Can a minority community use storytelling to create a new identity for itself instead of having its identity decided by majority culture? Polis Intern Paula Brito reports on a talk by US playwright and author Wajahat Ali and actor Riz Ahmed

Brito, Paula

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Domestic Crusaders2013-1-25It was and it was not: Identity and the power of storytellingfor Muslims (Guest blog)blogs.lse.ac.uk /polis/2013/01/25/it-was-and-it-was-not-identity-and-the-power-of-storytelling-for-muslims-guest-blog/Can a minority community use storytelling to create a new identity for itself instead of having its identitydecided by majority culture? Polis Intern Paula Brito reports on a talk by US playwright and author Wajahat Ali  andactor Riz Ahmed. Who is being represented and by whom?  “We have our story told to us through others” says Wajahat Ali, and as aconsequence, the stories of over 1.5 billion Muslims is packed into one narrative. He said that stereotypes,especially those perpetrated after 9/11 simplify the reality, history and religious values of an essentiallyheterogeneous group:“Muslim extremists have high jacked our stories and religion”In response Ali’s recent and most renowned work  “TheDomestic Crusaders”, , tells the story of a Pakistani-Americanfamily in the aftermath of 9/11. The approach to Islamimpressed critics as it gives a real interpretation of theotherwise stereotyped “other”. It engages in the conflicts thatarise within a typical Muslim family, battling between theirassimilated American culture and Muslim religion.Ali says that comedy is a good story-telling tool, “lessonssometimes go down easier when sweetened.” His play and therecent film “Four Lions” may just prove him right.The Actor’s ViewFrom an actor’s point of view, Riz Ahmed explained how oneportrayal becomes the archetypical portrayal when portrayinga Muslim on screen. Having played Muslim roles in diverse films (like “The road to Guantanamo” and upcoming“The Reluctant Fundamentalist”) Ahmed says have a particular responsibility:“you feel the weight of representation because it becomes a catch-all representation (…) You want torepresent but in trying to represent everyone you represent no one”.Communities are harsh to judge Muslim representations on screen precisely because demand exceeds supply, andexpectations are high.However, the problem does not lie only on the production side. Are audiences ready for more sincererepresentations? In the event, Ali stated that we must “invest in our current history.” Narratives should portray thecontemporary Muslim.The US reality TV-series “All-American Muslim”  tried to do just this, portraying an American Muslim family living in1/2All American MuslimsDearborn, Michigan.  The show premiered in 2011 with a complete nuance approach, yet, it lasted only one seasonand was cancelled in March 2012.  The protests from the Florida FamilyAssociation pushed companies to pull advertising and boycott the show. The controversy was, paradoxically, caused by its lack of stereotypes.This is a sad end to an attempt to add plurality to media content. But whowere the audiences? What did the Muslim communities have to say aboutsuch an eclectic mix of real life Muslim personas? Did this too causecontroversy amongst them?Ali and Ahmed remain positive. They believe that Directors and Productioncompanies have increasingly become open to new, avant guarde andauthentic proposals and they want to help create them and in the process,help create new identities for communities like Muslims in Britain and theUS.This article by Polis Intern Paula Brito.The event was organised by Leaf Network and the Radical Middle WayCopyright © 2014 London School of Economics and Political Science2/2

It was and it was not: identity and the power of storytelling for Muslims (guest blog)

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