Maysoon Zayid Quotes

I think lot of Muslims have gotten fatigued by the way Muslim characters, even 'positive' ones, are portrayed in the media.

Usually in films, when Muslims pray, it's either before or after they've blown something up.

For many Americans, Osama bin Laden is the paradigmatic Muslim, an absurd conviction for anyone who has lived with Muslims.

What I hope to do in the States is to break up this stereotyping of Muslims and Arabs. I mean, we are basically the only sub-culture that is not represented in Hollywood. And it's funny because everybody is talking about the Muslim world and the Arab world, and we are not represented.

Pakistanis are rarely introduced in popular media in any form except as a member of your friendly terrorist cell next door.

If you are black on television, you are probably going to be some kind of thug, gangster, or portrayed in a negative light. If you are some type of Muslim, you are going to be blowing stuff up. If you are Hispanic, you are going to be some type of gangbanger. I've felt like this for years.

American prejudices about Europe rarely surface in headlines, but they are real, pervasive, and ingrained.

You just don't see Muslims being matter-of-fact Muslim. They're always defined by their Muslim-ness. We're either terrorists, or we're fighting terrorists. I remember seeing 'True Lies' and going, 'Why are we always the bad guys?'

In popular culture, there isn't any other conception of Islam and Muslims other than what you see on the news... When you go to a theme park, you see Muslims riding roller coasters and eating ice cream. Why doesn't anybody think of those Muslims when they think of Muslims?

In the U.S., the FBI or the people I met from the Department of Justice might be ignorant about Islam or about the East more generally, but I felt they were less willing to make blanket judgments about Muslims. This caution was less evident with some of the authorities I met in India.

I don't think male characters are as one-dimensional as female characters.

When I lived in England my perception of what people thought of me was largely formed by the media.

I did notice growing up that there are so many things, obstacles and things, that people think you can't do because you're Muslim or because you're wearing a hijab. You hear a lot of no's. That was something that I wanted to see change.

A lot of times in television, you don't get the opportunity to show real life because we're brainwashed to believe the propaganda that these things aren't marketable, that these things don't sell.

In the press, there's this desire for the black audience to be this monolithic thing that always responds to the same stars. That's a really reductive way of looking at the black audience.

The same actor plays the role of a thief and a police officer on-screen. It's not fair to look for role models in them.

We only see female protagonists who are likeable, with one cute flaw, such as adorable clumsiness. I'm fed up with it.

On TV, as in life, white folks are allowed to make mistakes, but usually, black people aren't.

Yes colorism does exist if you look at historically what's happened as far as crossing over to pop radio.

The nWo almost singlehandedly ruined the business as far as good guys, bad guys, cowboys, and Indians.

Is television a lookist industry? Of course it is.

If I can play, and change the mind of one person about being a Muslim player and having a beard, then I'll feel as if I've done my job.

One time, I went to an audition, and I stated my name, and the lady was like, 'Oh, that name sounds really familiar. I've seen you on TMZ.' Her first perception of me was what she had heard.

Let's be real: dads get a bad rap in the media. We're talking Vanilla Ice's 'Ninja Rap' bad. More often than not, they're either pop lockin' Soul Train-style after learning they aren't the father, or they're selfish man-children who have more toys than brain cells.

Don't ever believe what you see in films.