Excerpt:
Experts are eager for Muslim characters to be portrayed in ways that have nothing to do with terrorism — and in more progressive storylines than on this week's episode of "Roseanne."
Tuesday's episode centers on Roseanne Barr's character spouting irrational fears that her new Muslim neighbors are terrorists, until she actually meets them and realizes they're good people.
The show aims to shoot down nasty stereotypes about Muslims by teaching the character a lesson about her ignorance, but Muniba Saleem, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan's Dept. of Communication Studies, sees a better way to change the way Muslim characters are depicted.
"It's high time that we represent Muslims in different storylines with different themes beyond terrorism," says Saleem, whose focus is on how representations in media impact people's attitudes.