealing installment is arguably the most nuanced and complex view about the terror attacks from the American Muslim perspective ever seen on television.

The episode, The Day the World Changed, centers on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Whether it is Deputy Chief Mike Jaafar focusing on the safety of his officers, while reflecting on the loss of first responders a decade ago; or Lila Amen participating in a city-wide public memorial service, but without her children who refuse to go; or Bilal and Shadia Amen making a visit to Ground Zero to see “the place that changed his life” – there is a wide array of reactions and responses to the tragic events brought on by Osama bin Laden.

“When I first heard it was a Muslim extremist that had done this, immediately, my thought like every other Muslim’s thought was these people are not Muslim. Who are these people? Where did they come from? I’ve never heard of the Taliban. I’ve never heard of Osama bin Laden,” says Nina Bazzy in the episode. “They’ve labeled themselves as Muslim. But they are not Muslim. A real Muslim would never do anything like that.”

This powerhouse installment of the series is receiving advance praise from a diverse range of influential voices.

“All-American Muslim” offers us a unique opportunity to step into the shoes of our Muslim neighbors and experience the pain and suffering they have endured, not just once, but twice, ” said Reverend Dr. Katharine Henderson , President of Auburn Seminary in New York. “The first time because terrorists attacked their country on 9/11, and the second time because some fellow Americans turned on them, simply because of their religion, which is absolutely unacceptable.”

“At a time when perceptions of Muslims are at an all-time low, “All-American Muslim” has managed to flip the switch and help many Americans see the commonalities we share with one another,” said Eboo Patel, president of Interfaith Youth Core and a member of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships advisory council.  ”By showing the gray areas, not just the black and the white, the series has laid bare the complex and valid range of emotions that these families have experienced over the past ten years. And, instead of sound bites, this nuance adds value by showing very real, very human responses to the events that changed our world.”

Another hot-button subject is touched upon as Bilal and Shadia go to NYC to visit tattoo artist Ami James, of NY Ink fame. Bilal worries that Ami’s past in the Israeli military may become a source of friction between them.

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The dedication of a new Catholic cathedral in the city of Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea, on December 7, served as a symbol of the nation’s economic development and the vigorous religious life of a country where the church was once violently suppressed.

President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo dedicated the new Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Equatorial Guinea’s easternmost city.  In his remarks, he reminded his countrymen of his government’s efforts to restore religious freedom as one of its first acts upon assuming power.

The previous regime had forced the “closure of churches and persecution of Christians, many of whom were forced into exile,” President Obiang said. “With our arrival, we proceeded to reopen all the churches closed by the former regime. We proceeded to release [political] prisoners, and ecclesiastical activity regained its vigor and normality.”

The event was held on the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the capital of Wele Nsas province, President Obiang’s birthplace. More than 1,000 guests attended the religious ceremony, including President Francois Bozize of the Central African Republic, papal envoy Francis Cardinal Arinze, and Antoinette Nguesso, wife of the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The attractive new basilica, done in a variation of neoclassical style, is named for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Equatorial Guinea. It can hold up to 8,000 people and took nearly six years to construct. President Obiang presented the plan for the basilica to Pope Benedict XVI during a state visit to the Holy See in 2005 and laid the cornerstone on December 9, 2006.

President Obiang expressed the hope that Pope Benedict would visit the country and recalled the critical role Pope John Paul II played in promoting national healing and renewal during his eight-hour visit to Equatorial Guinea in 1982.

“The Pope arrived at the airport in Malabo, kissed the earth, and blessed our country with his hands raised,” President Obiang said. “The people turned out in such a way that he left with the idea that our country was where he was received with the greatest fervor.” The population of Equatorial Guinea is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.

After the inaugural Mass, which was attended by five cardinals, 45 bishops, and some 300 priests from the central African sub-region, President Obiang and the Cardinal Arinze cut the ribbon, signifying the official opening of the basilica.

Gasper Furman / Shutterstock.com

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