“Ramy” is a new show on Hulu, and if you haven’t watched it yet, then pull out your laptop, log onto your account and start from episode one. Without giving away too many spoilers about the show, I will say as a millennial Muslim-American, I truly resonated with some of the messages and themes that were brought up in the show. And, I believe that even if you are not a Muslim, you can relate to some aspect of the show and also become culturally aware of things that occur within a Muslim household.
Ramy is an Egyptian man living with his parents in New York trying to navigate his life in terms of career, relationships, friendships, family, and religion. He’s struggling to straddle American dating culture and practicing his faith righteously, while also dealing with pressure from his parents and friends. There are ten episodes in the first season and they all range from 25-27 mins long. You only really get to see the character development for Ramy and not necessarily the other characters, which was my own problem with the show but hopefully, my questions will be answered in another season!
For me, this show was important not only because of the Muslim representation on film/media, but because it highlighted stories that made others learn about who we are and how we also navigate the U.S. culture just like anyone else who was born and raised here. “Ramy” is a game-changer. It brings “radical” and “revolutionary” concepts to the forefront and I know for a fact, that these issues tend to be taboo in my culture, such as sex, porn culture, and alcohol. Some criticism that I’ve heard is that it’s a bad representation of Islam and millennial Muslims, but that’s because no one is willing to admit how honest and real the issues that “Ramy” is portraying are. People are uncomfortable with the idea of confronting their habits that are deemed as “sinful” or “wrong”. The whole point of the show is to recognize how we’re human and on this journey of figuring ourselves out and what certain values mean to us, with and without faith.
The show isn’t perfect of course, but it’s a great start for putting narratives and stories out there that haven’t been shun in the same light. I highly recommend you join Ramy on his journey to figuring his purpose out and learning religious and cultural similarities/differences among us all.
(via giphy)