From Variety’s Inclusion Impact Report to Op-Eds published in the trades, industry panels to writers room presentations, The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau’s thought leadership moves the industry toward creating more nuanced and authentic presentations of Muslims on screen.
The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau will participate in the second annual Warner Bros. Discovery Access Bootcamp. We are honored to be among six other social justice organizations doing incredible work at the forefront of inclusion in the entertainment.
Meet the selected participants for the 2022 Early Career Bootcamp →
The Writer Pipeline Development Project, created by WarnerMedia and The Black List, aims to create a new industry pipeline for writers from historically excluded communities. The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau is proud to be a partner in this initiative that aims to support diverse creatives and nurture the storytellers of the future.
“It’s important that our showrunners have access to diverse storytellers and get to know them to identify exceptional talent and create pipelines so they may launch their careers and flourish.”
Sameer Gadhia
Young the Giant
Verna Myers
Netflix
Mohamed Diab
Moon Knight
Variety’s Inclusion Impact Report recognized us as a leader bringing inclusion to the fore in the industry. To influence diversity, you must create authenticity so that others can better understand, accept, and respect us. We want to help tell a better story.
Dr. Maurice A. Stinnett
Warner Music Group
Tina Perry
OWN
Jeanne Mau
NBCUniversal
Sue Obeidi
MPAC® Hollywood Bureau
Craig Robinson
NBCUniversal
We author Opinion Editorials to offer our thoughts, analysis, and expertise on subjects related to representation of Muslims and Islam in the entertainment industry. We have been published in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and TheWrap.
For interviews and comments, contact us.
Sue Obeidi of MPAC tells TheWrap the Oscar nominee’s posts are especially disheartening “coming from someone who is a member of another vulnerable community”.
This year’s Muslim House at Sundance will showcase Muslim filmmakers’ vibrant stories and serve as a safe harbor in an increasingly volatile world. It will provide space for dialogue, healing, and creativity at a time when we need it the most.
We live in a multicultural world, so let’s not forget that during the holidays. There are more opportunities for inclusion and new story ideas. Films and TV shows are finally acknowledging non-Christian holidays.
The Oscar contender ”perpetuates a harmful history“ of Orientalism, argue The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau’s Sue Obeidi and scholar Evelyn Alsultany in their article for The Wrap.
‘We Are Lady Parts’ Is “the Muslim Representation We Have Been Waiting For” (Guest Column)
The British punk-rock comedy, now streaming on Peacock, is "complicated, unconventional, shatters stereotypes – and is real," write Muslim advocates Sue Obeidi and Evelyn Alsultany.
With ‘The Mauritanian’ Snub, Oscars Missed an Opportunity to Spotlight Muslim Issues (Guest Blog)
”For Muslims, this omission is not a surprise. We have absorbed the shocks of stereotypes for decades,“ writes Muslim Public Affairs Council president Salam Al-Marayati.
As the nation heads into a new era with Biden and Harris, Hollywood should continue to bolster Muslims throughout the industry including bringing more stories and authentic portrayals to audiences.
There's the Bechdel Test that evaluates representations of women; the DuVernay Test on racial representations; the Russo Test on LGBTQIA+ representations; and the Riz Test on Muslim representations. Now we're proposing the Obeidi-Alsultany Test, which evaluates whether a TV or film project presents Muslim characters in dynamic, nuanced, and intersectional contexts.
Follow the lead of everyone’s favorite neighbor, Fred Rogers, to use “television for the broadcasting of grace” with these eight children’s series that respect the imagination, creativity, and intelligence of all children. Compiled by Martine McDonald of Practice Wonder and Sue Obeidi of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, this curated list highlights inclusive content that can have a positive impact on youth audiences while being fun and entertaining.
American Muslims are multidimensional, deep, funny, and complex all at the same time. Despite their different formats, shows like Hulu’s “Ramy” and Netflix’s “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj” share a common treatment of the American Muslim experience. Their Muslim identity is a part, but not all of who they are, which makes them both so relatable to wider audiences.
