A clip released by Sesame Street on Thursday, April 16, showed Elmo with Egyptian-American actor, comedian, producer, director, and Golden Globe winner Ramy Youssef to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month.
The 41-second video showed Youssef teaching Elmo the Arabic words "salamu alaykum" and "habibi."
Addressing the camera, Youssef said:
"Salamu Alaykum, everyone. I'm Ramy Youssef."
Elmo then said:
"Oh, and Elmo's Elmo!"
Then, turning to Youssef, Elmo asked:
"Mr. Ramy, what does salamu alaykum mean?"
Youssef replied:
"Well, salam means peace, and it's a way to say hello in Arabic."
After learning the meaning of the phrase, Elmo told everyone salamu alaykum before Youssef said they were together to wish everyone a happy Arab American Heritage Month.
Youssef then referred to Elmo as habibi.
Elmo asked:
"What's habibi?"
Youssef explained:
"...it's an Arabic word for a special friend."
The clip was posted across the program's social media with the caption:
"The word of the day is HABIBI! Happy #ArabAmericanHeritageMonth from Ramy Youssef, Elmo, and all of your friends on Sesame Street!"
And while many fans chimed in with message of support and celebration...
@msrachelforlittles/Instagram
@zararahim/Instagram
@ahmadhalloun/Instagram
@rod27684/Instagram
@ronys.mind/Instagram
...self-identified MAGA patriots—Islamaphobic bigots—came out in force in the comments on X.
Even though Muslim and Arab aren't synonymous.
@SamuelZHamilton/X
@usaupgrade/X
Arab is considered an ethnicity like Hispanic, not a race nor a religion.
The term Arab defines a cultural, linguistic, and ancestral identity shared by people from the Arab world—22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. While Arabs share language and history, they are not a monolithic racial nor religious group.
Not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are Arab.
Perhaps if the people commenting with hate on Sesame Street's post paid attention during Arab American Heritage Month, they wouldn't be so ignorant.
@thekalenallen/Threads
U.S. Mint
