Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

UC Santa Barbara Professor Co-Produces Emmy- And Peabody-Nominated Web Series To Fight Islamophobia

Secret Life of Muslims Photo

A web series produced by a UC Santa Barbara scholar that attempts to fight Islamophobia in an often funny and sometimes serious tone has been nominated for Emmy and Peabody awards.

"The weirdest question  I've been asked about hijab, is probably if I shower in it.  The answer is 'no,'" said a woman in an episode of the "Secret Life of Muslims." The talk is about head scarves known as hijab. 

Mona Damluji, an assistant professor in UCSB’s Department of Film and Media studies who’s a producer of the series says being a Muslim has no single meaning.

"I hope that people will watch and be surprised and walk away with new questions and a new perspective on the question of what it's like to be a Muslim in this country today," she said.

The 12-episode series that you can find on YouTube and Vox features 18 people talking about Islam and the discrimination they face.