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The Muslims Are Coming! is a documentary film co-directed and co-starring Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah. The film follows a stand up comedy tour in 2011 featuring American-Muslim comedians as they perform free comedy shows in The Deep South and West. The tour also featured special guest Christian and Jewish comedians in many cities.

The goal of the free shows was to meet as many Americans as possible in the hopes of using stand up comedy as a way to country Islamaphobia, negate stereotypes and foster understanding.

The comedians also engaged in numerous street activities to meet as many people as possible in each State including setting up an “Ask a Muslim” booth and playing a game entitled “Name that Religion” where people would try to guess if a quote read to them came from the Old Testament, New Testament or the Koran.

Controversy

During the production of the film, the filmmakers were attacked by right-wing groups and the people identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as the leaders in the Islamaphobia movement. Robert Spencer’s website “Jihad Watch” dismissed the film as “pushing “Muslim Brotherhood-invented concept of ‘Islamaphobia.’” NewsBusters derided NBC “Rock Center’s” coverage of the project as part of the media’s liberal bias. 

CAST OF COMEDIANS Dean, Negin, Maysoon Zayid, Aron Kader, Omar Elba, Preacher Moss, Kareem Omary

People Interviewed for the film

The film also includes interviews with celebrities, political pundits, community activists and religious figures:

Jon Stewart, David Cross, Soledad O’Brien, Rachel Maddow, Ali Velshi, Colin Quinn, Lizz Winstead, Janeane Garofalo, Mark Potok, Cenk Uygur,  Eli Clifton,  Lewis Black,  Imam Shamsi Ali,  Maz Jobrani

References:

NBC’s “Rock Center” segment:

CNN segment: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/13/u-s-muslim-comedy-tour-aims-to-debunk-stereotypes/

The Washington Post article and video: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/muslim-american-comics-tour-and-documentary/2011/12/27/gIQATKmULP_story.html

External Links:

Official movie website

Twitter: www.twitter.com/muslimsrcoming

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