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.
“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, the series has brought together a unique coalition, determined to uproot Islamophobia in America.
The series features actor and comedian Ahmed Ahmed, NYPD Chaplain Imam Khalid 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, US Olympic 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. The first four episodes are now available.
Watch a preview of the series below:
