inr indigenous people of this country. and again, at standing rock, they're not fighting for their water, they're fighting for all of our water. now it's our turn to finally fight for them. ♪ ♪ on this show, we're talking about muslims and arabs. that's how i can tell i'm in the bay area. that's not -- yeah. that's not the reaction that i tend to get in other parts of this country. we're talking about muslims and arabs. wham! [ laughter ] got to be honest, i'm super nervous about this episode because it's important to me that it's right. it's important that it puts the right message out there. i have friends that are muslims and arabs. it's important to separate that.

gotta say this, not all arabs are muslims and not all muslims are arabs. and i'm not trying to be condescending when i say that. because i suffered from that when i was growing up. i had a friend who was palestinian. and she was like, i'm a christian. i'm like, you're an arab christian? what, did you convert? she's like my family's christian. i'm like, how did that happen? because jesus is from the middle east. oh, right, yeah, yeah. good point. he was, was he? my name is w. kamau bell. as a comedian i found a living making humor in parts of america i don't understand and now i'm challenging myself to dig deeper. i'm on a mission to reach out and experience all the cultures and beliefs that add color to this crazy country. this is "the united shades of america." whether america as a whole wants to talk about it or not, america

has always had heros who are muslims. muhammad ali, kareem abdul-jabbar, and malcolm x are examples of the best of us. they've been held up as quintessential americans. how quintessential? muhammad ali was an olympic hero twice. malcolm x is on a postage stamp. kareem abdul-jabbar was in the movie, "airplane." a true american hero. when i was a kid, i kind of wished i was a muslim. specifically the nation of islam. they looked cool, talked cool, and they were at the front lines of the civil rights movement. you may remember in the '90s a naum muslim man named louis farrakhan got a million black men to march peacefully in washington, d.c. >> a sea of peace. >> and there's only a couple other people i can think of who

can pull that off. well, probably also beyonce. definitely beyonce. >> the fbi investigating a mosque fire near palm springs and they believe it was, i'm quoting here, an intentional act. >> but oh how times have changed. >> a bangladeshi born new york city taxi driver is recovering today from knife wounds to his neck, face, and hands, all with the designation of hate crime. >> a southern california woman will be flown home for burial from iraq. >> hate crimes against muslims were up 67% in 2015. >> both gunned down leaving a mosque on saturday -- >> and in the first ten days of -- after the 2016 election, there were more than 300 bias-related incidents that targeted immigrants or muslims. what does our fearless leader do in response? a big speech to bring us all together? nope. >> the world is reacting to president trump's executive order banning those from seven muslim majority nations from entering the united states. >> big stuff. >> oh, yeah, it's big stuff. especially if you consider this. take it from my label mate, fareed zakaria. >> the number of americans

killed by citizens of the seven countries banned from 1975 to 2015, you guessed it, zero. >> president trump's order compromises american values at what couldn't be a worse time. as some muslims leave conflict-riddled areas of the middle east and end up in america, many land not in major cities, but in the more affordable suburbs. and nowhere has seen this happen more than the detroit metro area. there, immigrants can join a muslim community that has been established since the early factory days of the ford motor company. motown meet mo muslims town. small towns in and around detroit like dearborn and ham trammic are home to more than 3,000 americans with roots in the middle east. in dearborn, 1 out of 3 are

arabs, many with roots to the middle east. many of whom are muslim and for some people in america, that simple stat makes this sleepily suburban community the scariest place in america? although when we got there, people were maybe a little more woke than normal. the election had happened just days before we arrived. i didn't know what to expect from the muslims there. especially because moments after trump's acceptance speech, i had received a text from a good friend of mine, zara norbash, a comedian, a muslim and also the co-host of the podcast "good muslim/bad muslim." so tell me what was going through your mind when you decided to text me. it felt like a signal flare. >> i am so devastated. and when i texted you, i was worried. >> yeah. about what specifically? >> about my family. >> yeah. ♪

what's going through your mind? >> i see so much misinformation. >> really? >> like, there's this rhetoric of a standard of muslimness and that's dangerous. and it's also not true. i feel like it needs to be said, there are 1.7 billion muslims in the world, and growing, and 72 sects of islam. >> wow. yeah. it's -- >> 72. >> i thought there was two. i thought there was sunni and shia, no, and black muslim -- >> 72. >> yep. despite what the two bills would have you believe, islam is not just one thing. most muslims fall into the schools of sunni and shia. and a lot more are wishing to -- i wish i could pronounce. not to mention the fact sunnis and shias branch off and each have their own interpretations of the koran. it's pretty complicated. if only i could think of a comparable analogy for

