A MUSLIM AMERICAN JOURNALIST WILL BE APPEARING IN THE
PLAYBOY MAGAZINE OCTOBER ISSUE.
SHE APPEARS IN THE
ISSUE CLAD IN
JUST BLUE JEANS.
THERE WAS A TWEET THAT SHE SENT OUT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE
ARE CELEBRATING THIS.
BUT SHE HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF FLAK ONLINE
ESPECIALLY TWITTER.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE GONE AS FAR AS TO QUESTION IF SHE
CAN TRULY CALL YOURSELF A MUSLIM BECAUSE SHE IS POSING IN PLAYBOY.
TO
ME, I THINK THIS IS FINE.
PLAYBOY
HAS ABSOLUTELY REBRANDED.
BUT WHAT YOU GUYS THINK?
>> GRACE BALDRIDGE IS THE EMINENT SCHOLAR ON ISLAM IN AMERICA.
IF SHE
SAYS IT IS OKAY, THEN IT MUST BE.
FIRST ON THE ISSUE OF RELIGION,
THERE IS A WIDE RANGE OF PRACTICE IN
EVERY RELIGION.
THERE ARE NUNS WHO ARE THE MOST LIBERAL PEOPLE ON
EARTH.
THEY THINK THAT IF YOU ARE IN FAVOR OF EXECUTING PEOPLE AND ARE
FOR THE DEATH PENALTY, YOU ARE NOT A REAL CHRISTIAN.
THEN THERE ARE
PEOPLE THERE SUPER RIGHT WING THAT THINK THAT IF YOU ARE NOT FOR
ABSTINENCE YOU ARE NOT A REAL
CHRISTIAN.
THERE ARE GIANT RANGES OF CHRISTIANS.
INISLAM THERE ARE
JOINT RANGES OF MUSLIMS.
I KNOW YOU DON'T SEE A LOT OF IN THE NEWS SO
YOU THINK IT DOESN'T EXIST.
OF COURSE THERE IS A
HUGE RANGE.
THE
VERY CONSERVATIVE MUSLIMS ARE OFTEN
IN THE NEWS UNFORTUNATELY.
IN HER CASE, THIS IS A CRAZY STORY.
PLAYBOY
DOESN'T SHOW NUDE PICTURES ANYMORE, SO WHAT IS UP WITH THIS?
I AM TOTALLY AGAINST US.
>> IT IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE.
>> HAVE TO KEEP IT REAL, SHE IS SUPER HOT.
SHE KIND OF LOOKS LIKE KIM KARDASHIAN A LITTLE BIT.
>>I THINK SHE IS STUNNING.
GRACE, YOU HAD A PLAYBOY SUBSCRIPTION?
>>DON'T MAKE IT WEIRD.
NO, I DIDN'T.
>>BUT YOU READ IT FOR THE ARTICLES?
>>YES.
THAT'S KIND OF HOW THEY HAVE NOW.
>> PLAYBOY STARTED SUCKING YEARS AGO.
I THINK SHE IS BRAVE BECAUSE I
HAVE A LOT OF PERSIAN FRIENDS.
I WANTED TO GET THEIR TAKE ON IT.
THE
WHOLE HEADDRESS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN
THE RELIGION AND A LOT OF THEM FELT THAT IT WAS FANTASTIC THAT SHE IS
GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN.
ESPECIALLY IN LOS ANGELES, THE REPUTATION THESE
FAMILIES HOLD TO HOLD THEIR MUSLIM
BACKGROUND ñ
AND SHE IS IN PLAYBOY, IT'S NOT LIKE SHE IS A NEWSWEEK OR USA TODAY.
>>SHE IS A JOURNALIST.
>> BUT PLAYBOY IS A HISTORICALLY A ANNUITY MAG, SO SHE'S SUBJECTING
HERSELF TO SO MUCH.
I WOULD SAY DANGER.
PEOPLE CAN BE VERY FUNDED BY THIS AND SAY LET'S TAKE HER OUT.
>>THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF HATEFUL COMMENTS THROWN HER WAY.
DO YOU
THINK THIS IS A GOOD STEP TOWARDS
MUSLIMS IN AMERICA?
DO YOU THINK THIS IS A VISIBILITY IN THE MUSLIM
COMMUNITY?
THE WORD THAT IS COMING TO MIND IS BEING SHAFTED BY DONALD TRUMP.
DO YOU THINK THIS HELPS SOMEONE HURTS THEM?
>> IF WE SAW THAT IN PLAYBOY THAT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT STORY.
>>I WALKED MYSELF INTO THAT ONE.
>> I THINK IT'S GREAT UNTIL SOMEONE SCREWS IT UP.
GETS PEOPLE TO SAY
ALL, THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSLIMS.
CULTURALLY, THERE ARE A LOT
OF IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES THAT ARE
MORE CONSERVATIVE.
ANA AND I HAVE HAD THIS CONVERSATION.
TURKISH AND
ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES ARE MORE
CONSERVATIVE.
ONE IS CHRISTIAN, ONE IS MUSLIM, BUT THERE WAS
CONSERVATIVE.
THEY WOULD FLIP OUT NO MATTER WHAT THE RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND
IS DOT IN THE CASE OF ISLAM, THERE
ARE FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIMS WHO ARE OVER-THE-TOP, THEY WILL THREATEN
YOU.
I HAVE GONE VERY MANY THREATS,
SOME ARE SPECIFIC.
THAT IS REAL AS WELL.
IT IS BRAVE AND FITS INTO THE
THEME THEY ARE DOING.
I WISH IT WASN'T BRAVE, I WISH IT WAS NORMAL.
THAT PART OF ISLAM ALSO EXISTS.
I LOVE THAT SHE IS DOING IT.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT IT MATTERS THAT PLAYBOY IS A HISTORICALLY
NUDITY MAGAZINE EVEN THOUGH IT HAS REBRANDED?
>>YEAH.
>> TO ME, THAT WAS MY GUT CHECK.
EVERYONE IS NOW WELL AWARE, I READ
PLAYBOY.
AND I LIKE THE REBRAND AND THE ARTICLES THEY HAVE.
I THINK THEY
WILL DO A GOOD JOB ON THIS.
I THINK WE CAN'T HOLD PLAYBOY TO THE SAME
STANDARD THAT WE USE TO WHEN IT WAS JUST THE PAM ANDERSON OF MY YOUTH.
>> YOU ARE SMART, GRACE.
YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE THE REBRANDING FOR WHAT
IT IS BECAUSE YOU ARE A SMART
PERSON.
MOST PEOPLE CAN'T GET PAST OF THE FACT THAT THERE WERE BOOBS
AND A LOT OF RISQU…
IMAGES ON
PLAYBOY IN THE PAST.
I THINK THAT IS THE BIGGER ISSUE AS WELL.
>> I WAS LAUGHING BECAUSE I WAS IMAGINING ALL THE OTHER MAGAZINES
REBRANDING.
I JUST THINK HOW IS JUGGS GOING TO REBRAND?
>>THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT.
>>PENTHOUSE.
>>PENTHOUSE, AT LEAST YOU HAVE A SHOT THERE.
>>NEXT THERE WILL BE BREAKING NEWS FROM JUGS.