Our little mosque

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Television series
German title Our little mosque
Original title Little Mosque on the Prairie
Country of production Canada
original language English
Year (s) 2007-
length 22 minutes
Episodes 49+ in 6 seasons
genre Comedy
idea Zarqa Nawaz
music Maryem Tollar
First broadcast January 9, 2007 on CBC Television
German-language
first broadcast		 April 10, 2008 on SF 1 (only 1st season)
occupation

Our Little Mosque (OT: Little Mosque on the Prairie ) is a Canadian comedy series that was developed by Zarqa Nawaz in 2007 and produced by CBC Television . The series is about the trials and tribulations of a young mosque community in the fictional rural town of Mercy in the Canadian Prairie Province of Saskatchewan , where life according to Muslim customs is viewed with great suspicion. The actors represent different Islamic characters and try to satirize the central cultural dispute with the means of television humor.

The first season of the series ran in Canada until March 2007, the second season started in October 2007 and ran until March 2008. In February 2011 it was announced that the series would end with the sixth season. It started in January 2012 and ended in April 2012.

The first season ran on Swiss television ( SF 1 ) in April / May 2008 under the name Our Little Mosque .

Content and background

It describes the life of Canadian Muslims in the fictional prairie town of Mercy in Saskatchewan with a population of 14,000. The main locations of the action are the mosque , which is run by Imam Amaar Rashid and is located in the rented parish hall of the Anglican Church , and Fatima's Café, a diner operated by Fatima Dinssa in the city center . The patriarch of the community Yasir Hamoudi, owner of a small construction company, originally rented the building for the mosque on the pretext of needing office space for his business. Baber Siddiqui, an economics professor, served the congregation temporarily as a preacher until Amaar was enlisted as an imam.

The city of Mercy is ruled by Mayor Ann Popowicz. Sarah Hamoudi, Yasir's wife, works as a press officer in Popowicz's office.

The title is based on the American television series and autobiographical book series of the same name by Laura Ingalls Wilder , Little House on the Prairie (German: Our Little Farm ).

A controversial image of Islam is conveyed, whereby traditional and liberal convictions clash and repeatedly cause differences of opinion in the mosque community. Stereotypes and (pre) judgments against Islam repeatedly provide starting points for comic situations and entanglements. As expected, the Imam-designate is suspected of being a terrorist in the pilot episode and arrested at the airport.

characters

Amaar Rashid
A Toronto attorney responding to a classified ad to become an imam at the Mercy Mosque, much to the chagrin of his family. As a representative of a liberal Islam, he sometimes comes into conflict with the conservative members of his community. He attributes his penchant for sarcasm to his work as a lawyer.
Yasir Hamoudi
The owner of a small construction company is a practical person who is looking for a compromise. He tends to make a mistake. Yasir makes every effort to obey his religion, but sometimes has to be urged to be more committed by his wife or daughter. His pragmatic attitude is reflected, among other things, in the fact that he runs his construction business from a room in the mosque. He doesn't pay rent, but has to help out in the mosque. Yasir is a registered member of the Conservative Party of Canada .
Sarah Hamoudi
A former Anglican who works as a press officer in the mayor's office. Sarah converted to Islam in order to marry Yasir. Like her husband, she struggles with Muslim customs and rules and is often exposed by her more devout daughter Rayyan. She wears the hijab during services in the mosque, but not in everyday life.
Sitara Hewitt (actress of Rayyan Hamoudi)
Rayyan Hamoudi
The 25 year old daughter of Yasir and Sarah is a doctor. She is a follower of Islamic feminism , adheres to the Islamic dress code and takes her religion very seriously. Her western medicine encounters Fatima's disapproval, who trusts traditional Nigerian medicines.
Baber Siddiqui
A divorced economics professor and the most conservative member of the Muslim community in Mercy, who served as the imam in the pilot before Amaar's arrival. Later he becomes the community treasurer.
Fatima Dinssa
A conservative Nigerian immigrant and the widowed diner owner . She is also sarcastic and loves to engage in verbal wars of words, often with her favorite regular Fred Tupper. She hates the Mercy Diner, her competitor. She has a son, Jamal ( Demetrius Joyette ), who hates playing Ayo with her . Fatima becomes a Canadian citizen during the series.
Rev. Duncan Magee
The priest of the Anglican Church that houses the mosque. He and Amaar become good friends, often offering good advice to each other. The role of Rev. Duncan Magee will be replaced from the fourth season by the role of Rev. William Thorn.
Mayor Ann Popowicz
The chaotic mayor of the city of Mercy supports the Muslim community and hopes for their votes in return.
Fred Tupper
A zealot and talk show host on the local radio station . He likes to equate Muslims with terrorists who want to take over the country. In the course of the series, however, he cannot always hide his forgiving side. Above all, he was a fool of Fatima.
Layla Siddiqui
Baber's daughter is the average Muslim teenage girl and struggles to strike the right balance between her desire to be a good Muslim and the desire for the lifestyle of a “western” teenager who likes music, clothes and boys. She can be rebellious and sarcastic, especially towards her father's quirks (she uses to refer to her home as “Baberistan”), but she is also very sharp and sensitive.
Junaid Jaffer
Also known as JJ ( Stephen Lobo ) - son of Yasir's friend Karim, and Rayyan's fiancé.
Joe Peterson
The farmer, who doesn't seem particularly intelligent, is a good friend of Fred Tupper's, who often causes trouble.

