In America, all religions are equal. Some are just more equal than others.

The religious fervor of constantly genuflecting Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is getting a lot of press and airtime these days.
The devoutly evangelical Christian explains his on-field praying, "If you believe, unbelievable things can happen," with an aw shucks this ain't about me humility.
What's not to love? The media has certainly eaten it up with coverage in the mainstream press, web and television almost universally laudatory aside from the ineffective nod to balanced coverage. Even the Boston Globe, in a story that aimed to be neutral, but didn't hit the mark, can't help but beam at the all-American boy.
In the article Tuesday headlined "Hail Mary passer: Broncos' Tebow is all the rage, whether it's his playing style or spiritual belief," the newspaper gives lip service to opposing views, while most of the lengthy feature is given over to a variety of people explaining why Tebow does what he does and why it's ok.
And New England Cable News led into its glowing piece this morning with the intro that Tebow is "winning hearts and minds" with his behavior.
Both reports had the obligatory religion professor asking "what if he were a Muslim?"
But the coverage from both reports, like most others, then slid fully into pure Tebow love. NECN spent the last minutes of the report having a young female Tebow-obsessed fan showing the reporter how to genuflect Tebow-style.
Sure the Muslim question gets asked. But the issue with it is that in every single media report it's rhetorical.
It's asked, then the story moves on.
No one asks that question of all the people who righteously, defiantly -- and correctly -- point out that Tebow has the right to practice his Christianity on the field. No one says to them, "OK, he as a Christian has the right, but how would YOU FEEL ABOUT IT if he were Muslim?"
And so the moment passes.
But what if he were?
Farther back in the newspapers -- for instance, on the business page of that day's Globe -- buried on the websites and not evident almost anywhere on television, is the increasingly succesful effort of a group called the Florida Family Association to get sponsors to pull out of the TLC reality show "All-American Muslim."
The most notable sponsors to leave the show are Lowe's, whose reason is that the show is a "lightning rod" for controversy. Kayak.com, a travel website, also pulled out, explaining this week that it's not because the show's about Muslims, but it's because it "sucks."
As far as reality shows go, "All American Muslim" IS a little bland. No sex, no bling. Just regular Americans getting through the day and life in Dearborn, Mich. Recent episodes dealt with the high school football team's big loss to Central Catholic in the season-opening game, hampered by the fact many of the players were fasting because of Ramadan; a character's post-partum depression; another's desire to open a nightclub despite the disapproval of her conservative mother; and a soon-to-be married couple's conflict over whether the man's aging dog can live with them in their new house.
The show also includes the characters sitting in a group, discussing their beliefs and explaining why, for instance, women live at home until they're married or why Muslims generally don't like having a dog in the house.
In other words, it's a show about regular people who are anywhere from devoutly religious to not very religious at all living their lives.
One thing that's ironic, given that the Florida Family Association is fighting to get the show off the air, is that the obvious theme running through every episode is family love and devotion.
Kayak sponsors a lot of shows. Some are much better than "All American Muslim" and some certainly are worse. Is whether a show "sucks" really that company's standard for sponsorship?
The show that features the football game against Central Catholic has a Central Catholic player saying after the game that his team respects the team they just beat and religious beliefs have nothing to do with the game or how his team feels. "Everyone's a football player on this field."
Lightning rod, indeed.

Lowes and Kayak are businesses. They exist to make money. And they've determined that in America, more customers will be behind religious intolerance than equality and religious enlightenment.
So, what if Tim Tebow were a Muslim?