christian, catholic, methodist and lutheran friends. forget it. >> the thing about the muslim community is there's not actually a muslim community, like, in case the fact that there isn't peace in the middle east is any indication, not all of us like each other. >> yeah. >> a whole lot. >> yeah. and you recently came out of the closet being a bisexual. >> yeah. >> zara's openness, honesty, and bravery, is why so many people relate to her on the podcast. to me, and the rest of her friends, she's a progressive social justice activist living her version of what it is to be a good muslim but to some strict orthodox believers, those things plus the fact she's bisexual and married to an atheist make her a bad muslim. so, looking ahead, like -- >> maybe, like, don't say so much about my muslimness. >> okay. is that what's going to happen under the new era of america where we sort of like -- >> people need to wake up. >> yeah. >> cheers to the end of the world.

>> have some sugar. that will make you feel better. see? zara was clearly feeling all the feels. she wasn't alone. >> this crowd here is huge. more than a half a mile long. >> americans of all backgrounds all over the country hit the streets to protest. even the small 2.2 mile long detroit suburb of hamtramck. >> shut down donald trump's racist vision for america to stop trump's attacks on immigrants. do i have a second? >> aye! >> my name is razi. i'm just your friendly neighborhood detroit muslim. as a muslim, like, this is so moving. you guys are so sincere in being here and supporting people in our community and other marginalized people in detroit and around the area. one thing i want to emphasize is try to make a muslim friend because you can't build empathy for people unless you get to know them. you can't get to know them unless you talk to them and

spend time with them. thank you. >> i want to talk to you specifically because there's a lot of people giving speeches and they were sort of very fiery and very getting the truthful rally. you stepped up and said something very personal. >> a lot of the misunderstandings about islam have to do with who muslims are. one thing i wanted americans to know in general is during the slave trade, up to about 25% to 30% of the slaves came from areas where there were predominantly muslim populations so islam has always been part of the american fabric. a lot of people think that islam is from a foreign country or a foreign religion. it's not. it's very american. and in addition to that, it's very important to let those more violent voices in our society know that these people are protected. >> can i ask you a question? >> sure. >> what do you do for a living? >> i'm an entrepreneur and photographer. >> and when are you running for mayor? it feels like you're on your way. >> i have zero political aspirations. >> that's what a young barack obama said at one point, too. hi, i'm mike ditka.

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♪ today i'm going to listen to my new muslim friend from the protest in hamtramck and try to make more muslim friends. a recent study showed six out of ten americans seldom or never had a conversation with a muslim. luckily for me, americans who don't do stuff is my target audience. tell me, what do you do in town? >> i'm a director of the islamic

center for the iraqi refugees. i've been in the town here more than three years. i have left iraq because the oppression of saddam hussein, so this is why i really enjoy and appreciate the freedom and the election and the democracy. >> you know, we just had an election. what do you think about what's going on? >> well, actually, i voted republican this time. i'm learning to -- >> i was going to say, you voted republican. now who was on the ticket? so that means trump? >> well, sometime my hearing is not good. the reason i voted republican this time, because we are suffering from terrorism. isis is not muslim. they are terrorists. so, yes, give him a chance and -- >> i'm sorry to laugh. feel like every time someone says give him a chance, he does something, i go, what about that? give him another chance. what about that? give him one more chance. thank you very much.

thank you. i wish i could say he was the only muslim i met that day who voted for trump. i really wish i could say that. i could use a drink. but out of respect to the people here, i'm going to try it relax -- to relax the way they do. i'm joined by some young dudes in hamtramck for the millennium perspective. why hookah? >> hookah is something we've done thousands of years. against our religion to drink any alcoholic beverages so this is considered our bar. >> oh, wow. >> so they'll come like this. >> i blow it or breathe? >> don't inhale. like he's already laughing. >> we'll do it all together. ready? go. >> yeah. >> congratulations. >> you don't hold it in. you can just let it -- >> like a baby hookah. tastes delicious. it's like a smoked smoothie. were you all born and raised here? >> no. i was actually born in yemen. >> okay. >> then, you know, he was born in yemen. we were all born in yemen but you get to hamtramck, you

