ah sarah and these other top stores. ah, the u. k. in the world have bid farewell to queen the 2nd, the state funeral ned by girl feet presidents and prime minister. she's now been late to rest her 70 year rain was the longest in british history. adam fisher has more from windsor on the private burial. so this has happened away from the world's gaze. i lived in london for 17 years, and i'd never seen it as busy as this. and there were, tends upon tens of thousands of people who felt the hot to touch history by coming to london to see their farewells to the queen. and so it, it commanded that sort of operation with more policemen, more police officers on the street than we have ever seen for any operation and may never see the like of it again. this make no mistake about it was a world event or a confusion or has knocked out power in puerto rico and 90 percent of the odd and has without electricity here in a landfill on sunday. it's now batching the dominican republic. at least one person has been killed, often earthquake struck off the coast of leprosy turn to married us in western mexico. the us geological survey says it was a $7.00 magnitude quake. the trends were felt in mexico city where residence ran into the streets for safety. buildings on infrastructure were damaged in the city of london near on the pacific coast. the quaint happened on the anniversary of 2 devastating earthquakes in 19852017. in ukraine, the russian mer in the eastern city of done the exc, is accusing ukrainian forces of killing 13 people after shutting the area to children are said to be among the casualties from the city has been controlled by russian mac separatists. since 2014 it's all about has released from the american citizen exchange for an afghan tribal leader. as he knows i was serving life in the u. s. present on drug charges, or contract him up for x as in detention african. it's done since early 2020 and he's continues here in al jazeera after the st. some the war in ukraine to the global energy crisis, and the impact of climate change. the need for international cooperation have never been more vital as leaders from a 193 members states gap of the united nations general assembly. will we see any breakthroughs on al jazeera? god. welcome to the stream i mass met savvy dean. today i'm delighted to be talking to muhammad ahmed a palestinian american comedian, who stars in the new head series mo, on netflix. now, i know those of you who seen it. i have a lot of questions for mo, yourself. so here is your chance to ask him, share them with us on youtube. ah, the new head comedy show is inspired by some of the challenges and traumas that mo, faced in his own life. he also lost his father at a young age was forced to flee to the u. s. from kuwait during the 1st gulf war and navigated the u. s. immigration system as a refugee. the show is a critical success to say the least making waves for portraying and ordinary palestinian american family. and in doing so, humanizing them something that's never really been done before on t v. check out this trailer. i saw the leg a leave your shoes on. what come on in new york, with kato, rather let me show you with that crap selling merge is the only thing i could do without papers. i mean to support my family. petro motion my last 4 of my last a practical p. talk to g, o. d into glitter told me from the what is the trinity though? please explain with a huge problem. there were a couple hours away. no, not past 9. texas. israel may involve film to real branding issue. please welcome to the show from houston, texas, mom and co creator and star of mo, mo, thanks so much for being with us. i don't think i've ever said most so many times in my life. more, more money, more problems just like tiles down on the show. man, it's so great to have you with us. thank you for having me. really a pleasure to be on. i have to ask you just from, from, from the get go, i want to give you an opportunity for our audience who may be living under a rock. they've never heard of the show. they don't know you. what's the show really about to me, it was clear, it's a labor of love to say the very least. what's it about to you? sure. the show about belonging. it's about what a result of statements miss a, you know, people are similar in america, fish out of water or somebody who's struggling, trying to fit in and take care of their family. well, so losing themselves spiritually along the way. i mean, it's very complex. there's so many layers to it is origin story is done package as well the, you know, the mother story, the, the, you know, my story, my brothers, my sisters, my father's, there's so much to talk about generational displacement. it's a lot, it's, it seems like it's an immigrant shell, but it really is for everyone. anyone who has experience struggle that is going on life living paycheck to paycheck, trying to take care of their families, trying to live up to their expectations or things expectations along the way. it's sacrificing lat include the spiritual wellness, the mental health, their actual health, physical health. so it's the show is very complex and it is the cavity. you know, you start describing michelle related, funny like get it is going to be very