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Articles - CfP Topic

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2025): Representations of Islam and Muslims in Film. From Stereotype to Scenescape

"I don’t know what kind of Muslim I am.": RAMY (US 2019–2022), MO (US 2022–2025), and the Reappropriation of the "American Muslim" in Contemporary Prestige TV

DOI
https://doi.org/10.25364/05.11:2025.2.6
Submitted
February 14, 2025
Published
2025-11-15

Abstract

This article examines evolving representations of Islam and Muslims in American television through case studies of the series RAMY (Hulu, US 2019–2022) and MO (Netflix, US 2022–2025). Drawing on a diachronic framework that traces portrayals of Muslim identities from the early 2000s to the present, the study situates these series within a broader historical and cultural context. Early depictions, as critiqued by scholars like Amir Hussain in 2009, often relegated Muslims to one-dimensional roles characterized by negativity and violence, reinforcing exclusionary narratives. In contrast, RAMY and its counterpart MO signal a significant shift toward more authentic and more complex representations. These series foreground intersections of race, religion, and cultural identity, offering narratives that are deeply personal and structurally aware.