{"id":470458,"date":"2022-07-04T18:05:05","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T15:05:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/kausar-mohammed-on-her-career-and-queer-muslim-representation\/"},"modified":"2022-07-04T18:05:05","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T15:05:05","slug":"kausar-mohammed-on-her-career-and-queer-muslim-representation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/kausar-mohammed-on-her-career-and-queer-muslim-representation\/","title":{"rendered":"#Kausar Mohammed on Her Career and Queer Muslim Representation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36887f92143\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36887f92143\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/kausar-mohammed-on-her-career-and-queer-muslim-representation\/#%E2%80%9CKausar_Mohammed_on_Her_Career_and_Queer_Muslim_Representation%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Kausar Mohammed on Her Career and Queer Muslim Representation&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/kausar-mohammed-on-her-career-and-queer-muslim-representation\/#Fighting_to_Uplift_BIPOC_Voices\" >Fighting to Uplift BIPOC Voices<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/kausar-mohammed-on-her-career-and-queer-muslim-representation\/#Creating_Queer_Muslim_Spaces_in_Hollywood\" >Creating Queer Muslim Spaces in Hollywood<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CKausar_Mohammed_on_Her_Career_and_Queer_Muslim_Representation%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Kausar Mohammed on Her Career and Queer Muslim Representation&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\nAmerican actress <strong>Kausar Mohammed<\/strong> is fighting for a much-needed change when it comes to diversity and representation in Hollywood. The UCLA alumna\u2019s voice can be found on shows like <em>Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous <\/em>and <em>The Pretenders<\/em>, but viewers can also spot her on <em>The Flash<\/em> and CW\u2019s <em>4400<\/em>. A queer Muslim writer, Mohammed also wrote and starred in <em>The Syed Family XMAS Eve <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a> Night<\/em>, which premiered at TIFF in 2021. Outside of acting, she works with SHIFT to actively advocate for an equitable future.<br \/>\n <!-- No winning ad found for zone: word count #1! --><!-- No winning ad found for zone: below first paragraph! --><!-- No winning ad found for zone: mid intro! --><br \/>\nAhead of the new release of the final season of <em>Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous <\/em>on July 20, MovieWeb has discussed with Kausar her career and activism so far.<br \/>\n<!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><\/p>\n<div class=\"adsninja-ad-zone\" id=\"adsninja-ad-zone-MW-Reg-Org\">\n<div id=\"dynamically-injected-refresh-ad-zone-MW-Reg-Org\" class=\"dynamically-injected-refresh-ad-zone\">\n<div class=\"ad-current\">\n<div id=\"ad-zone-container-MW-Reg-Org\" class=\"ad-zone-container ad-zone-container-content-character-count-repeatable-1\" data-no-fill-collapsable=\"false\"><strong class=\"ad-zone-advertising-tag\">MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- No winning ad found for zone: native in content! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"fighting-to-uplift-bipoc-voices\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fighting_to_Uplift_BIPOC_Voices\"><\/span> Fighting to Uplift BIPOC Voices<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape\">\n<div class=\"responsive-img expandable img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:52.5%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-season-2-1253870-2.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;Universal Pictures&quot;\">\n<figure> <picture> <!--[if IE 9]> <video style=\"display: none;\"><![endif]--><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" sizes=\"750px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-season-2-1253870-2.jpg?q=50&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=750&amp;dpr=1.5\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" sizes=\"943px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-season-2-1253870-2.jpg?q=50&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=943&amp;dpr=1.5\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px)\" sizes=\"767px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-season-2-1253870-2.jpg?q=50&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=767&amp;dpr=1.5\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" sizes=\"480px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-season-2-1253870-2.jpg?q=50&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=1.5\"\/><!--[if IE 9]><\/video><![endif]--><img width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Group of kids look into camera viewfinder.\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/jurassic-world-camp-cretaceous-season-2-1253870-2.jpg\"\/> <\/picture><figcaption class=\"body-img-caption\">Universal Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>MovieWeb: You\u2019ve had roles on <em>Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous<\/em> and <em>The Flash<\/em> recently, which is incredible! You\u2019re also a team member at SHIFT, a consulting company on racial and gender equality. Tell us a little about how you\u2019ve come to this point as an activist and actor.