This was originally published in print for make/shift magazine in 2015.
The Ridge
make/shift magazine
2015
The first four episodes of The Ridge are available online at muzz.nyc.
The Ridge is a science fiction comedy web series about four Muslim friends in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, surviving racial profiling and alien attack. Created by Ali Abbas, the show playfully and intelligently highlights and deconstructs Muslim stereotypes. The Ridge is about beating viewers to the punch, while dissecting realities of Muslim life in the United States.
While some stereotypes are played up for comedic effect, Aneesa (Layla Khoshnoudi), Laila (Sunita Deshpande), Isaac (Ali Abbas), and Sam (Abraham Makany) are not like any Muslim characters on television. They reflect their environment, mixing New York City hipster attitudes of apathy and irony with a heavy dose of sarcasm. Coming from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, all four display their heritage in clothing that meshes fashion with tradition, such as Aneesa’s modern scarves and Isaac’s sweater checkered with flags of Muslim countries. It’s not just the wardrobe–each character represents often-unseen facets of Muslim communities. Isaac is openly gay, Sam is a self-proclaimed lady’s man, and Aneesa and Laila are independent and commanding women.
Aneesa’s scarf and Isaac’s sexuality are the two most obvious and challenged stereotypes on the show. Aneesa’s scarf is a style never shown on television, but recognizable to Muslim viewers. Laila questions Aneesa, telling Aneesa that scarves attract certain assumptions from within and outside the community. The exchange allows Aneesa to declare her choice in how she presents herself. Just as Aneesa’s scarf does not define her, Isaac’s sexuality does not define him, nor is he a gay stereotype. Homosexuality is a contentious issue within the Muslim community. Despite a queer Muslim population, homosexuality is illegal in Muslim countries. A gay Muslim character challenges assumptions for Muslim and non-Muslim viewers.
The biggest stereotype about Muslims revolves around terrorism. By looks alone, Aneesa, Laila, Isaac, and Sam do not fit the typical image of Muslim as terrorist. The characters are however under NYPD surveillance, and are eventually attacked by the police officer, Katherine, (Jade Lane) tasked with watching them, a reminder that to be Muslim – no matter how one appears and behaves – means to be targeted. The friends kill Katherine in self-defense, and hide her body, fearing they won’t be believed. Mixed up in the seriousness of racial profiling and victim blaming there is humor and some self-deprecation. Laila, for example, is more concerned about damaging her rug than the fact that her rug is being used to transport a dead body. Laila’s anxiety over the rug feels like an inside joke for Muslim viewers, but also relatable for all viewers in its absurdity.
The Ridge strives to create Muslim characters unique to those in popular culture, and based in reality. To see one’s self represented in a believable way is empowering and validating. Aneesa, Laila, Sam, and Isaac challenge assumptions of non-Muslim viewers, while legitimizing Muslims. The Ridge proves it is possible to portray a community in a positive, funny, and compelling way.