MJ Hoopla
There are certain news cycles I try to avoid completely, either because they’re uninteresting (Paris Hilton) or boring (Bennifer) or just plain weird (Michael Jackson.) But the latest news from the Michael Jackson debacle caught my attention: First came the claims, then the denials, that Michael Jackson had joined the Nation of Islam. Now there are further reports that NOI is indeed involved with the gloved one, at least in providing security for him. What annoyed me about this round was the complete lack of contextualization. For example, this AP article has one line on the organization, and doesn’t make the rather important point that NOI members believe in a separate prophet/messiah, a belief that would be considered heretical in the Muslim world. One comes away from this article and others feeling that an accused child molester is protected by Muslims. But I suppose amalgamations are the name of the game when it comes to the Other.
