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.

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