Episode Notes :

Today I speak with an individual that I have been listening to and learning from for a while now, Mifrah Abid. Mifrah is an activist, advocate of racial equity, and the creator, producer and host of Across Her Table Podcast.

In this episode, Mifrah challenges my beliefs on home and identity (and if there is one thing I love, it's a conversation that expands my thinking). We discuss our thoughts on nationalism and Mirfah explains the concept of jingoism and how it relates to us now. This is such an important conversation for us to be having; I cannot wait for you to listen to and learn from the stories the Mifrah shares.

Courtesy : Lisa Bush, Writer, Educator, Storyteller | Author: Teaching Well and City Hall | Creator: Stories Within Us Podcast | Web: www.lisabush.ca

Zarqa Nawaz is a Canadian icon. When she produced the award-winning show ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ in 2007, the show became a household name. An avowed fan of Nora Efron, Zarqa created an all-Canadian sitcom that had funny and well-rounded Muslim characters. This was a far cry from the stereotypical cookie-cutter Muslim characters that the West had been churning out. And the timing was critical too. In 2007, post 9/11 Islamophobia was at its peak. A Muslim point of view in the arts was practically nonexistent and there was little portrayal of Muslims beyond the tired tropes of either ‘terrorist’ or ‘victim’.

It’s been 15 years since then and Zarqa Nawaz is ready for 2022 with two offerings- her first pop fiction novel ‘Jameela Green Ruins everything’ and a web series on CBC Gem called ‘Zarqa’.

Her new book is a noir comedy about Jameela who wants to be on the New York Times bestseller list, but instead gets unwittingly entangled in an international conspiracy around a missing Imam.

To add to the comical escapades, her CBC web series ‘Zarqa’ is about a shallow, self-centered Muslim woman who will stop at nothing to create her own wellness empire- much like Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘Goop’. Hilarity ensues as she also tries to get even with her ex-husband for dating a White yoga instructor half her age!

Join us as we talk about her producing one of Canada’s most successful sitcoms, her immigrant upbringing (“Failure was never an option!”), and growing up as a bullied brown kid in Canada.

Do send in your comments or feedback about this episode by tweeting them to @acrosshertable or e-mailing them at feedback@acrosshertable.com  or send us a voice message at http://www.anchor.fm/acrosshertable/message Don't forget to follow Across Her Table on Instagram @acrosshertable (https://www.instagram.com/acrosshertable) Music credit: Oh My - Patrick Patrikios

What happens when an Indian and a Pakistani meet in Canada? We discover our Desi ways! Join us as we rediscover our quintessential South Asian roots and explore the question: What does it mean to be a ‘Desi’? In this mini- series from Across Her Table, Mifrah Abid and Mehreen Shahid talk about our common connections, laugh (and really laugh) at our shared cultural tropes and dig deep into OUR DESI WAYS! 

Over the next few episodes, we will talk about Desi culture, the social norms we grew up with, Bollywood, pop culture, food, history and so much more! The more we talk, the more we realize how similar the Desi experience is across borders. 

Music Credit: Upbeat Funk Pop by Scott Holmes