Friday, September 17, 2021
Actor Riz Ahmed on increasing Muslim representation in Hollywood
PBS NewsHour: Riz Ahmed's acting and music careers have always gone hand-in-hand. And in his new film "Mogul Mowgli," which he co-wrote, the two art forms collide, with a story that hits close to home. Amna Nawaz speaks to Ahmed about his upcoming films, increasing Muslim representation in Hollywood and 9/11’s lasting impact on Muslims 20 years later.
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I’ve noticed a lot of different articles being written, not all on this blog, about Muslims working in any industry 20 years after 9/11. It’s shocking, but at the same time sadly, not surprising, that Muslims around the world are still facing such terrible prejudice after the tragedy in 2001 (that wasn't even their fault might I add). I think it’s amazing that there are actual efforts being taken to increase Muslin representation in the TV and Film industry. What really stood out to me was when Ahmed said in his interview, “None of us is getting to the finish line. We’re all just running a relay race. We’re all just doing a stretch of the race and we just pass the baton forwards.” Listening to Ahmed describe how he viewed the progress being made in terms of representation moved me. As a woman of color, I often feel like not enough change is taking place. It does help a little to remember that we are making change. We may not be the ones who save the world for the next generation, but we are making a little bit easier for them.
Riz Ahmed’s work to increase Muslim representation in Hollywood is a really intimate look into how personal cultural representation can be. Ahmed’s recent film looked into the struggles that a Muslim Pakistani man lives with every day. Because the work is so intertwined with Ahmed’s lived experience, you can see how much interviews about it affect him and how important it is that he gets it “right”. The struggle for representation is a really intense one because in order to get authentic representation, it has to be kind of personal. Because certain groups are underrepresented in media, when they are given a chance to shine the work can be draining due to the nature of a high pressure situation with very personal stakes. I hope the market changes soon, but it’s reassuring to see people like Ahmed braving that landscape. What really needs to happen is an increase in interest for stories like his, so I think I’m going to watch his film and try to intake more diverse stories.
It’s disappointing but not surprising to hear that Ahmed is the first Muslim person to ever be nominated for the Oscar for best actor. Ever since 9/11, this wave of material from American Sniper to The Hurt Locker has pigeonholed the nearly 2 billion Muslims around the world into a racist stereotype of the violent terrorist or the abused and oppressed wife. This is why we talk about representation on screen not being a good enough standard. You need Muslims behind the camera and in the writers’ room. Obviously, for a historical movie about terrorism, you are going to want to have actors from predominately Muslim countries play the terrorists, but it’s a shame that these are the stories about Muslim people Hollywood is willing to tell. No one would extrapolate all white Christians as violent thugs, despite the fact they commit almost all domestic terrorism, and it’s about time all people are afforded the opportunity to appear as complex and nuanced individuals without having to represent their entire religion.
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