For every positive step forward, there is still another stereotype or trope to address, but at The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau we will continue to work to bring our community even beyond equity and inclusion to appreciation and respect. We congratulate all of this year’s nominees and look forward to a future that authentically includes us all.
Taking the 76th annual Golden Globes as a case in point, the current state of diversity and inclusion in the industry is not just a fleeting Hollywood moment, but an actual movement towards greater and more authentic representation.
Inclusion and authentic representation of our communities on screen have the unique power to shift the public’s negative view of Muslims for the better. To do so, they have to reach audiences that hold those views.
Anthony Bourdain used his platform to showcase regular people doing everyday things. Instead of telling their stories, he amplified their voices to tell their own, giving his audience an authentic glimpse into their daily lives.
With its newly committed funding to the entertainment industry, Saudi Arabia has an opportunity to help change the narrative around Muslims, righting some of the wrongs that it helped to perpetuate for so long.
Authentic representation opens people's minds to the realities of multidimensional communities. Television is the perfect platform to reflect the broad spectrum of Muslims to viewers in their own living rooms.
Telling the stories of ordinary Americans who happen to be Muslim will make what was once viewed as foreign familiar. It will create an environment of increased empathy and understanding - and it will still make great television.
Muslims in the business can take the lead in changing the perception of Islam and Muslims in America especially now as the Trump administration continues to marginalize our community.
More celebrities are speaking up to defend the American Muslim community. This increased support means acceptance, respect and inclusion and marks important progress in the journey to “normalizing” Muslim characters.
If Muslims want to see a better world for themselves and others, this is the industry we need to be contributing to. To change the narrative in Hollywood, we need to engage with the industry and bring our perspectives to the table.
We organize and participate in lively panel discussions to engage with and educate industry decision-makers, creative, and the Muslim talent pool on various topics that pertain to authentic, nuanced, and inclusive presentations of underserved communities on TV and film.
For speaking requests, contact us.
This enlightening discussion takes place in the wake of the writers and actors strike, exploring how the industry can embrace more diverse stories from emerging talent, including independent filmmakers. Our panelists will delve into strategies for crafting narratives that stand out in a highly competitive and saturated market, offering unique insights and practical tips to help your stories shine in an ever-changing landscape.
The panel will discuss Muslim representation in government, news, entertainment, and marketing, highlighting how media often misrepresents Muslim culture and values. Panelists will offer solutions for improving Muslim representation in mainstream media to counter negative stereotypes and enhance creative content.
This compelling fireside chat highlights the critical work of comedy for culture change. Comedians are social commentators who tackle serious societal issues with wit and courage. As hate and intolerance persist, this fireside chat brings influential comedians Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayid, the co-founders of the Arab American Comedy Festival, to highlight the U.S. Arab and Muslim experience. Their sharp insights will illustrate how humor can disarm audiences through relatable stories and be a formidable force against hate.
In an age inundated with mis/disinformation, documentaries emerge as compelling narratives that transcend the realm of mere entertainment. Through the artful combination of storytelling and visual representation, documentaries on Muslim narratives invite audiences to critically examine and question preconceived notions, fostering a deeper appreciation for the complexities inherent in the lives of individuals who identify with the Muslim faith. This panel will focus on the enriching tapestry of Muslim narratives within the documentary genre, delving into the profound significance of these films that provide a more comprehensive and nuanced portrayal of the shared human experience.
"Cancel culture" has emerged as a prominent and polarizing element within our democracy. This panel aims to delve into the multifaceted nature of cancel culture, investigating its effects on both individuals and society at large and exploring the far-reaching consequences of limiting free speech and expression. The panelists, representing diverse sectors of society, will provide valuable perspectives on how cancel culture is depicted and magnified across different mediums. They will share insights on the nuanced challenges of pursuing a just and free society while navigating within the constraints imposed by this phenomenon.
