重口味SM

Zarqa Nawaz steps in front of the camera to challenge stereotypes of Muslim women

The Little Mosque on the Prairie creator 鈥 and U of T Mississauga alum 鈥 aims to depict Muslims "in their full humanity" in CBC Gem show
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Zarqa Nawaz, creator of the CBC series Little Mosque on the Prairie, has stepped in front of the camera as the lead of the CBC Gem comedy series Zarqa, for which she is also the creator and showrunner (photo supplied by Zarqa Nawaz) 

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Zarqa Nawaz (photo by Andrew Parry)

Zarqa Nawaz, a 重口味SM Mississauga alumna who is best known as the creator of the hit CBC series Little Mosque on the Prairie, is on a mission to broaden society鈥檚 perception of Muslims one laugh at a time.

Her two latest projects to challenge perceptions through the power of comedy are , a satirical novel wrapped around a thoroughly researched examination of botched U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and the , which features Nawaz in the lead role of a divorced Muslim woman who decides to reinvent herself after learning her ex-husband is marrying a much younger white yoga instructor.

Writer Megan Easton recently spoke to Nawaz as she was putting the finishing touches on Zarqa鈥檚 second season and thinking about adapting Jameela for the small screen.


What did you study at U of T Mississauga?

I went into the sciences fully intending to be a medical doctor. I come from an immigrant family where there鈥檚 huge pressure to choose medicine, law or business. But I had this creative yearning that wouldn鈥檛 go away. By about third year it was obvious to me that I wasn鈥檛 going to go to med school, but I decided to finish my degree.

What path led you to TV and writing?

I got a journalism degree and a job at CBC, but, again, I could sense that it wasn鈥檛 really fulfilling my creative drive. I ended up taking a summer film workshop at the Ontario College of Art and Design and my short BBQ Muslims was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. That was the beginning.

Why did you shift away from TV to writing after Little Mosque ended in 2012?

Little Mosque opened some doors in television, but there weren鈥檛 any opportunities for me to be a showrunner, which is what I wanted next. I鈥檇 always loved writing, so I wrote my memoir, , and decided to start working on my first novel.

Jameela Green Ruins Everything cover

What made you write a satirical novel about Muslims, terrorism and ISIS 鈥 and how tricky was that?

Very few people are going to read a serious book about these subjects, but people are willing to laugh and then think about what they just laughed at. My publisher rejected it at first, saying the story was too edgy or even dangerous. I worked with a bunch of editors over many years to refine it, but I never changed the fundamental story. It was scary at times not knowing if it would ever get published. And it wouldn鈥檛 have, even five years ago. Readers are more ready for this kind of book now.

What genre does Jameela fall into?

None, really. It鈥檚 a beach read without a romance, a spy novel, political commentary and a comedy.

The first season of Zarqa launched just months after Jameela was published in 2022, and the second season began this fall. What can viewers expect?

I think it'll surprise people. I wanted it to be even funnier and kookier than the first season.

How does Zarqa compare to Little Mosque?

We took a light touch to the humour in Little Mosque because many Muslims weren鈥檛 used to being observed in the media, and they worried that we鈥檇 depict them in a terrible light and make things worse. But now they鈥檙e more sophisticated about media representation, and there鈥檚 more space to go further with the humour in Zarqa.

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Zarqa Nawaz coaches Sheila McCarthy on prayer protocol in "Little Mosque on the Prairie" (photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

How do you deal with criticism of your work from Muslims?

There have always been some people who don鈥檛 like what I do. I鈥檓 used to it. But I stick to my intentions, which are to entertain, inform and educate 鈥 to bring Muslims to light in a different way from the stereotypes.

You鈥檙e the creator and showrunner on 窜补谤辩补&苍产蝉辫;鈥 and also the lead actor. What鈥檚 it been like acting for the first time?

I only planned to be the lead in the trailer, but my team didn鈥檛 want to recast the role when we got picked up by CBC. So I hired an acting coach and put in a lot of hours with her. It also helps that I鈥檓 in charge of the editing, so I can always choose my best takes. Acting is a lot more fun than I imagined.

How does the Zarqa character challenge stereotypes about Muslim women?

I wanted to break the stereotype of 鈥渢he good Muslim woman.鈥 White female characters get to be good and bad, so why don鈥檛 we get the full range in our characters? Zarqa is almost an anti-hero. She鈥檚 a woman in hijab with full agency over her life who can be catty and horrible. Showing Muslims in their full humanity is part of the evolution of how we鈥檙e shown on TV.

What keeps you hopeful, despite evidence of rising Islamophobia in Canada and beyond?

It鈥檚 easy to get discouraged, but then you might give up. My attitude is that I鈥檒l do the best that I can with the talent I鈥檝e been given.

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