Muslims are normal; I think it all comes down to plain ol’ curiosity. South Asian culture and countries have had a lot of attention in the news recently and more people, especially North Americans, are becoming curious.
Are Muslims are normal, according to Zaib Shaikh, who plays Amaar Rashid on CBC’s hit show Little Mosque on the Prairie, thinks that Canadian TV is definitely trying to satisfy that curiosity.
“I think Canadian television is working hard to reflect what Canadian diversity is all about, to represent all cultures. And it seems to be a current ‘fad’ that makes it fortunate for me to be in this industry right now – there is a curiosity about not only Middle Eastern culture but about South Asian culture as well.”
This is not to say that South Asians have not been on TV in the past, because they have, but we are starting to see them in roles that break away from the stereotypical convenience store clerk.
“[Stereotypes are] the easiest access to a foreign culture, but we got those in, say, the last decade or so,” says Shaikh. “Now we are starting to see more three-dimensional North American South Asian and Middle Eastern people.”
Little Mosque on the Prairie is a perfect example of the cultural progression of characters and taking advantage of the timing of social trends.
“I think Little Mosque came at a great time … when there was a lot of curiosity not only about the culture but of a certain religion, so that it was allowing people to see that Muslims are normal, that they have the same family dynamics that other religions have,” says Shaikh.
“The Muslim faith faces a lot of stereotypes and certain focused viewpoints, especially in North America, because of recent events. And I think Little Mosque took the curse off all that, or is taking the curse off … and people are saying ‘Oh yeah, he’s Muslim but he’s normal. He’s not going to try and blow us up.’”
Shaikh describes the shift in perception aptly: “I think the show is a microcosm of Canadian culture, of a Muslim culture interacting with a non-Muslim culture, but one that would be considered traditionally Canadian. But who knows that means anymore?”
Tags: Muslims, normal