Omar Shamshoon

I'm not sure how much credence to give to this story about Homer Simpson, I mean Omar Shamshoon and his family moving from Springfield, USA, to...er...Somewhereville, ME...that's Middle East.

Now apparently to make The Simpsons, I mean The Shamshoons a little more palatable to the nation of Islam, the producers of The Shamshoons have removed anything forbidden by the Koran, such as bacon, beer, and any other references that might be considered offensive.

Instead of chugging down Duff Beer like it's going out of fashion (which it is, the Koran forbids alcohol) Omar Shamshoon will guzzle down good old Arab Soda. Hot dogs will become Egyptian beef sausages, and donuts will become a popular Arab cookie called "kahk."

So, if Beer is verbotten, what about the Cheers-like scenes set in Moe's Tavern? Say goodbye to Moe's, because Somewhereville, ME has no place for it. Moe's has been written out of "The Shamshoons", along with any characters who are Jewish (Krusty the Clown), Hindu (Apu Nahasapeemapetilon) and Christian (Rev. Lovejoy and Flanders).

Man, and we thought we had it tough here with censorship.

So, has anyone else seen anything about this? Does the name of the new show "The Shamshoons" imply that this just might be a joke? After all, Matt Groening, The Simpson's creator, is famous for his sense of humor. Could this be a build-up to the Simpson's Annual Halloween Special?

Maybe the Wall Street Journal is in on the gag too.

If the story is legit, and it isn't just some huge publicity stunt, it's no surprise that The Shamshoons is not a hit in its highly edited "Islamic" form. I say the producers should have attempted to do a direct translation of The Simpsons and kept the series for what it is; a satirical show which takes a jab at everything that is wrong with American society. Now that kind of show is something the Nation of Islam would have appreciated.