EP 28 – Muslims in Hollywood

In this episode of Matcha Talk, Samar begins by sharing a trailer with a hijab character and the discussion on Muslims in Hollywood flows from there:

• What is representation and should we seek it
• Samia shares her friend’s Islamophobic movie recommendation
• Unapologetically Muslim celebrities 
• Debate whether a Muslim and Hollywood even mix together
• Hypocrisy seeking diversity on screen while shunning it off screen

Basic Breakdown

Samar and Samia begin by sharing a comment caffeine which included a beautiful dua. They were thankful for the Matcha Talk podcast serving its purpose.

Samia reminds the YouTube viewers that this video podcast is also available as an audio in case you can only listen and not watch.

Samar begins the matcha talk by sharing a trailer with a muslim woman side character who is supporting a friend who wanted to be a drag queen. She was being a friend accepting him and that was her role. She says that it was refreshing to see a positive view on Muslim about a topic that not all Muslims can stand behind.

Samia talks about how the representation of Muslim has changed over the years within the past 20 years. A Bruce Lee documentary discussed how he had so much difficulty coming into the movie scene because they wanted to portray the eastern asians to always be into Martial Arts and he mentioned how that is not how he wanted to come onto the movie screen.

It is complicated to have representation because in essence, the movies are problematic and it is a question whether we should be even be looking for it or not.

Samia shares a story about a christian friend who invited her to watch this movie on Netflix which was definitely a movie about Muslims. It was a very problematic movie which was about a Syrian lady who was not practicing but then begins practicing and then starts to get too “extreme.” She doesn’t get support from her husband and she begins to get more and more extreme. Eventually she ends up going to Syria and marrying a husband, has a child, husband dies…. this was an awkward conversation with a friend. This problematic representation for so long is the norm where a brown person in movie is going to either be a white savior movie or an evil representation.

They both discussed the unapologetic, proud representation of ethnicity in Black Panther. Also, Muhammad Ali’s Muslim identity where he did not hide from who he is.

Samar mentions the interview where they would ask him questions about Islam and he would clearly talk about it without any shame, and give dawwah at the same time.

Samia mentions Khabib who Samar claims to not know. And then Samia mentions that he is an MMA fighter and Samar catches on. He is our current unapologetic Muslim celebrity who is breaking the stereotype of an oppressed, sad image of Muslims that we see commonly on social media. It is nice to see a proud, happy, doing-his-thing Muslim.

Samia mentions that she started the Sunnah Living blog where she wanted to show people that Muslim people are normal. Slowly, that shifted into questioning why she has to qualify her existence on social media. It is demeaning to the self before anything because Samia just wants to BE muslim on social media.

Samar mentions how beautiful representation is to see yourself – someone looks like you – on the screen.

Samia mentions that as individuals we should not be seeking validation from outside. Even if we don’t see the positive representation that we are craving, we should not be shaken.

They both talk about openly Muslim actors on the big screen. Samia shares her disappointment with “The Big Sick” because the main actor does not appreciate his Muslim identity.

They both begin a debate whether it is even dignified for a Muslim to be on movies. Is it even possible to be a practicing Muslim to be in Hollywood? Samia says that it isn’t possible, and Samar completely disagrees. Samar says that poetry and plays are fine therefore movies are fine. Samia completely disagrees.

Proud Muslim moment in the movies/dramas is almost nonexistent in the west, but do not overlook other movie industries like Ertugrul and some Pakistani dramas. Samia shares how the Pakistani dramas annoy her and Samar mentions that there are some very good Pakistani dramas.

Samar mentions that it is a shame that in such a melting pot of a culture in the US, that isn’t a proud representation of Minorities that is in the norm.

Samia mentions that pride in movies/tv shows only comes from when the minorities are accepting the “western values” which is unfortunate.

This Matcha Talk episodes closes with the conversation that as eager as we are to have representation in the Hollywood, we need to not be hypocrites and have racism existing in our communities. We need to be who we want others to be.