IMHO #2

 Funny In Farsi

Middle Eastern-Americans need to be on television, and not in the kind of 24 way playing Terrorist #1 and Terrorist #2. The world really needs to see the family dynamics, the rich culture, and the constant struggle to completely fit into a country that holds values very different from what we are raised with.

Funny In Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas is an autobiography encompassing the struggle of her immigrant family moving from Abadan, Iran to Whittier, Calif. in the 1970’s. The culture clash between her Iranian values and Western civilization are interesting and humorous. Whether it is the fascination of ordering products on television, free samples at Costco, or clean toilets, Dumas captures the enthusiasm (and sometimes confusion) of her parents in this delightful book.  Although Dumas pokes fun at her parents throughout the novel, the reader can see the deep admiration she has for them.

The book is ultimately about the strong bond of a family and no matter where a person comes from, they can identify with the characters of this novel.

The award-winning novel sparked enough interest to be adapted into a television series. Iranian American Nastaran Dibai and her husband Jeffrey B. Hodes joined forces to executive produce and write the script. Barry Sonnenfield, the director of the Men In Black franchise and Pushing Daises, was ready to produce and direct the pilot as a single-camera series under his two-year contract with ABC.

The cast represented an array of prominent Middle Easterners ranging from Marjan Nehsat who was recently in the iPhone 4 commercial and familiar face Maz Jobrani from movies like The Interpreter, Better Off Ted, and his stand-up in the “Axis of Evil” comedy tour. "It's a very brown cast," Dumas explained in an Iranian news report. "The faces are not well-known. They made an effort to get the right actors for this show."

Everything was set for the pilot to make its debut until ABC withdrew. “I am so sorry and disappointed. The pilot was hilarious and had many, many fans at ABC, but the decision came down to just one person, the President of ABC, and he passed on it,” Dumas explains on her website. The green light for Funny In Farsi turned red.

On Facebook, Dumas expressed her deep condolences to the people involved with the Funny In Farsi project “since ABC owns the script, no other station can pick it up. I am very, very disappointed, not just for myself but for the talented writers, actors and crew who put together such a truly hilarious pilot.” It is clear that Dumas is disheartened about the series being put on a hiatus until further notice.

This country is made up of a wonderful mix of cultures and religions, and it is time for Muslims to get their voice in popular media. Muslims are grossly underrepresented in television. There needs to a successful TV show to center on Muslim characters. Funny In Farsi was the glimmer of hope for the Muslims community, to be seen as more than just radicals and extremists, but to be seen realistically: family orientated, hardworking, and strong in faith.

In a country founded on the immigrant experience, Funny In Farsi is easily relatable to an American audience, and it truly is a disservice to the book and Muslims everywhere that this show will not see air.

Word Count: 567

Fish Out Of Water

I went to one of the Akbayan meetings for mainly Filipino students on campus. At first when I walked in there, a few people looked at me since I was an unfamiliar face, but being at the side of one of my good friends helped. Although the Akbayan Club, is filled with many different races, Filipinos easily dominate. I look nothing like a Filipino and had no encounters with any of these people so while everyone hugged each other and started small chit-chat, I leaned against the wall and waited for the head to call order. Finally, the time came to start the meeting and one of the girls asked everyone to quiet down. It didn't take long for the room to become silent, so I figured the organization was well run. When the girl stood in front of her fellow Akbayan's she thanked everyone for coming to the meeting. She then brought up the recent event Akbayan attended. That weekend, they came back from the Friendship games that took place in Los Angeles where clubs and fraternities gathered together to showcase their organizations. Some of the members were wearing the shirts they made specifically for that event. When she mentioned Los Angeles, everyone cheered. I must admit that I also clapped because it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. She then called "Eric" to come up to the stage. As he went up, everyone clapped their hands and woo-ed so one would assume he was well liked amongst the Akbayans. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and was having a bit of difficulty trying to unfold it. To keep it from getting silent he said, "You would think a folded piece of paper would be much easier than bringing my laptop here, but now I am starting to re-think this." As everyone laughed, he finally unfolded his paper. His eyes scrolled down the list and he announced what events were coming up. He assured the group that Los Angeles was a success, but that it was only the start of what the group planned to do. There was a bake sale happening next week to raise funds for their trip to Sacramento and they were planning a dance competition with other Akbayan groups in the area to have fun and get to know more people. After different people volunteered tabling for the bake sale and formed dance groups, the meeting was dismissed. Before I made my way to the door, one of the girls stopped me and asked me if I had been here before. I told her I was with my friend and had an assignment to do for a class. She then insisted that I come around more often and learn about the organization for myself. I smiled politely and took the brochures she handed me. When I walked out the door I noticed many of the people hugging and smiling and although it is not a community I personally belong to, there is definitely a sense of community felt in that room.

Word Count: 511

Word Of The Week #10

1. Parsimonious- adjective

Pronunciation: (par-si-MO-nee-uhs)

Definition:  Excessively sparing or frugal. 

