‘The Secret Life of Muslims:’ Reza Aslan and Iqbal Theba Sound Off on Hollywood’s Portrayal of Muslims — Watch
Vox has released the new episode of its nonfiction web series “The Secret Life of Muslims,” titled “Dear Hollywood: stop portraying Muslims as terrorists.” In the new installment, Iranian-American author and commentator Reza Aslan, “Glee” actor Iqbal Theba and other prominent Muslims sound off on the problems of Hollywood’s portrayal of the group.
“I loved the 1980s, when Chuck Norris used to kill swaths of my people with a machine-gun in some brown bouillabaisse of a country. It was awesome to watch,” says reporter Wajahat Ali at the beginning of the clip. This new episode also features comedian Omar Regan, who claims that “Muslims are always terrorists!” on the big screen.
Comedian Maz Jobrani, author of “I’m Not a Terrorist, but I’ve Played One on TV,” says how much he “would love to see a Muslim character who saves the day.” Comedians Negin Farsad, Zahra Noorbakhsh and Aman Ali, activist Linda Sarsour, author Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, and journalist Dena Takruri are also featured on the new episode.
Produced by Vox and USA Today and directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Joshua Seftel, “The Secret Life of Muslims” series uses humor to overturn stereotypes and portrays prominent Muslims to provide a “counter-narrative to the rampant Islamophobia prevalent in the media.” The series is very relevant these days, given the current political climate following President Trump’s banning Syrian refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
“The Secret Life of Muslims” was created by Seftel and indie filmmaker Brittany Huckabee. Seftel and Aslan serve as executive producers. Watch the new episode below.
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