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 1970s. 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 that no matter where a person comes from, he 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, who directed 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 most recently in an iPhone 4 commercial and Maz Jobrani, a familiar face from movies such as 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 explained on her website. The green light for Funny In Farsi turned red.
On Facebook, Dumas expressed regret about the series being put on a hiatus until further notice.
“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.”
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 be a successful TV show to center on Muslim characters. Funny In Farsi was the glimmer of hope for the Islamic community, to be seen as more than just radicals and extremists, but also to be seen realistically: family-orientated, hardworking, and faith-driven.
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 Middle Easterners everywhere that this show will not air.
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