actually know what it is to be american because you see the appreciation the residents have. just being able to just live a life without fearing whatever's happening in the middle east. >> talk about where you are in your practice of your religion. are you all actively practicing your faith? >> yes. >> yeah. i mean, main thing, the five pillars of islam, is praying five times a day. donating to the poor. going to hajj, or going to mecca. >> it's a pilgrimage. >> yeah. fasting and telling our other peers about the religion. those are the five pillars of islam. we -- >> see, that's the call of prayer. >> is that the call to prayer? >> yeah. >> you have an alarm on your phone? >> i have an app. >> of course it is. >> it's called muslim pro. it will tell you the call of prayer in the city you're in. >> so it moves with you, based on the time? >> we pray five times a day. >> i'm not getting you in

trouble now? >> you can do it with the next one, as long as you don't skip it overall. the mosques have the call of prayers on the speakers. you hear that in hamtramck. other cities you won't. there are a lot of people against it, they're like it's too noisy, i don't want to who -- to hear that blabbering or -- >> these are not muslims. >> yeah, our argument was, you know, we've never had an issue with the church bells going off. all we're asking if you can respect our culture. you know what i mean? >> they have more in common with you than they think. >> exactly. >> i mean, we believe in jesus, we believe in moses, we believe in noah. same stories, just along the way, you know, new testament came out and different things happened. >> all right. thanks. >> thank you. >> thank you. i'm still -- i tried to go out cool. it didn't happen. i definitely encounter stereotypes based on my appearance, mainly that i'm the drummer from the "tonight show." but for many muslim women, the

fact that they cover their heads with scarves or veils, covers non-muslim republicans and democrats alike to freak the "f" out. a muslim woman can tell me what's really going on, as someone who chooses to wear a hijab. i'm going to ask a lot of dumb questions. >> that's okay. >> some on behalf of me, some on behalf of the world. what exactly is a burqa? >> the one where only the eyes show, they have the rest of the face covered which is pretty much this much showing. the burqa covers everything. there are little holes in the -- >> when i see women wearing it, the eye makeup is on fleek, for people who know how to use that expression. >> that goes to show a lot of it is cultural. >> dumb question alert. the hijab. talk about that. >> some interpretations of the koran say you have to be covered in a certain way. the extent of the covering, it's vague how it has to be done. it doesn't say you have to cover around your face or around your hair.

it says bosom, is what the word is translated to. hijab being a sign of modesty, hijab not being a head covering, the way you interact with people. the way you decide to wear the hijab is very cultural, as opposed to a religious interpretation. it's a choice at the end of the day. i feel like now is the time more than ever to go out there, make it normal to see women wearing a hijab and accept it. >> would you describe yourself as a feminist? >> absolutely. the greatest symbol of feminism in this country is that we allow women to do what they want to do, not what american women want them to do. >> i certainly agree with you and hear what you're saying. i know i have a lot of lefty progressive friends who are like, they think you need to be liberated from the headscarf. and also, there's a narrative that there's a double standard. muslim women have to cover up, but there's nothing in the koran that says men have to cover up. >> a lot of men do take it to that step and do cover more. that's how it is. >> okay. rima's right. many devout muslim men do wear

turbans, long robes, and grow heavy beards that cover up their faces and nobody's talking about liberating them. my last question then i'll let you go, you see articles, i've seen these articles, dearborn, michigan, is under sharia law. >> sharia basically means it's the process in which muslims engage with the religious texts. that's what sharia means. in other countries the religious texts becomes law but american law protects from any foreign law coming -- >> you can't just go i'm using sharia law in this courtroom, we should have made this illegal. we have this thing called american law we've stipulated. >> exactly. have faith in the american judicial system that it will root out anything that is illegal and it will not do anything against the constitution or any american law. >> thank you. i feel like i have a ph.d. now. probably not. but need to get a bachelor's first. thank you for sitting down with me. >> no problem. cannot live without it.