history

Unusually for a Canadian television series, Our Little Mosque received widespread media coverage, with coverage in the New York Times , Washington Times, and the Houston Chronicle , as well as CNN , NPR, and the BBC .

The pilot was shown on January 9, 2007. The premiere of the series reached 2.1 million viewers.

At the end of the first season on March 7, 2007, the series reached 1.1 million viewers. CBC Television launched a second season of 20 episodes which aired on October 3, 2007 and averaged a million viewers per episode.

A third season was ordered on March 7, 2008 and has been broadcast since October 1, 2008.

On May 8, 2007 it was announced that the series would also be shown in France , Switzerland and Francophone Africa in July.

The actors Colin Mochrie , Dan Redican , Samantha Bee , Dave Foley , Maria Vacratsis , Sam Kalilieh , Peter Wildman , Hrant Alianak , Veena Sood , Kathryn Winslow , Patrick McKenna and Tom Jackson have guest appearances , as well as hockey player Darcy Tucker and sports reporter Ron MacLean .

Seasons

title Original title Broadcast date CBC Broadcast date SF1 Prod. Code
The Little Mosque (pilot episode) Little Mosque January 9, 2007 10/11 April 2008 101
Young Toronto attorney Amaar discovers that his true calling is to become an imam. After some misunderstandings with the airport police have been cleared up, he can take up his post in the town of Mercy on the Canadian prairies. The mosque is housed in a church. But unfortunately the citizens of the city do not know anything about it ... When the Muslim community was also fighting about the exact start of the upcoming Ramadan, Amaar began to have doubts about his new role.
The closets The barrier January 17, 2007 17./18. April 2008 102
When Baber decides to build a barrier to separate women and men in the prayer room, a heated dispute develops over the explosive question.
Open-door day The open house January 31, 2007 24./25. April 2008 103
An open day is to take place in the Mercy Mosque to polish up the battered image of the Muslim community. Bridges between Muslims and non-Muslims should be built, but things turn out unexpectedly different.
Swim against the current Swimming Up Stream February 6, 2007 1./2. May 2008 104
Fatima injured her knee and is supposed to take part in swimming as a therapeutic measure. But the lifeguard is a man! A Muslim woman has to cover her body in front of a strange man, but what if the man is gay? The imam of the mosque has to clarify exciting theological questions.
The convert The Convert February 14, 2007 8/9 May 2008 105
A new convert in the mosque creates considerable difficulties for the community.
The archdeacon threatens The Archdeacon Cometh February 21, 2007 15./16. May 2008 106
During the visit of the archdeacon ( Colin Mochrie ), Reverend Magee wants to present a full church, so the Muslim community also takes part in the service: but not before they have received a crash course in Christianity from Sarah, a devoted former Anglican. Not everything goes according to plan, but ultimately the archdeacon is more concerned with the archdiocese getting its share of the rent than with the number of believers.
The mother in law Mother-in-Law February 28, 2007 22./23. May 2008 107
Yassir's presumptuous mother ( Maria Vacratsis ) comes to visit and has plans for Yassir: He should marry a second wife - an old widow from Lebanon . When Sarah sees how submissive Yassir treats his mother, she undresses and sleeps in the mayor's office.
play with the fire Playing with Fire March 7, 2007 29./30. May 2008 108
Jeff, Mercy's firefighter, is interested in Rayyan, and it's playing with fire. The Muslim community is already talking about it, although Rayyan has not even accepted the invitation to meet Jeff. Baber wants to send his daughter to an Islamic school so that she can escape the harmful influence of Rayyan. Amaar also has concerns - or is he just jealous?
Grave affairs Grave Concern October 3, 2007 - - - 201
Baber and Yasir decide to set up an Islamic cemetery in Mercy. However, this goes against the grain for some of the city's citizens.
Public access Public access October 10, 2007 - - - 202