funny. it is also going to be very, very serious attacks, very, very real, very ra, very authentic. and i think, you know, the comedy hit harder because, you know, the tragedy is so strong and i don't want to get bogged down in the tragedy. but something that you said, you know, there's about a real family with real problems that have been displaced over generations. but in a lot of ways for as much as it's about palestine, it's also about houston. it felt in some ways, like houston, this place that you were raised, essentially, you know, the big character and in the series was that intentional? absolutely. it was intentionally completely by design. houston is the most diverse city in america, the elite, the neighborhood, the suburb of houston that we feel most of the news in is any language is spoken in alone. there's no zoning and use, and so everybody is literally next to each other. you haven't even the restaurant next for african food spot. next to mexican church, next to a lot of bakery like it's, it's that kind of town and suburbs in such a big export of music and talent, you know, from lives out of megan estallion, the beyond said, travis scott, robert glass for, i mean before that, but be paul. well, i can keep going. real long, toby, who's blowing up by now nigerian background, my co star in the show. it just is a really unique neighborhood, something in the water year. and it really was shocking to me that never in houston's history. and they had a narrative sick filmed out of here. so it was, it was a, you know, a no brainer and a deal breaker. we couldn't do it. and that's why it's so beautiful, you know, for as much as it's being celebrated that this is the 1st time we have the palestinian family, a palestinian there. narrative in this depth. as you just said, the same could be, could be said, maybe about houston. and i think that's, that that's what makes it so palpable to me. i want to share with you a video that was sent to us by fans. someone who has a lot to say about what you've accomplished with the series. take a listen. thank you so much for representing palestinian culture and the way that you did other than something that's always seen as just struggle and hard break. i think people got to see us for who we really can be, which is just like everybody else. and i think it's a branding issue, was the most genius, comedic line to summarize everything that we go through as palestinians in our struggle. but honestly, when the credits rolled at the end and every name was arab, palestinian was just there to be seen. i had never felt more proud, especially at a time when i'm going into the film industry, i'm going into the comedy industry and it's people like you, it's people like it. people that cast and crew that made this show come to life. how does it make you feel? hearing the things i know grace isn't the only one thing you i mean yeah. how do you feel i've kills man. i chose you know, when i 1st started stand up as a teenage kid in the mid ninety's. yeah, yeah. i was me in the south out as a mom and in texas or believe yanna arkansas or new mexico. what have you, so it felt really lonely and to see the, the reception 1st of all across the board to be so well received and, and then it's inspiring people in certain way. odyssey is going to take years to truly see the impact and to really like soak it in completely at this moment. right now i'm just looking around like, is this real like that? it's pretty, it's really so real and you have to pinch yourself, but i couldn't be more proud. and that's what i did when i was creating the show and building it out and casting michelle and writing it out. every part of it, there's not one second of the series that is not with purpose. like every part of it was, was well thought out. i mean the only one of the only credits in the house. me a mom. she's like the peter bread is not steamy, you know. okay, well if that's the only thing i missed, then i'm so grateful for that. but it's, it's huge. it's absolutely huge and i just don't know what to say. i'm overwhelmed by it. it makes me emotional to see that i know what it feels like to get a loan up there and that feel seen and it's just such a privilege that i, that i get to bring it to everyone. and then i put, that's really the bow, right? it's about that search for belonging, that not only wanting to be seen, but seen in the true sense of that word, you know, in your entirety and your complexity. i think, you know, a lot of people are sending us comments on youtube. but what before i get to them, i want to just ask you, i mean, you know, the trailer palestinians in that is, is, at least to me, seems deliberately not focused on the tragedy. something that i think too often with all the misrepresentation, whether in the news or media is what associated with that. was that deliberate and why was that important? if it was to use you know, it was important just to focus on the characters and the story. so the story is really grounded in my dna, and in my experience of, of coming years in the sy lee, where do you get my citizenship for 20 years and what was that like? and i think that too many times you'll see something that's like tragedy based, or, you know, it's