USA: Stand-up comedians Dean Obeidallah and Negin Farsad use humour to tackle Islamophobia in a new documentary titled "The Muslims are Coming" that pokes fun at intolerance

Record ID: 438719

  • Title: USA: Stand-up comedians Dean Obeidallah and Negin Farsad use humour to tackle Islamophobia in a new documentary titled "The Muslims are Coming" that pokes fun at intolerance
  • Date: 6th June 2012
  • Summary: CLIPS OF DEAN OBEIDALLAH PERFORMING ON-STAGE AT THE BROADWAY COMEDY CLUB AUDIENCE LAUGHING
  • Embargoed: 21st June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA1V727JFQZNHQHY4C4AR82IH65
  • Story Text: Get ready America, "The Muslims Are Coming," and if these film makers have their way, you'll want to know more about them.
    Stand up comics Dean Obeidallah and Negin Farsad are hoping their new film can help break down the prejudices and stereotypes that have plagued Muslims in America.
    Tired of what they saw is an increasing sense of Islamophobia, the two decided to do something about it.
    They set out on a road trip across America and performed stand up comedy routines that poked fun at Islam and their own cultures.
    "Well the whole goal was to go out and try to reach people beyond our community. So we did all these free shows. We didn't charge a penny for tickets. We went to the deep south like Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama and we went to the west like Utah, Arizona and Idaho…and our goal was really to connect with Americans as our fellow Americans who just happen to be a different faith, and use comedy as the bridge to bring us together. I think comedy is a great vehicle to use. It's disarming. People have a good time. We are not preaching at the shows. We're not trying to convert anyone to Islam at the shows. We're just trying to have fun together and they learn a little bit about Muslims in a way they haven't seen on American television frankly," Obeidallah explained.
    The New Jersey native was formerly a practicing lawyer. His father is a Palestinian Muslim and his mother is a Sicilian Catholic. He said he never saw a conflict between the two, but in recent years noticed a distinct shift in societal attitudes toward Islam. While he considers himself a comic first, he said activism is something he is proud to be doing.
    While on the road, the duo taped their experiences at each stop. They held public forums where people could "Ask a Muslim" a question and recruited strangers to attend their shows.
    They hoped to break down boundaries in communities where people may have never actually encountered a Muslim person before. For the most part, the response was positive. However, there were critics who denounced the project and even sent threatening messages to the comedians.
    "We get angry comments on the YouTube comments, right there, you'll see a lot of people who don't like Muslims will say the worst things or Twitter, I get it all the time. I'm fighting with people daily on Twitter about Islam, about Muslims. There are angry people but what we found from our tours is that frankly most Americans are tolerant open-minded people. I think that's not shocking, that's something though that people need to hear because they only see the angry people."
    It wasn't just the public support that the comedians found encouraging. Farsad, a Muslim of Iranian descent, noted that it was remarkable that cultural icons volunteered to be in the film and share their opinions about Muslims.
    "To have Jon Stewart talk about Muslims to us on-camera and Janeane Garofalo and Rachel Maddow and Lewis Black and David Cross. To have these people do that … I didn't think it was possible and it's incredibly heartwarming because we have so many more allies than we realized that we have. And I think they are a really big symbol of that."
    Farsad tells jokes about sex and body parts and pokes fun at her immigrant family. She said those are things that in America are universally funny and that she hopes all viewers can relate to.
    "I want them to walk away from this movie feeling like, 'dude, if those are Muslims then sign me up.' You know what I mean? ... I don't know if that's a delusional goal or delusional expectation, but that's what I really hope happens."
    While they realize that one film isn't enough to create social change on its own, they hope to be part of the process and change the minds of Americans.
    "I think things have gotten worse but I'm still optimistic. It will pass there's no doubt, this is America, these things do pass. I think it will take a concerted effort, not just from people inside our community but from people outside our community. And I'll tell you the Ground Zero mosque caused us to have alliances with Jewish and Christian groups that we did not have before. So there is a silver lining to that. And now you have more people standing with us against the haters. And that's the message. So Americans see that," Obeidallah said.
    The co-producers and directors have raised enough funds to complete "The Muslims Are Coming" and are currently in post-production. While they do not yet have a distribution plan in place, they have had interest from several television networks and are also planning to bring the documentary to film festivals next year.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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