An Iranian-American Muslim fashion blogger was told during a segment on local Chicago’s WGN News’ morning show that she ‘does not sound American’ because of her views, on live television.
With the span of a five-minute interview, fashion author and blogger Hoda Katebi is laughed at for growing up in Oklahoma, asked what she thinks of Iran and nuclear weapons, and all before the University of Chicago graduate is told she doesn’t sound American by host Robin Baumgarten of WGN News.
Katebi is on the local morning show talking about bridging the gap between America and the Middle East through fashion and being an American hijab wearing Muslim.
She first talks about growing up in Oklahoma, after the hosts have a chuckle about her being from there.
Several cringe-inducing moments transpire during the five minute segment, including the fashion blogger fielding statements posed as a question about Iran and nuclear weapons
Katebi manages what quickly turns into a hostile interview with tact but it appears the anchors were not anticipating her responses
Katebi discusses being physically assaulted for wearing her hijab starting in the sixth grade in Oklahoma.
Katebi then has to field this question: ‘Let’s talk about nuclear weapons,’ to which she responds while laughing uncomfortably with, ‘Okay.’
Baumgarten’s co-anchor Larry Potash than says: ‘Some of our viewers say ”We can not trust Iran.”
To which the fashion blogger responds ‘I don’t think we can trust this country… I am a pacifist, I don’t believe in violence,’ and continues to articulately expand on a political point to which, as a fashion blogger, she was not expecting to address during the course of an interview on her book, Tehran Street Style, and her blog.
The interview, which aired live on January 31, was later written about by a Katebi on her blog Joo Joo Azad.
‘So hindsight is always 20/20, and I honestly should have just stopped him right there and questioned why he thought it was okay to make this ridiculous comment and pose it as a question…’ she wrote.
‘Nothing to do with what we are talking about and yet, I’m forced to take up a role as an expert on all things related to Iranian politics.
‘A position I know other POC/Muslims have found themselves in if they have ever been the token Muslim on a panel or interviewed about their work.
‘The title they gave me on the show was ‘fashion blogger,’ yet here I am being asked about nuclear weapons. Would they ever bring on a white chef to their show and then ask him about Brexit or his thoughts on the rise of white supremacy?’ Katebi questioned.
They gave me the title ‘fashion blogger’ but asked me about ‘Iran and nuclear weapons’
Katebi was on WGN to discuss her blog Joo Joo Azad and her book ‘Tehran Street Style’
After she responds to the question, as she says being the ‘token Muslim’ on the show, Baumgarten throws this at her: ‘You do not sound American.’
‘What an incredibly loaded statement to say to a visibly Muslim woman on live TV, pushing every stereotype of ‘other’, ‘foreign’, and ‘incompatible with America’ that Muslims are so systematically characterized as–and therefore used as justification to commit violence against, both here and abroad.’
‘If a white person said the same things as I did I guarantee you their ‘American-ness’ would not have been questioned.’
According to Katebi, the interview was never posted on WGN’s website and they refused to give her access to the clip.