I grew up in Dearborn, so I was excited to watch this episode- especially because I think Morgan Spurlock is an excellent documentarian.
Dearborn truly is unlike any other town I have experienced because of its cultural makeup. I would like to think that most residents view this as a good thing. Granted, while the addition of a large Arabic population to a formerly VERY anglo-white community has presented challenges and tensions at times, it is a town that has learned not only to tolerate other cultures, but to embrace them. I think this in part is due to how amazing arabic (specifically Lebanese) food is! haha
One thing that I would have liked to see shown in this episode is how Dearborn is an example of East meets West. The subject said several times that he may as well be in the Middle East as in the US. If one were to visit Dearborn, they would see that it truly is a meshing of cultures. The garb he wore was certainly not commonplace when I lived there, and though Hijabs are common, not every Muslim woman wears one. As I understand it, it is a personal choice based on several factors- spiritually, and culturally, and really you stop noticing them. In Dearborn, the East side of town, or the old downtown does have a dense number of arab owned businesses (and many signs in Arabic,) but this is not just a dollop of the Middle east plopped down in Metro Detroit.
I am a non-muslim, and a feminist, and I have very positive memories of being educated on Arabic, Muslim and Chaldean culture. If anything, I feel very lucky to have grown up in a place that encouraged me to think about the world outside of my own little sphere. It makes me sad that so many wonderful, family oriented, hard working, and enjoyable people are made to feel like outsiders in their own country. It's not an issue of people failing to assimilate. This is an issue of religious freedoms, and respecting what makes individuals special.
In the episode, many people discussed fear when they responded to arabic images, or sounds. I am so thankful that I don't have these same fears, because I know that Islam does not equal terror. Once this guy got past his fear of the unknown, he could open his ears to new ideas and open his eyes to humanity.
I recently heard a speech given by a community role model who also happened to be a Muslim mother. She shared how her young son had asked for the first time about 9/11. She couldn't figure out how to explain that these terrorists "claimed" to be Muslim and had hurt so many people. It was as if she didn't want him to know that strangers might associate him with these extremists, simply because he was Arab and Muslim. Imagine being 6 or 7 and already have that working against you.
Overall, if people are curious, I would encourage you to learn more about Dearborn, and Muslim culture in general. Also, just as you can't judge all members of a religion based on a few terrorists, you can't judge all of Muslim Dearborn based on a one hour depiction. I certainly can't as one person, represent all of non-Muslim Dearbornites, but I can say that growing up there, and being a part of a diverse environment made me a better person, and one not living in fear.