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kausar Mohammed: To me my work in TV\/Film and with SHIFT is connected to each other. Both are about centering and giving a voice to femme and queer BIPOC and People of the Global Majority voices. SHIFT provides JEDI (justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion) consultation and training for various organizations, corporations, and campuses. SHIFT was started at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017. I remember being on set for a project when the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> about Weinstein came to surface and everyone was stunned. Looking around me there were faces of folks who had wanted to be able to talk about consent, the impact of community trauma, but who maybe didn\u2019t have the tools or the safe space to do so.<br \/>\n<!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><br \/>\n <!-- No winning ad found for zone: word count #2! --><br \/>\nI realized the conversations that I had been equipped to have through artivism spaces I had been in in college were hard to find anywhere else. So, along with two brilliant women I knew, Natalie Bui and Veline Mojarro, we started SHIFT. Our intention is to uplift the voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Color, femme folks, artists, survivors, queer people front and center around discussions of consent and anti-white supremacy work. It\u2019s through my work with SHIFT that I\u2019ve realized my mission to create stories that center narratives of joy and solidarity for BIPOC and queer people. And how I want to do it by embedding values of community care on and off set in the process.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MovieWeb: The fifth and final season of <em>Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous<\/em> is coming out soon! What can we expect from this season and your character?<\/strong><br \/>\n<!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><br \/>\n <!-- No winning ad found for zone: word count #3! --><br \/>\nKausar Mohammed: I am so excited for it to be released on July 21st. After having seen our main characters grow so much in the past four seasons we REALLY get to see how their friendships, growth, and ability to run for their lives is put to the test. Particularly for the character I voice, Yaz, what I can say is that we see her tap into a side of herself that she didn\u2019t even know she had in her.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"related-single\">Related: Why Ms. Marvel Is the Muslim Representation We Need in 2022<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"creating-queer-muslim-spaces-in-hollywood\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Creating_Queer_Muslim_Spaces_in_Hollywood\"><\/span> Creating Queer Muslim Spaces in Hollywood<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape\">\n<div class=\"responsive-img expandable img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:52.5%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MV5BNTQ5ZTU3MmItNzk1NS00YTgzLWJjZDktNTM4YmI1OGU3Y2UwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ5OTM0NDg@_V1_-2.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;SpeakOut Films&quot;\">\n<figure> <picture> <!--[if IE 9]> <video style=\"display: none;\"><![endif]--><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" sizes=\"750px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MV5BNTQ5ZTU3MmItNzk1NS00YTgzLWJjZDktNTM4YmI1OGU3Y2UwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ5OTM0NDg@_V1_-2.jpg?q=50&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=750&amp;dpr=1.5\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" sizes=\"943px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MV5BNTQ5ZTU3MmItNzk1NS00YTgzLWJjZDktNTM4YmI1OGU3Y2UwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ5OTM0NDg@_V1_-2.jpg?q=50&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=943&amp;dpr=1.5\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 481px)\" sizes=\"767px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MV5BNTQ5ZTU3MmItNzk1NS00YTgzLWJjZDktNTM4YmI1OGU3Y2UwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ5OTM0NDg@_V1_-2.jpg?q=50&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=767&amp;dpr=1.5\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" sizes=\"480px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MV5BNTQ5ZTU3MmItNzk1NS00YTgzLWJjZDktNTM4YmI1OGU3Y2UwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ5OTM0NDg@_V1_-2.jpg?q=50&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=1.5\"\/><!--[if IE 9]><\/video><![endif]--><img width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Same-sex female couple stands next to each other while another woman looks on.\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MV5BNTQ5ZTU3MmItNzk1NS00YTgzLWJjZDktNTM4YmI1OGU3Y2UwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTQ5OTM0NDg@_V1_-2.jpg\"\/> <\/picture><figcaption class=\"body-img-caption\">SpeakOut Films<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>MovieWeb: You wrote and starred in <em>The Syed Family XMAS Eve Game Night<\/em>, which premiered at TIFF 2021. It truly is a groundbreaking short film in terms of representation. What inspired the story, and what was the process of creating it like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kausar Mohammed: The story was inspired by well, real life! I am the baby of two older sisters whom I love very very much so introducing them to my girlfriend for the first time was terrifying. I introduced them around the holidays and I remember all these nightmares coming up about the ways it could go wrong. And some of the scenes of the short were born out of those nightmares! And of course, none of those things even actually h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened because both my sisters and partner are lovely lovely people. But I had to get them out of my brain. Also &#8211; the story came to me at a point where I was really struggling with holding my queer identities along with my South Asian and Muslim identities. I needed a happy ending for my main character where they get to hold on to their queerness and their family because I felt like I hadn\u2019t seen it anywhere else yet. And maybe if I could see it on screen, I\u2019d have a visual to manifest towards for myself.