Zarqa Nawaz is going through a bit of a rebirth. It's been roughly decade since the end of her hit show 'Little Mosque on the Prairie'. Recently, Zarqa got into stand-up comedy, she's about to star in the web series ZARQA, and she is on the verge of releasing her first novel, 'Jameela Green Ruins Everything', a dark comedy about American intervention in the Middle East.

Zarqa talks about using comedy to address uncomfortable or taboo topics, from dating and divorce in Muslim culture, to the rise of ISIS. She also discusses how she has dealt with backlash from her community and what it's like to step out from behind the camera.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, click here for show notes, biographies, and additional resources relating to this conversation. 

This Being Human is generously supported by The Aga Khan Museum. For more on the Museum, please visit https://agakhanmuseum.org/

Additional resources:

• ZARQA official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP9NVAZUdHA
• Zarqa’s website: https://zarqanawaz.com/
• Zarqa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealzarqa/?hl=en
• Jameela Green Ruins Everything: https://zarqanawaz.com/books/jameela-green-ruins-everything/

More on Little Mosque on the Prairie:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/little-mosque-on-the-prairie

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In this bonus episode, we share rapid-fire Q&As with food writer Anissa Helou, photographer Tasneem Alsultan, performance artist Wafaa Balal and women’s rights advocate Dr. Alaa Murabit.

Thanks for listening to This Being Human. Stay tuned for Season 2.

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Hamid Dabashi calls himself “the first Muslim intellectual.” He is the author of more than twenty books, a consultant on major Hollywood films, a curator and juror of film festivals, and a professor of Iranian Studies and comparative literature at Columbia University.

He talks about how an early love of Indian musicals, his mother’s poetry and travelling storytellers led him towards a life of writing and criticism. And he reflects on his friendship with renowned cultural critic Edward Said.

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Roni Helou is a rising star from Lebanon’s fashion scene. The young designer talks about making fashion with a message, why he staged a photoshoot on a mountain of garbage, and surviving the explosion that devastated Beirut in 2020.

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Misha Euceph is the host of the podcast Tell Them, I Am and CEO of Dustlight Productions. Tell Them, I Am features major Muslim celebrities telling stories of little moments that changed their lives.

She talks about her rise to podcast fame, her struggle to gain ownership over her show, and making the Quran more accessible. You can watch her Quran Book Club on her Instagram page.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

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Khalid Albaih is a Sudanese political cartoonist, who publishes cartoons online under the name Khartoon! as well as in galleries and publications around the world.

He talks about how Superman shaped his worldview, the dangers of his work, and why he's trying to change his relationship with the internet.

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Marina Tabassum is an acclaimed Bangladeshi architect whose work includes Bangladesh’s underground Museum of Independence and the award-winning Bait Ur Rouf Mosque. She talks about working with local materials, the rich landscape of Bangladesh’s capital city, Dhaka, and why she designed $200 mobile houses to address climate change.

Marina Tabassum is the founder of Marina Tabassum Architects and the academic director of the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements.

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Ian Whiteman was a fixture of the 60’s UK music scene and member of the cult classic bands Mighty Baby and The Habibiyya. He reflects on the early early days of psychedelic rock, and talks about how Islam became a major part of that scene, leading to his own conversion and his friendship with Yusuf Islam, A.K.A. Cat Stevens.

His latest album is called Poor Man’s Prayer.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

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As the founder of the popular online community Muslim Mamas, Nargis Jahan-Uddin has a front row seat to the ongoing interests and concerns of Muslim mothers.

She gives us a look into the contemporary online world of Muslim motherhood, and talks about her own journey from an impoverished neighbourhood of London, to creating this growing online community, which now includes a lifestyle website and a public Facebook page with over 130,000 followers.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

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Tasneem Alsultan is a photographer based in Saudi Arabia. Her work has documented major changes in Saudi culture for The New York Times, National Geographic and others. But she also captures the more ordinary aspects of life. She won first prize in the 2017 World Photography Organisation Awards for Saudi Tales of Loves, a series showcasing love stories of all kinds, from divorcees and widows to happily married couples.

She talks about breaking stereotypes, capturing intimate moments and a time she had to wear a disguise to get the job done.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more, go to agakhanmuseum.org/thisbeinghuman

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