Creating inclusive content for kids & families
April 29, 2020

Ramadan Mubarak and I hope you and your families are safe and healthy. During this pandemic, many of us have found television and movies to be a soothing escape. Whether in isolation alone or with our families, we find comfort in stories that bring us to a different time or another world and give us a feeling of things being “normal”.
MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau has been working hard to make sure that content includes more authentic Muslim characters. We believe that changing hearts and minds about Islam and Muslims happens one story at a time, through talented writers telling insightful and entertaining stories.
The creators of the new Netflix series Glitch Techs reached out to us for guidance and so we jumped in and helped them create a strong female Muslim character named Zahra. Since then, the executive producers have shared their experience of working with us, emphasizing the importance of working together to create truly nuanced multicultural stories.
In February, we collaborated with youth media company Practice Wonder on a Children’s Media Lab for Muslim screenwriters. Eight talented writers refined their craft with the guidance of executives from PBS, Disney Junior, and YouTube Kids. They have already made strides forward in their careers, and Variety published our write-up about the power of inclusive children’s television.
Toward the goal of Muslims telling our own stories, we work to connect Muslim writers with industry decision-makers to advance their careers. We were instrumental in placing Nida Chowdhry in a writers room at Warner Bros. and Nabeel Arshad as a writer at Disney Junior. These opportunities are the direct result of our networking in the industry, and the word is spreading about Muslim talent.
In January, MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau was inducted into the Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors, alongside honorees such as ADCOLOR and Walt Disney Television. We were honored to be recognized for our work in creating opportunities for Muslim inclusion in entertainment and for changing perceptions of Islam and Muslims in the media.
That work continues even in a pandemic because it is more important than ever to build a future free from fear and bigotry. With so many people watching TV and movies right now, this is a huge opportunity for them to see us reflected accurately on screen. Your donation is an investment towards a future free from fear and bigotry.
We wish you a blessed, hopeful Ramadan, and are so grateful for your support of this vital work.
IN THIS SECTION
- Policy Analysis
- Statements & Press
- White House Nominates Rashad Hussain as Ambassador for Religious Freedom
- The Blackhouse Foundation and MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau held their first-ever Television Screenwriting Lab for Black Muslim Writers.
- MPAC CONGRATULATES NUSRAT JAHAN CHOUDHURY ON HISTORIC NOMINATION
- GOP Blocks Coronavirus Bill
- Protect Rights During COVID-19
- Coronavirus Joint Statement
- Senate Passes Coronavirus Relief
- Iran Sanctions In COVID-19
- Historic Senate Relief Package
- Coronavirus Stimulus Problems
- Trump Immigration Suspension is Nothing but Cynical Opportunism
- House Introduces the HEROES Act
- Joint Action to Condemn the Murder of George Floyd
- Toward Pluralism: DA Rosen Must Retract His Whistleblower Complaint
- Supporting of Attorney General Keith Ellison Leading Prosecution for Murder of George Floyd
- Trump’s Executive Order on Census Is Unconstitutional
- MPAC Stands with the NBA Players
- What Muslims Want Heading into the 2020 General Election
- Declare Rittenhouse a Terrorist
- MPAC Firmly Denounces the Failure of the Criminal Justice System for Breonna Taylor
- There Is No Place For Violence in Civil Society
- Updates
- A Win Against White Supremacy
- Mosque Safety & Security
- How We’re Confronting White Supremacy
- Our Work on the Muslim Ban
- 2020 Muslim Voter Guide
- Responding to Covid-19
- Census 2020: What You Need To Know
- Human Security During COVID-19: Our Right
- Quarantine Webinars
- Make an impact in 1, 2, 3...
- Mark Kevin Lloyd is Unfit to Serve in State Department
- SoCal Muslims Show Gratitude To Frontline Workers
- DREAMERS are here to stay!
- A Ramadan Like No Other
- Creating inclusive content for kids & families
- National Muslim Task Force Recommendations for Ramadan During This Pandemic
- Ramadan Mubarak!
- Tale of Two Futures: American Muslim Life After the Election
RELATED STORIES
RELATED MULTIMEDIA
-
2012 Convention Videos
January 7, 2013 -
Al-Marayati interviewed on Viewpoint on Hate Speech
July 29, 2011 -
MPAC Convention Promotional Video
December 6, 2010 -
Dr. Maher Hathout on Elections
October 19, 2010
one-time or monthly donation.