NEW DIGITAL SERIES “THE SECRET LIFE OF MUSLIMS” CONFRONTS ISLAMOPHOBIA USING HUMOR AND EMPATHY IN “POST-ELECTION” AMERICA
Emmy-winning filmmaker Joshua Seftel, who is Jewish, heads multi-faith team to create series
In the wake of the election, The Secret Life of Muslims is a new digital series that uses humor and empathy to confront Islamophobia. The series was created by Executive Producer Joshua Seftel, an Emmy-winning filmmaker (War, Inc., Queer Eye, This American Life), who is joined by Executive Producer Reza Aslan, NYTimes bestselling author and frequent commentator on CNN, NPR, Meet the Press, and The Daily Show.
Each week, through February 2017, a new episode will launch and can be viewed on the Vox Facebook, SLOM Facebook, Vox YouTube pages, CBS Sunday Morning,and on the USA TODAY Network. The first four episodes are now available: What is a Muslim?, Khalid Latif: Saluted in uniform, harassed as a civilian, Rais Bhuiyan: This Muslim American Fought to Save his Attacker’s Life, and Ahmed Ahmed: An American Muslim comedian on being typecast as a terrorist with 10 more to follow.
“After such a divisive election, we need to come together and start telling stories that add truth and nuance to what was stoked on the campaign trail,” says Executive Producer Joshua Seftel. Seftel, a Jew, assembled a team of Muslims, Christians, Jews, Atheists, and others to create films that confront Islamophobia through the words of Muslim Americans. “As a boy, I faced anti-Semitism growing up Jewish in Upstate New York and that stayed with me. It's deeply upsetting to see the kind of anti-Muslim discrimination that’s happening right now in the U.S., so if we can help create understanding in some small way, that would be a great step.”
With the support of the Ford Foundation/JustFilms, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, The New York Community Trust, Pillars Fund, and an advisory board that includes bestselling author Dave Eggers and executive producer Howard Gordon (24, Homeland), the series has brought together a unique coalition, determined to uproot Islamophobia in America.
The series features actor and comedian Ahmed Ahmed, NYPD Chaplain ImamKhalid Latif, World Without Hate founder Rais Bhuiyan, Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York Linda Sarsour, ‘MIPSTERZ’ Video co-creator Layla Shaikley, founder and editor of MuslimGirl Amani Al-Khatahtbeh,AJ+ correspondent Dena Takruri, NYTimes bestselling author Reza Aslan, USOlympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, ‘Ask a Muslim’ creators Mona Haydar and Sebastian Robins, award-winning writer and journalist Wajahat Ali, stand-up comedian and storyteller Aman Ali, comedian and co-host of the GoodMuslimBadMuslim podcast Zahra Noorbakhsh, actor and comedian Maz Jobrani, actor and comedian Omar Regan, Glee co-star Iqbal Theba, and writer / actress Negin Farsad.
The videos in this series are distributed by VOX and The USA TODAY Network and audio versions of the profiles will be heard on PRI’s The World. Vox released the inaugural episode on November 2nd.
About the Series: There are 1.7 billion Muslims in the world. 3.3 million of them live in the United States. “The Secret Life of Muslims,” produced by Brooklyn-based Seftel Productions, is a new series that tells some of their stories. Fifteen years after 9/11, American Muslims still face an uphill battle in the national imagination. The current political climate, spurred on by constant fear mongering during this election cycle, and the saturation of negative stereotypes that flood the news media, continue to make Muslims the target of suspicion and hostility. From the producers of the emmy-nominated NOVA web-series The Secret Life of Scientists, this first-person series will use humor and empathy to subvert stereotypes and reveal the truth about American Muslims: fascinating careers, unexpected talents, and inspiring accomplishments, providing a counter-narrative to the rampant Islamophobia prevalent in the media.
About Joshua Seftel (Executive Producer): Seftel began his career at 22 with Lost and Found, the Emmy-nominated documentary film about Romania’s orphaned and abandoned children. He followed this with several acclaimed independent films, including Taking on the Kennedys (one of TIME's “ten best of the year”), The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano (Tribeca 2015), and It’s the Hard Knock Life (PBS), which the New York Times called “delightful.” He also directed the feature film War Inc., starring John Cusack, Ben Kingsley, Joan Cusack, and Marisa Tomei, and the Emmy-winning TV series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He has been a contributor to This American Life, and his commentaries have appeared on NPR, Salon.com, and CBS Sunday Morning.
About Reza Aslan (Executive Producer): Aslan is a best-selling author (Zealot, No god But God), commentator, professor, and producer for The Leftovers (HBO), Of Kings and Prophets (ABC), Rough Draft (Ovation), and his upcoming spiritual adventure series Believer (CNN). Aslan has appeared as an expert voice on Islam and the Middle East on NPR, Meet the Press, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Real Time with Bill Maher, CNN, and Fox News.
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