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goal of making the city better for all. >> you mean like all politicians? at a moment muslims everywhere could have celebrated a great achievement, they were once again treated with skeptical headlines. i'm meeting with hamtramck's mayor at her vintage clothing story to get her thoughts on this. and also on diversifying the store mannequins. guess which i am. >> welcome to tekla. do you like old stuff? >> see, my problem is, when i was a kid, old stuff was called ha hand-me-downs. i always had old clothes. >> it's another way for people to recycle including revitalizing hamtramck and bringing it into the 21st century. >> so then how did hamtramck become a city that is so heavily muslim? >> well really it's the same kind of process of chain migration that brought pols here and basically brought everyone here across the country. so-and-so comes and pretty soon the village is here. >> nobody's chased me out of town yet. maybe more of us should come.

>> yeah, exactly. >> now the city council has -- >> a muslim majority. >> there's a lot of talking points that people do nationally, talk about muslim. >> sure. >> the idea of sharia law and things like that. >> it's so divorced from reality. there's no push toward sharia law. you know? even if it were allowable. people ask us about that all the time and hamtramckans roll their eyes. we're not afraid of our muslim neighbors. >> you're painting a rosy picture. is there really -- i mean, all cities have tension. even if everybody's the same race and same religion. >> absolutely, absolutely, there are tension. call to prayer becomes an issue occasionally. people in the summer people have their windows open. >> part of the price you pay for living in a place that has good fal afel -- [ laughter ] >> being a dad to two young girls, i've heard the "frozen" theme song so many times, i've gotten used to letting things go. someone who can't seem to let go of her issues with her muslim neighbors is hamtramck resident

and activist susan dunn. this community is heavily yemen. they're bringing their life here, you wish they adapted to a more traditional american way of life or is it just how they're living their life? >> when i'm forced to hear your call of prayer in my house on a sunday when i'm reading a book, i have a problem with that because my life isn't coming four blocks into your house. >> you have the call to prayer on your phone. you want to play it for me so i can hear it? >> you want the one that's pitch black at 6:00 something in the morning? >> sure, sure, sure. >> now that the church bells are going. >> that's the irony. the church bells are drowning out the call to prayer. here we are. >> deal with that for an hour. >> now, there's a train to give us another loud sound. isn't some of that just the nature of the fact that we all live in neighborhoods where lots of stuff is going on, you know? >> yeah, but when it's at a

respectable volume, you don't hear any complaints. >> so you're not anti the muslim faith. >> no. >> okay. >> because i have a problem with you doesn't mean you're going to stand there and call me racist because you're whatever you are. if i have a problem with you, it's because i have a problem with you, not because you're whatever you are. as background, my ex-husband is from iran. he came here in the early '70s to get away from the kind of life he didn't want to live. i'm not coming from a place of hate. i'm come from real. >> do you think -- i can tell you're fired up. i can tell. please, do you have blood pressure medicine you need to take? >> i got some if i need it. >> okay. good. good. to be clear, i want to make sure, what issues do you have with people who practice the muslim faith? >> i know the koran talks about having consideration, respect for your neighbors. that's an absolute. yet when i don't see it, i'll call you out on it. >> i hear you. susan is complicated. she's a passionate person and she really does care. >> doing work without a permit

so that miss -- pisses me off. >> but, yeah, susan has lots of opinions. about lots of things. >> some lady who's on disability gets a bill from wayne county, four grand. >> yeah. >> living in wayne county makes you pay 50% more on your auto insurance so she wants to talk to me in private. i'm like, no, we'll do it here. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> wish we could stay for me. >> are you going to stay and eat? >> you have to talk to these people. i'm not in charge. >> i have spinach pie. >> my crew still raves about the spinach pie. i had to get out while i had the chance. i wanted to find out what other residents think. do you like living here? >> people do their things, hang out, shop, normal americans. the only way you can take my word for it is to come to this part of the country and see it. >> hamtramck is a magical place. . >> like small town america from 20 years ago? >> yeah. >> were you born and raised a muslim? >> no, sir, born and raised a white collar middle class christian. >> okay. how did this go with your family? so many questions. when did you convert to islam?

