Zarqa Nawaz
Encyclopedia
Zarqa Nawaz is a British
-Canadian freelance writer, journalist, broadcaster, and filmmaker of Pakistani origin.
woman of Pakistani origin, she was raised in the Toronto
area and attended Chinguacousy Secondary School. Initially, Nawaz planned to go to medical school. She completed a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Toronto. She completed a second degree in journalism at Ryerson University
in 1992. She worked with CBC Radio
, CBC Newsworld
, CBC Television
's The National, and CTV
's Canada AM
, and was an associate producer of several CBC Radio programs including Morningside
. Her 1992 radio documentary The Changing Rituals of Death won multiple awards at the Ontario Telefest Awards. Stating that she became "bored of journalism", she took a summer film workshop at the Ontario College of Art & Design
and began working as a filmmaker, using comedy to explore the relationships between Muslims and their neighbours in contemporary North America. She has described the goal of her production company, FUNdamentalist Films, as "putting the 'fun' back into fundamentalism".
In an interview with Prairie Dog Magazine, Nawaz said her screenplay Real Terrorists Don't Bellydance was "inspired by movies like True Lies
and Executive Decision
". She describes it as a "new genre of film", a cross between a terrorist flick and a comedy: "I call it a 'terrordy.'" Her use of humour in the television series Little Mosque on the Prairie
attracted media attention ranging from CNN
and The Jerusalem Post
to The Colbert Report even before it aired, prompting the CBC to broadcast it months ahead of its original schedule.
Nawaz's CBC show Little Mosque on the Prairie was inspired by her documentary 'Me and the Mosque'. Nawaz felt that mosque's would be run differently if imams were recruited from North American instead of being brought from overseas where cultural differences, especially when it came to women, affected how the imams behaved with their congregation.
Zarqa Nawaz is the mother of four children and lives in Regina, Saskatchewan
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
-Canadian freelance writer, journalist, broadcaster, and filmmaker of Pakistani origin.
Biography
A MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
woman of Pakistani origin, she was raised in the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
area and attended Chinguacousy Secondary School. Initially, Nawaz planned to go to medical school. She completed a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Toronto. She completed a second degree in journalism at Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
in 1992. She worked with CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
, CBC Newsworld
CBC Newsworld
CBC News Network is a Canadian English language Category C specialty news channel owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . It broadcasts into over 10 million homes in Canada. It is the world's third-oldest television service of this nature, after CNN in the United States and...
, CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
's The National, and CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
's Canada AM
Canada AM
Canada AM is a Canadian breakfast television news show, which has aired on the CTV Television Network since 1972. It is currently hosted by Beverly Thomson and Seamus O'Regan, with Marci Ien reporting from the headline news desk and Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports...
, and was an associate producer of several CBC Radio programs including Morningside
Morningside (radio program)
Morningside was a nationally broadcast Canadian radio program, which aired on CBC Radio from September 20, 1976 to May 30, 1997. It was broadcast from 9AM to 12 Noon, Monday to Friday...
. Her 1992 radio documentary The Changing Rituals of Death won multiple awards at the Ontario Telefest Awards. Stating that she became "bored of journalism", she took a summer film workshop at the Ontario College of Art & Design
Ontario College of Art & Design
OCAD University is Canada's largest and oldest educational institution for art and design. It is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on McCaul Street beside the Art Gallery of Ontario...
and began working as a filmmaker, using comedy to explore the relationships between Muslims and their neighbours in contemporary North America. She has described the goal of her production company, FUNdamentalist Films, as "putting the 'fun' back into fundamentalism".
In an interview with Prairie Dog Magazine, Nawaz said her screenplay Real Terrorists Don't Bellydance was "inspired by movies like True Lies
True Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
and Executive Decision
Executive Decision
Executive Decision is a 1996 action film, directed by Stuart Baird and starring Kurt Russell, Halle Berry and Steven Seagal. The original music was composed by Jerry Goldsmith...
". She describes it as a "new genre of film", a cross between a terrorist flick and a comedy: "I call it a 'terrordy.'" Her use of humour in the television series Little Mosque on the Prairie
Little Mosque on the Prairie
Little Mosque on the Prairie is a Canadian sitcom on CBC, created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures. It is filmed in Toronto, Ontario and Indian Head, Saskatchewan...
attracted media attention ranging from CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
to The Colbert Report even before it aired, prompting the CBC to broadcast it months ahead of its original schedule.
Nawaz's CBC show Little Mosque on the Prairie was inspired by her documentary 'Me and the Mosque'. Nawaz felt that mosque's would be run differently if imams were recruited from North American instead of being brought from overseas where cultural differences, especially when it came to women, affected how the imams behaved with their congregation.
Zarqa Nawaz is the mother of four children and lives in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
.
Short films
- BBQ Muslims (1995) - Two Muslim brothers are accused of terrorism after their barbecueBarbecueBarbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
explodes in their backyard. - Death Threat (1998) - A young Muslim novelist claims to have received a death threat in order to get her book published.
- Random Check (2005) - A young man, late for his wedding, turns to the media after being arrested at the airport as the result of racial profilingRacial profilingRacial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
. - Fred's Burqa (2005) - A stolen burqa leads to mistaken identity, a career change and true love.
Screenplays
- Real Terrorists Don't Bellydance (2003) - a struggling actor inadvertently takes a role as a stereotypical Muslim terrorist, to his fiancée’s chagrin
Feature-length films
- Me and the Mosque (2005) - documentary about the role of women in Islam, both throughout history and in contemporary Canada, told from a personal perspective.
Television series (writer)
- Little Mosque on the PrairieLittle Mosque on the PrairieLittle Mosque on the Prairie is a Canadian sitcom on CBC, created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures. It is filmed in Toronto, Ontario and Indian Head, Saskatchewan...
(2007 – present) - comedy about relations between Muslims and non-Muslims living in a small Saskatchewan town
External links
- FUNdamentalist Films website
- CBC Interview
- Little Mosque on the Prairie, Allah is Great – and Funny, taz 2007
- Artist profile from Video Pool
- Gill Deacon Show: Little Mosque on the Prairie, Zarqa Nawaz, the creator of the new Muslim sitcom „Little Mosque on the Prairie“ talks about her inspiration for the show.
- Muslim Public Affairs Council Banquet with Zarqa Nawaz
- Famous Canadian Immigrant Filmmakers