Amaar and Rayyan become co-moderators of their own Islam-themed television program and get caught up in a competition as to which of the two is more telegenic.
Outlaw the burqa Ban the burqa October 17, 2007 - - - 203
When a foreign Muslim woman with a face veil ( niqab ) appears in the mosque, the community is in a state of excitement. Opinions differ widely: Sarah finds it repressive, Fred finds it creepy. Baber falls in love with the unknown. But when the police want to enforce a ban on masking, there are surprising expressions of solidarity with the niqab wearer.
lucky day Lucky day October 24, 2007 - - - 204
Mercy's turnip Mercy Beet November 7, 2007 - - - 205
Hockey star Darcy Tucker recommends a beet juice drink made in the town of Mercy, and the whole town, including the Muslim community, is investing in the making company. Enter Ron MacLean too .
The Imam's rival Rival imam November 14, 2007 - - - 206
Amaar's former fellow student ( Sam Kalilieh ) visits and reveals that he too has become an imam. Rivalries ensue when Amaar realizes that his friend is more popular than he is. Trying to convert the mosque for an ecology certificate results in inevitable minor disasters.
Spy Something or Get Out November 20, 2007 - - - 207
Good intentions Best intentions November 28, 2007 - - - 208
Watch List No fly list December 5, 2007 - - - 209
Babar cannot give the keynote speech at a conference in Chicago because he is on the American watch list . Guest appearance by Dave Foley .
Eid's A Wonderful Life December 12, 2007 - - - 210
The five year plan The Five Year Plan January 2, 2008 - - - 211
Jihad on hold Jihad on Ice January 9, 2008 - - - 212
The swarm The crush January 16, 2008 - - - 213
Welcome to Mercy Welcome to Mercy January 23, 2008 - - - 214
Wheat week Wheat Week January 30, 2008 - - - 215
Ear for Trouble February 6, 2008 - - - 216
Meet JJ February 13, 2008 - - - 217
Security alert Security Alert February 20, 2008 - - - 218
Islam on Tap February 27, 2008 - - - 219
Marriage Minded March 5, 2008 - - - 220
Amaar at the Bat October 1, 2008 - - - 301
Rayyan says yes to JJ
The Lord of the Ring Lord of the Ring October 8, 2008 - - - 302
The community is surprised to discover that Amaar has left Mercy and is shocked to find that Baber is replacing him. Yasir flies to Toronto in hopes of getting Amaar to return to Mercy. JJ gives Rayyan an engagement ring, which Rayyan finds ugly. JJ then gives Rayyan another ring and literally asks for her hand.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Mercy October 15, 2008 - - - 303
Amaar returns to Mercy after making a pilgrimage (umra) to Mecca . Amaar is urged to resume his service as Imam Mercy. Rayyan also shows her feelings for Amaar.
The ties that blind October 22, 2008 - - - 304
Rules R Rules October 29, 2008 - - - 305
Let Prairie Dogs Lie November 5, 2008 - - - 306
Sweet Sixteen Sweet Sixteen November 19, 2008 - - - 307
Mercy Dot Com November 26, 2008 - - - 308
A Hard Day's Fight December 3, 2008 - - - 309
Baber is from Mars, vegans are from Veganus Baber is from Mars, Vegans are from Vegus January 5, 2009 - - - 310
True bromance January 12, 2009 - - - 311
Double troubles January 19, 2009 - - - 312
The Week of Dying Dangerously January 26, 2009 - - - 313
Raised expectations - - - - - - 314
Color Me Excited - - - - - - 315
Recipe for disaster - - - - - - 316
My Sharia My Shariah - - - - - - 317
Baber Makes an Enterance - - - - - - 318
Meet the Jaffers - - - - - - 319
Can I Get a Witness? - - - - - - 320

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Maryem Tollar
  2. ↑ Neil McFarquhar: Sitcom's Precarious Premise: Being Muslim Over Here , The New York Times . December 7, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2007. 
  3. ^ Glenn Beck (interview with series creator Zarqa Nawaz) , CNN . December 12, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2007. 
  4. ^ NPR: CBC to Tell the Story of Little Mosque on the Prairie
  5. ↑ BBC website: "Muslim sitcom debuts in Canada"
  6. ↑ A whopping two million viewers tune in to 'Little Mosque' , The Globe and Mail on 10 January 2007
  7. ↑ Broadcast dates SF1: Our Little Mosque , CDN 2007 (Little Mosque on the Prairie)