>> november 15th of 2 years ago. >> oh, my goodness. what brought you to the faith? >> my husband. >> you made pretty big life changes in two years. >> big. [ speaking foreign language ] sorry, i have to say it. >> what does that mean? >> it means faith to god. because of the concept that people put in your minds about the muslim people, that's why people have the complete wrong impression. myself as well in the beginning. >> of course. i mean, i would imagine that with -- you tell a lot of your friends and family that -- [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> like that. >> i don't even know what he said. >> he said f effing arab pussy. >> really? >> yeah. excuse me. i get that because i'm white with a scarf. >> wow. he just said -- i mean, we've been talking to people about how it's small town here, everything's nice. and everybody accepts everybody.

that was not acceptance that just went past. >> no, you know what, though, this is america. we need to learn that we have people of all different shades and colors. >> i feel bad about that. i haven't had to deal with it. i feel like we should have dropped aur cameras and ran after him. >> don't feel bad. that's all right. >> thank you. >> thank you for your time. >> it's not unusual for some idiot to yell something like that when they see tv cameras rolling. all because of a scarf?

♪ today i'm on the hunt for two things. some delicious middle eastern food, and some more info on islam so i can stay #woke. this is the executive director for the council on american islamic relations here in michigan and he's helping me with both. wow. the hits keep on coming. wow. that's a lot. >> yeah. >> in a seasoned half of this show i finally feel like anthony bourdain. were you born into the muslim faith or was it something you converted to later? >> i came to islam later. back in the day when i was in school in high school, it was cool to be a muslim, back in the late '80s. like public enemy, it was cool being muslim back then, so really it was hip hop that was my gateway into islam for real. >> it was also around, like, the

spike lee's movie, malcolm x with denzel, it popularized islam -- -- in the black community. >> we were rocking the malcolm x baseball cap. >> i had an x shirt. i think it was a bootlegged "x" shirt, sorry spike lee, got it from the street. >> that was some of our biggest pop culture icons of black america or muslims. there's more african-american muslims in america than others. but the majority of arab americans are christians. >> in fact, today, 63% of america's arab population is christian. with the largest demographic being catholic. i want to make sure everybody hears that. 63% of arabs in america are christian. so stop assuming you can leave your co-worker, ahmed, off your christmas card list. >> some have the biggest cross. >> they make sure they're repping that cross. >> oh, they're going to rep that cross. they don't want to be confused.

>> got crosses like rappers. >> minus the ice. >> what do you think are the biggest challenges right now? white supremacy? >> many people think of white supremacy as the kkk and hoods and neonazis and far right armed militia groups, but white supremacy is centering whiteness and devaluing that which is not white. >> historically, white men have been the biggest terrorists in the united states of america. >> see, those are looked at as anomalies. the assumption is they're mentally sick. every excuse in the book is made. when it's muslims, we want to flip the script and reframe things. >> what makes you want to live here? of all the places you could live in this country. >> this is home and this is very comfortable. you know, dr. king once said that 12:00 on sunday is america's most segregated hour in america. well, the friday prayer time in this muslim community is the most integrated.

we have a nice community here. >> well, thank you, brother, for talking to me. i appreciate it. now you got a lot of food to eat. much of the food in the area is halal. which is arabic for "permissible." even though common sense goes against it, i'm headed to see how the sausage gets made. okay. more like where the sh warma meat gets made. damn. now i'm hungry. >> these are some of the products that we have. these are lamb products over here. this is ribs right here, right? >> yeah. >> so what -- is that just -- >> that's the by-products we don't sell. >> be honest, some of this is hot dogs, right? >> no. [ laughter ] >> talk about a little bit about why it's important to your faith that the meat is prepared this way? >> in our scripture, it tells us let the animal relax, respect the animal. any muslim can bless it before slaughter and go through the rituals and it can be halal. when we say --

[ speaking foreign language ] -- we're saying thank you for allowing us to have this animal to nourish us and we very much respect that. >> i've never seen an animal get slaughtered. >> well, i can show you but maybe the camera shouldn't be on for that. >> i totally get it. so i'll go see and see you guys in a few minutes. thank you. thank you. >> thank you. >> guess i can't put it off anymore. let's go see what's going on. >> when we slaughter an animal, we slaughter it with a knife from jugular to jugular, pretty much turning the animal east, i say my prayer here. [ speaking foreign language ] and that means in the name of god, god is great. and i slaughter the animal. ♪ >> i just was in the slaughterhouse. if i was oprah, that would not be one of the favorite things i would give out. there's a sense of modesty in there, there's a sense of

respect in there. i got to say, it was -- you know, i got a little blood on me, but, you know, it's real. would i want to see that every time before i eat a hamburger? no. does that make me a hypocrite? yes. am i going to still eat hamburgers? absolutely. with bacon on them. that's not halal, though. that segment had two things that are not going to be very popular. an animal getting killed and two black people having a conversation about white supremacy. [ laughter ] how can i fight the vegans and the racists at one time? if hitler was on twitter, i'd be done for. and i just made a hitler reference. this is not going well at all. hey, i'm trying to trend.

