Halal in the Family is a comedic webseries by actor/comedian/writer/producer Aasif Mandvi, best known for his work as a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It's a sitcom parody about an all-American Muslim family that aims to challenge stereotypes and misinformation about Muslim communities.
It started as a one-off gag sketch on The Daily Show, but in the course of covering way too many stories revealing the depth of prejudice against Muslims in the United States -- and getting worse every day -- Mandvi was inspired to expand the idea of a Muslim family sitcom into a full-fledged webseries.
You may remember that this project was originally titled The Qu'osby Show, a take on Bill Cosby's beloved, groundbreaking family sitcom. But when it became fairly clear that the man we knew and loved as Cliff Huxtable is actually serial rapist, it cast a rather dark shadow on our collective memory of that show. The team took a moment to rethink and rename the series. And so: Halal in the Family.
Here's Aasif with more information:
For the past year I’ve been developing a new web-series to challenge stereotypes and misinformation about Muslims and communities associated with Muslims. It’s called Halal in the Family, and it’s a sitcom parody about an all-American Muslim family. It's also a tool to support existing campaigns to combat anti-Muslim bias.
Halal in the Family will expose a broad audience to some of the realities of being Muslim in America. By using satire we will encourage people to reconsider their assumptions about Muslims, while providing a balm to those experiencing anti-Muslim bias. I also hope those Uncles and Aunties out there will crack a smile!
So, what are the episodes about? Each of the four episodes focus on a different challenge faced by American Muslims and communities associated with Muslims. The themes, which were identified by Muslim and civil rights organizations, include surveillance and spying in Muslim communities; online bullying and hate networks; media bias; and the use of anti-Muslim prejudice for political gain.
The project is winding down the final days of its Indiegogo campaign, raising money to cover the costs of finishing and promoting Halal in the Family. Fortunately, they've already surpassed the original fundraising goal. So now you can just pitch in, claim a cool perk and show your support for a fun and important project.
For further information, and to make a donation, go head over to Indiegogo.