Assalamualaikum,
CBC looks for comedy at Prairie mosque
From Monday’s Globe and Mail
Monday, October 02, 2006
The CBC has quietly ordered eight episodes of a promising — but potentially politically controversial — new sitcom, Little Mosque on the Prairie, about a fictional Muslim family living in rural Saskatchewan. But instead of hoisting pitchforks, rolling down hills and selling eggs at Oleson’s General store like Michael Landon’s Ingalls family, this transplanted clan will be trying to interact with the denizens of a little Prairie town in a post Sept. 11 world.
Given global religious tensions — not helped by Pope Benedict’s controversial remarks on Islam and the firestorm provoked by cartoons of Prophet Mohammed published in the Danish press — Little Mosque on the Prairie’s comedy will have to be handled with extreme caution. Or God knows, CBC could have any number of watchdogs running around like Little House on the Prairie’s shrieking shopkeeper Harriet Oleson.
CBC is also still smarting from the beating it took over the short-lived programming fiasco The One and is wary of any more potential missteps. Unlike other series starting this winter, the network has been rather tight-lipped about Little Mosque. However, CBC spokesman Jeff Keay confirmed the broadcaster has ordered eight episodes and will begin airing them in January. “The producers recognize the potential sensitivities and are taking that into account,” Keay said. “We’re comfortable that [the show] is being taken in the generous spirit intended. Little Mosque on the Prairie is a funny, warts-and-all look at life in a small community.”
Little Mosque is the brainchild of Regina-based filmmaker Zarqa Nawaz, who is writing and producing the comedy. Nawaz — whose company is called FUNdamentalist Films because she wants to put the “fun back into fundamentalism” — pitched CBC on the show two years ago. She’s working with WestWind Pictures, also of Regina.
Wow. That’ll be interesting. iNshAllah, it airs in January so keep your eyes peeled for it.
pEACe,
Fuzzy
Shan said,
Wednesday, 11 October 2006 at 5:43 pm
Feels like this article has a satirical quality to it.
Salam Alaikum, I’m Shan. I am your husband’s (only?) friend.
salmaaahmad said,
Wednesday, 11 October 2006 at 8:09 pm
I MISS MY FLUFFY!
ok back to business, this woman is the same person who did me and the mosque, that documentary annoyed the life outta me with its biased approach to making a valid concern into a poorly presented sensationalized docudrama.
hopefully she can redeem herself with this show, tho with the above mentioned, my glass is SO half empty, hell its half empty with a cruddy drink filling the other half.
in other news, I LOVE MY FLUFFY!
Fuzzy said,
Thursday, 12 October 2006 at 10:51 pm
ahhhhhhhhh Salma, I misses you beaucoup aussi. School is eating me alive. =(
Wassalam Shan.
Sarah said,
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 10:52 pm
your shoes look better on me =]
…
beef.
salmaaahmad said,
Sunday, 15 October 2006 at 8:07 pm
oh fluffy, school is like a vampire, it sucks the life out of you, so walk around with garlic…
Prexaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa said,
Monday, 16 October 2006 at 5:39 pm
I thought vampires sucked blood?…or did they evolve?(sorry bad joke if anyone got it)
I misses fuzzy tooooo!!
Yusuf said,
Wednesday, 3 January 2007 at 10:39 pm
Assalamualaikum
This should be an interesting documentary. It’s a creative and humorous attempt at easing some tension regarding Muslims in the west, inshaAllah.
Mimi Khan said,
Friday, 5 January 2007 at 10:24 am
Assalamu alaikum,Zarqa.
I have known you from Brother abdallah Hakim’s days, in Toronto.
I do pray for a great success for your documentary on CBC.
However, I also hope that you do not mislead Muslims and Non Muslims in stressing that ( I believe you do believe this) women should and CAN pray comfortably in a mixed congregation.
Salat( prayer) is a unique connection between a slave of Allah( the worshipper) and his or her Creator-a time to be totally oblivious of ALL that surrounds the worshipper so that a strong spiritual connection and bonding is maintained between the worshipper his or her “Master” That is why women were ( with all the distractions of home and children) were advised by the Prophet PBUH to pray “in a closet” if they have to -in order to attain that serenity and connection with their Creator during their prayer.
Ken Darling said,
Tuesday, 9 January 2007 at 10:22 pm
Very poor job!!! Maybe you should resource your material before you produce it. You should find out exactly how the prairies were, and not try to mislead people. Again this is a very poor job by CBC
Dellaruth said,
Wednesday, 10 January 2007 at 10:43 am
I caught the first episode last night. Great show. Very clever, witty, good ensemble cast. I like it. No one is being mislead by this comedy. Prickly, uptight people just can’t lighten up.
Brenda Kay said,
Wednesday, 10 January 2007 at 10:47 am
I was ready to really enjoy this new show. I was disappointed. The muslim priest seemed jewish-italian. I thought I was listening to parts of Mambo Italiano, by they which I loved.. This show sounds canadian in a negative way. I wish you luck
Brenda
Betty Boop said,
Wednesday, 10 January 2007 at 12:29 pm
Another great piece of islamic taqqiya (deliberate deception of the infidel, as mandated by islam). Muslims should NOT be on the prairie, they should be in inner city enclaves, planning the re-establishment of the caliphate planet-wide – What, that’s not what they are doing?? Oh sorry, most of us thought that was the case.
Just take a look at Mimi Khan’s comments – can’t lighten up for a moment – totally missing the point of a sit com – totally missing the point of being in the west at all, come to that…. A second series in the works – perhaps the story arch will be all the infidels to convert to islam – tomorrow the prairie, the day after that, who knows????
Fuzzy said,
Saturday, 13 January 2007 at 10:38 pm
I have yet to see it however I think Muslims need to take it easy and realized that it’s not an attack on Islam per say. The show is just a comical look and hopefully opens eyes of non-Muslims to Islam in general. It’s not meant to portray the life of a Muslim accurately but rather that would be the job of us Muslims! We need to be able to show the correct meaning of Islam and shouldn’t rely on the producers of the show to do it for us.
It’s just for fun. Take it easy folks.