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since i've been here in michigan, i've learned a lot about islam and i've been reminded that many religions including islam have one thing in common. islam and gay people, lgbt people.

>> in our religion, to be straightforward and honest -- >> absolutely. >> -- it is forbidden. adam and eve, that's what our religion is based on. >> i don't support homosexuality. i support whatever god said in the koran and the bible. man is a man, woman is a woman. >> islam does not have a trademark on homophobia, all right? there are certainly people in the religion who are homophobic, but every religion has those people in their religion, all right? every religion has homophobia in it. no religion owns it more than anybody else. it's like the song "happy birthday." everybody can sing it if they want to, nobody gets to claim credit for it. what's it like if you happen to be gay and muslim? well, there's no one better to talk to about that than somebody who is both those things. hussein ayub is a devout muslim

and an lgbt advocate who's openly gay and only 22 years old. we're meeting at a library, aka, the original internet. kids, the library never goes down but it does close at 6:00 p.m. feel like we're in a very solemn place. >> we have to stay really quiet. >> need to go to the library, close it down so we can have this conversation. let's talk about what we're here to talk about. how was it to grow up in the muslim faith and at the same time be gay? >> to me it was scary i might be so religious and at the same time be something that's damned by god. i would say an arabic prayer and i would say, please god, do not let me be gay. it was kind of suicidal in a sense. i got depressed, i started choking myself. i was a 17, 18-year-old kid in college. i can't decide, do i want religion, or do i want to be gay? how can i choose religion over being gay if i never experienced being gay? >> i did start to dabble.

i started going to the mosque less, to friday prayers less. the whole thought of i'm at a bonfire with my religious friends and they're talking about how homosexuals should all be exported to iran where they're hanged. >> are you out in your community now as a gay man? >> yes, i am. the orlando shooting happened. >> breaking news. the worst mass shooting in american history. >> it was just very shocking, you know. you're taking my religion and killing people in my religion's name. and that's not what my god taught me. as a devout muslim, i would never think about hurting anyone else. for any reason. i posted a status on facebook, as a gay arab american muslim, i do not condone this at all. #notinmyname. #gay. #pride. >> you're like let me cover all the bases. >> #muslim. >> let me make sure i'm absolutely clear what i'm saying here. >> pride emoticon. >> right. and the hatred started coming

in. >> yeah. >> people whose children i taught to recite koran were telling me i'm a disgusting human being. someone told my mom. i went home and my mom was yelling and screaming, i don't want a gay child to be in this house, you, you bastard. i went upstairs to my room, packed my luggage, got in my car and drove to a friend's. >> jesus. wow. >> so many muslims, arab and non arab, pakistanis, hindus, iranians, messaged me and told me and -- i am gay too and you have given me hope. >> how do you reconcile your faith with whatever your religion says? >> there's a quote in the koran. [ speaking foreign language ] whoever does good -- >> you don't have to translate. i know what that means. no, i'm just kidding. please translate. >> whoever believes in god and does good, god will enter him in

paradise. my faith is within me. and i don't think that god would purposely make me gay and tell me you have to fight against it or you're going to burn. >> uh-huh. you know, i feel like the things you're saying are things that people say who are gay and also in families that are very christian. not just -- i want to make sure, it's not just an islam issue. >> no, it's not. sharia law, it's federal law in iran to hang gays. i think if iran was the catholic republic of iran, there will be stonings and beheadings and hangings. >> yeah, yeah. >> you know, let's not forget the crusades did happen. >> yeah, i don't want to forget that. i mean, i want to forget, but i don't want to forget. >> exactly. the koran does tell you, we created you, different people, so that you can learn there each other. i think that you can be gay and muslim at the same time. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. i hope your mom, you and your mom, figure it out, you know?

>> we actually did make up. >> you did? >> yes, we did. >> oh, okay. >> we talk all the time. >> oh, yeah. this ends well a little bit. >> we are friends. >> okay. all right. >> she does have her moments every now and then. >> that's parents. >> now we joke. we'll talk on the phone and she'll say, did you find -- and i'll say, have you found a husband yet? you've been divorced for five years. i'm waiting for the right man. when you find him, ask if he has a brother for me. >> wow. well, thank you.