Used in a sentence: My father is so parsimonious with his words, he has gained the nickname in our family as "Silent Suhail."

Copy Edit The World #3

Although the photo is a little blurry, this is an assignment we received in class where "Henry," "running," and "Detroit" are spelled wrong.

Word Of The Week #9

1. Dutch Uncle- noun

Pronunciation: duch UNG-kuhl

Definition: Someone who advises or criticizes frankly and sternly.

Used in a sentence: When families have unruly children, having a Dutch uncle close by could be beneficial for discipline. 

Japanese Internment Memorial Essay

The Japanese internment took place in 1942 when over 100,000 of Japanese Americans and Japanese were housed in what were "War Relocation Camps" in fear of a West coast plot against America from people with Japanese ancestry. Many political figures questioned their loyalty to the country, even though 62 percent of the people interned were American citizens. And although Ronald Regan came out and apologized about the incident, the emotional impact it left on the Japanese could not be mended. Ruth Asawa was one of the victims of the internment camp where she learned to hone her anger and sadness and projected it onto her artwork. She created the Japanese internment memorial artwork which is now displayed in San Jose, Calif. where people from all over the world come to see it. Her artwork shows the many perspectives of the victims involved in the Japanese internment camp of 1942.

This picture shows how the Japanese were housed in stables where horses would stay and although the horses were not actually there at the time, this comparison depicts the Japanese being treated like animals.

Even though they were marginalized from society, the Japanese interns built a community which they shared the burden of labor and the empathy of compassion.

 This picture really moved me because it seemed ironic to have a military man with a gun presiding over a family. I think the internment camp lead to the destruction of the family unit because of difficult times and separation from the people we most loved.

Many Japanese Americans were displaced to San Jose, Calif. and even SJSU played a part with the Japanese interns where Uchida Hall was once a transfer point for Japanese Americans to be registered and taken to other places across the west coast. It seems strange to attend  a university where so many people experienced suffering and pain, and although that is in San Jose State's past, there is still a certain guilt I feel being here. I have a class in Uchida hall and now whenever I go in there, I can no longer look at it the same. It is tragic what happened to the Japanese people during 1942, but the legacy of Ruth Asawa and her art display will forever educate the minds of others and touch the hearts of her fellow interns.

IMHO #1

Qur’anic Artwork For The American Soul

The popular American perspective of the Qur’an is seen as a book which fuels extremists, promotes jihad, and fosters Muslims to become terrorists.  The “average American” most likely does not understand the message of the Qur’an, but one individual wants to shed light on this controversial book through artwork known as “The American Qur’an.”

Women in jeans, golfers teeing off, and modern market places, are all images that represent the theme of the holy Qur’an, which will be featured in Sandow’s Birk’s artwork. Instead of the traditional pictures of Middle Easterners dressed in rags, wearing sandals, and traveling by camel, Birk’s artwork takes place in today’s American society.

In an interview, Birk describes his inspiration and his overall purpose for depicting these stories in an American perspective. “I began the project out of personal interest and a desire to learn more about Islam and the Qur’an by myself, and to think about how I might understand it in relation to my own life. But, yes, I do sort of posit myself as an “average American” and I do hope that it might lead more Americans to understand more about Islam. More understanding can only be a good thing.”

The project will be an illustration of the Qur’an, along with the accompanied text in English. Birk says, “The project will be an entirely hand-transcribed English language adaptation of the Qur’an, illuminated with scenes of contemporary life in America that relate to the message of the text.” Birk uses the passages from one of the first English translations of the Qur’an ever published. “For legal, copyright reasons, I’ve been largely using the English translation of John Meadows Rodwell from 1861. However, when that English is obscure or obtuse, I have used some elements from other copyright-free translations.”

Although Birk’s project is not complete, the expectations are high. Many online forums have lauded Birk’s work calling it “highly creative” and “a beautiful concept,” but some antagonists believe that turning the message of the Qur’an into an American perspective will diminish what the book was originally intended for. Birk explains his side, “The images are my own personal reflections about the message in the text of each chapter, or surah, and my pondering what that message means to me in my daily life. The images are metaphors for the imagery of the text. I try to think of things in our lives that are symbolic or emblematic of the text, things that present the message in a more easily graspable way, things that average Americans can relate to.” Whether it is positive or negative feedback, his finished project is being anticipated everywhere, and has even expanded beyond the traditional exhibition. 

Birk is planning for much more, even before the project is fully finished,  “This project is only half complete. I’m going to carry on working on it for a couple more years before I’m finished, and then it will become a book and there will be exhibitions of the completed project. I am personally glad he is doing this because no holy book should face the harsh judgments that the Qur'aan faces and I think to explore it and do something creative will generate more tolerance instead of hate.

For some images of what Birk’s gallery is going to look like, go here.

Word Count: 584