<br \/>\n<!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><br \/>\n <!-- No winning ad found for zone: word count #4! --><br \/>\n<strong>MovieWeb: Rumor has it we might be seeing more of the short film\u2014but instead adapted for television. Are we potentially seeing more of these characters in the near future?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kausar Mohammed: Fawzia Mirza was the director on TSXEGM and I am excited to say we are continuing our collaborations in various different ways. On another note, she is not only an amazing director\/writer but a wonderful human being that I\u2019m so happy to work with. So, you\u2019ll be seeing a little the different things we\u2019re up to soon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MovieWeb: <em>The Syed Family XMAS Eve Game Night<\/em> exposes a large gap in Hollywood when it comes to having female Muslim (let alone LGBTQ+ Muslim women) and non-binary characters. As a person of color who has had to navigate the entertainment industry in spaces where these characters historically do not exist organically, what challenges have you faced?<\/strong><br \/>\n<!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><br \/>\n <!-- No winning ad found for zone: word count #5! --><br \/>\nKausar Mohammed: Absolutely. Muslims are 24.7% of the world\u2019s population. And a study from the Pillars Fund in 2021 shared that out of a study of 200 popular films, only 1 of them were of queer male Muslim character. And then on top of that, representations of queer BIPOC folks on TV is also stark. I feel so grateful to have played characters like Soraya on 4400 or even Farha on East of La Brea that powerfully represent Muslims (and even Muslim Queer women). But I feel like there certainly are challenges and extra labor\u2026 labor that I know other non-white, non-hetero actors have to go through. From advocating for authenticity of your character because there\u2019s not someone of your actual identities in the writers room to having difficult conversations if a queer female scene is being shot through a male gaze. You could even throw on unpaid language translations to being asked how to tie a hijab (which, as a non-covering Muslim, I am not good at!). So against this backdrop &#8211; its not important to me that people always get it right &#8211; but that who I work with is open and willing to have conversations and learn. Representation isn\u2019t treated as a favor or a dog treat handed out to people from historically marginalized background, but instead treated as the powerful tool that it can be to combat patriarchy, homophobia, and Islamophobia.<br \/>\n<!-- Zone: character count repeatable. --><br \/>\n <!-- No winning ad found for zone: word count #6! --> <\/p>\n<p><strong>MovieWeb: What would your dream role be? To add onto that: kind of story would you like to write\/star in?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kausar Mohammed: I want to be a villain in a fantasy movie. Bellatrix Lestrage is major dream for me. I want to write\/star in projects that place folks of my identities in places that they weren\u2019t allowed in before. Like give me a South Asian lead in 1920s U.S. Prohibition era or a Pakistani cowboy (hmm, cow woman?) in a Western! Something funky!<\/p>\n<p><strong>MovieWeb: You\u2019ve got a long career ahead of you, but what have been some of your favorite moments so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kausar Mohammed: Well, one favorite moment was certainly getting to wear the Fast Track super suit!<\/p>\n<p><strong>MovieWeb: Finally: what\u2019s next for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kausar Mohammed: I\u2019m working on developing more of my own TV\/Film projects &#8211; from creating more with Fawzia Mirza (the director of <em>The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night<\/em>) to my all South Asian sketch comedy team, The Get Brown. So I\u2019m excited to get to work on all that!<br \/>\n <!-- No winning ad found for zone: word count #7! -->\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/movieweb.com\/kausar-mohammed-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Kausar Mohammed on Her Career and Queer Muslim Representation&#8221; American actress Kausar Mohammed is fighting for a much-needed change when it comes to diversity and representation in Hollywood. The UCLA alumna\u2019s voice can be found on shows like Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous and The Pretenders, but viewers can also spot her on The Flash and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":470459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static1.moviewebimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/IMG_5009-2.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[10294],"class_list":["post-470458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}