As the population of Muslims in America and the world grows so does anti-Muslim sentiment. Presented by the MPAC Hollywood Bureau and the Islamic Scholarship Fund, this SXSW 2023 panel of entertainment creatives discusses how TV, Film, Podcasts, and other mediums impact pop culture and help to dismantle disinformation about Muslims, and the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam.
At the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the MPAC Hollywood Bureau, alongside the Islamic Scholarship Fund, hosted the Muslim Cinematic Storytelling Panel – an open dialogue for Muslim filmmakers to share their experiences in the entertainment industry, and share their work with the audience. Featured panelists included Iman Zawahry, Aizzah Fatima, Nausheen Dadabhoy, and Imran J. Khan. Qasim Basir and Nida Manzoor, whose films "To Live and Die and Live" and "Polite Society," made their world premiere at the festival, also participated on the panel.
At the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the MPAC Hollywood Bureau hosted "Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion" – a discussion about the many pitfalls of diversity efforts for Muslims in the entertainment industry with Dr. Evelyn Alsultany, Razi Jafri, and Omar Noureldin.
Muslim producers, screenwriters, directors, and actors are proving that there is room not only for stories that defy stereotypes, but ones that reflect the messy, complex ways in which being Muslim converges with so many other parts of one’s identity. This conversation at the 2022 ATX Film Festival explores how Muslim storytellers in Hollywood are forging their way ahead in creating a much needed critical mass to change the tide so authentic and nuanced stories can rise to the top.
This conversation on how Muslim creatives can build and sustain film movements at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival was presented by The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau and the Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF) for the second annual Muslim House.
BIPOC creators joined the MPAC® Hollywood Bureau at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival for a conversation exploring how we harness intersectionality and use it as a superpower.
The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau and Afghan American Foundation present a conversation with Lorraine Ali and the writers, actors, and producers of CBS's prime-time comedy United States of Al.
The Writers Guild Foundation joined forces with The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau and Women in Animation for a discussion about how diversity is not only an integral part of storytelling, but essential, from the cast to the crew.
Director of The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau, Sue Obeidi and USC Dornsife College's Dr. Evelyn Alsultany discuss the Peacock Original We are Lady Parts with creator, director and writer Nida Manzoor.
A screening and discussion with the director, producer, and lead actor of the Oscar and BAFTA nominated short film “The Present”, the story of a father and his young daughter who set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift on their wedding anniversary.
MPAC in discussion with Mohamedou Ould Salahi and actors Jodie Foster and Tahar Rahim about The Mauritanian, the film based on Mohamedou’s memoir, Guantanamo Diary.
The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau and MACRO present a discussion on the impact and future of Black Muslim narratives, both on the page and on screen, to ensuring dynamic and authentic portrayals of the largest and first community of Muslims in America.
In partnership with Blackhouse, Latinx House, Illuminative, the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience, and MACRO, his multi-ethnic, multi-racial 2021 Sundance panel reflects the importance of intersectional unity and representation.
The MPAC® Hollywood Bureau and the WGAW Middle Eastern Writers Committee discuss the importance of increasing Middle Eastern representation in writers’ rooms and bolstering more accurate portrayals of Middle Eastern people in entertainment.
Change starts in small increments. Sponsored by Women in Film and the City of West Hollywood, hear from black Muslim women media makers and industry changers.
The creative forces behind NBC’s newest hit “Transplant” explore how the show approaches Muslim representation from a contemporary lens, the inspiration behind the series and the show’s portrayals of the struggles and triumphs of refugees.
Due to the Executive Order, we have recently seen many companies that have been banging the drums of the importance of DEI programs walk it back for fear of backlash from the administration. In the space where I work, Hollywood, DEI programs have been integral and provided critical support. The MPAC Hollywood Bureau has been able to engage these programs to give Muslim creatives opportunities they would otherwise not have.