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>> i've heard the call to prayer many times since i've been here. but i keep sending it to voice mail. today, though, i'm at the muslim unity center, to finally answer the call. >> well, this is our prayer room. this is where muslims come five times a day to connect to god. as you see, i'll ask you to take off your shoes, because part of their prayer is posteration, so they put their foreheads on the floor. so to keep the carpet clean, we ask people to take off their shoes. >> an imam is like a pastor, or a priest, or the snake-wielding guy from some of the churches in the south. tell me why islam is weirder than christianity again. >> muslims into have to face northeast, towards mecca, a daily reminder that we're all one. the point of the prayers is to keep that connection going. to give you a sample, this is wa

we will be reciting tonight. that's the tration nslation of . >> the translation. for a second, i thought, oh, my god, i can read arabic. [ laughter ] it's working already. >> before a formal prayer there's a traditional cleanse. you can tell i'm committed because i don't just wet my afro for anybody. >> this is where we come and perform wudu, this is a cleansing part where you are preparing to stand in the presence of god. so we're going to start off, wash your hands three times, and then you wash your face. take a little water, swipe it over your hair. a muslim will take off their socks, and then wash their feet to their ankles. >> this is for all you people who keep googling hammal feet. or maybe it's just one person. a lot. >>umr, this is a blessing. and by this, we glorify god and

ask him to accept us. that's what we do. [ chanting ]. >> he's saying, god is great, god is great. you can just stand right here. [ singing ♪ [ singing ]. >> man, islam prayer is beautiful. but it's also hard on the knees. next time i'll stretch before i

pray. >> that was it. >> that was it? >> that was it, man. th >> that was much more simple and reflective than i thought. it's all men in here. where do you women pray? >> it's okay for them to pray here, but they do find it more comfortable upstairs, having their own private location. somedays we do have them praying here in the main hall. >> everything we can say to discount the stereotypes that people have about the faith is really important. there's a lot of rhetoric out there from the man who is our leader. >> it's part of our beliefs to always have hope. we'll just continue to strive as citizens of this country. this is what the mosque is all about, having a positive impact, serving the community. this is who we are. this is what we stand for. >> it's very similar to like the church that i grew up with my grandmother, where it's the hub for the community. although, the thing i'll say about the baptist service, it goes about three and a half hours ago. >> ours is not that long. ♪ ♪ >> if there's one place that is

a living example of how successfully islam can co-exist with other religions, it's here, where the largest mosque in north america sits amongst multiple places of worship. or more like they sit around in. this 120,000 square-foot complex serves around 6,000 people, as well as seeing around 100,000 non-muslim visitors annually. this place is huge. >> beyond that church, there's an arabic lutheran church, believe it or not. and a macedonian church here next door. >> this is kasim ali, the executive administrator of the islamic center of america. >> we have a protestant church next to that and a catholic church actually beyond that. >> i've heard of auto row, the place where you go to the stretch of the highway where you buy cars. this is called altar row. >> altar row. >> some religious car sealsman standing in front. what are we thinking today? more christiany, or is islam

more your style? right this way. talk about this for a second. the american flag is right here. not every church has an american flag in front of it. why is the american flag here? >> because we're americans. >> all right. that's easy enough. i gotta ask the dumb questions. >> in that moment, i felt pretty dumb, but i know it's better to ask dumb questions than to have a head filled with dumb answers that you made up yourself. or dumb answers somebody else who has no idea what they're talking about made up for you. it's long past time we skipped the false prophets and actually talked to the people who study the prophet muhammad because lives are at stake. in fact, way more muslims lives are at stake than non-muslim lives. if you don't believe the preponderance of the evidence that has already been extremely vetted that says muslims are overwhelmingly peaceful, productive people, and if you don't believe muslims when they try to tell you about their experiences of being profiled

and harassed, or worse, by americans in the name of the flag, then you have to ask yourself, why are you being dumb? a unanimous decision. the u.n. security council slaps north korea with tough sanctions. a popular tourist area in san francisco was the target of an attack. and the dazzling light show over california. we'll tell you about it. live from our headquarters here in atlanta and all over the world. i'm george howell,