like a family floating to another. can country, are they going to make this is really focused on the characters and what they go through. and i think it makes it way more reliable and it's yes, it's like, it's like food, but it's the difference as google, as far as bias, is this, this is for us for everyone. you know, like it has to be completely related. boy, the way to do that is to focus on the characters, to focus on the story and make sure that you give it time and allow it that breathing room so we can be what it is like it it's, it's a story about belonging and feeling like you're less than and, and you want to be equal to the person next to you. so it's just really important. just keep calling it on the characters from episode gabby and digging deeper and deeper into each person. yeah. and we do get to go so deep, even though it's still season one and my sense is that there's a promise of a lot more in depth to come with each character and the complexity of this world that you're and i do. yeah, glad you were going to say i wanted to. yeah, i want to add something just killed because i was, i had the most of it and i didn't want to make it a hyper political show as well. right. so many cases you, you get lost in that in politics are due to personal people and relate ability is everything, right? and and so like i love the love the year ab, a character where you have a passion christian and you have which i was also forgotten saying, which is really upsetting, really, that there's passion, christian that exist. and that's completely lost in the conversation. and also like these relationships exist to where they can be deeply pass about, there's use argumentative and just like going at each other. but at the same time, when the waiter comes over, you want something to drink. he's concerned is that he would you like sugar with your coffee or each year. so to show that compassion and that relationship is also really important, just because you have heated conversations, doesn't mean you can't be friends, right? and historically my mother's told me so many stories of my grandfather having friends with people across the board with christian jewish. and, and that was really important to me as well. give them a story about unification. it's not something that's intended to divide us. this is the opposite. i've had enough of this division, quite frankly. i know a lot of people feel the same. so i just wasn't going to have that in the series as well. no. and i think in such polarized times, you know, coming out of the black, the black lives matter movement and everything that's happened the last few years in the us context with president trump. it really feels like it's not a coincidence that maybe it is. but that this show is coming out at this time, you know, really a cemented in black culture. and houston cemented in this solidarity that we've seen the last couple years at palestine. i, you know, i don't think things are necessarily coincidences. but for audience, who might be like one of these 2 guys talking about, let's give them a little bit about your pin trail of state let's, let's say 2nd generation state list. let's take a look at the list. this is now, you know, generational and there's so many different layers to immigration and different ways to get your citizenship different paths to that, whether it be through marriage going through this highly process. and that was part of the story that i wanted to tell which is then take to my experience. and there's much more to tell 22 years of been telling ourselves everything's going to be fine . well, it's never going to happen. oh you think me and your dad so dad feeling saw the boat always said we get a on it is oh we on carry on. i mean, the kind of a theme, a message in the show that, that really hit me when i saw that moment for so many reasons. i want to ask you off the back of that. i mean, the depiction of the u. s. immigration system. you make a lot of social commentary in this, but the u. s. immigration system, i, it says it says hilarious as it is heart wrenching. i'm curious. i how with bad borne from your own lonely experience, navigating bad? well, i mean the ending of episode 7 is exactly what happened to us. there's a lot of it, there was in the series, you'll see it's copy paste of experience. and of course is fictionalized along the way. but it's a really complex one where people think, did you come migrate to america? here we go. the sy leaves or refugees are coming and you know, this is become us citizens overnight. does not know what happens takes years to get a hearing. in some cases, even more, and then what time you get a grant to asylum, it takes you 5 years to get your green card and it takes you a little 5 years before you can file your citizenship. so you can imagine. so you looking at minimum 10 plus years before you come us, while you're working, you are contributing. you are, you're paying your taxes, but you don't have any rights like everyone else does. it puts you in a really tough situation where almost forces you to do things on the table and force you to do a legal thing. you don't want to do. and i think that's overall the biggest b 5 system that's going to move too slow, but it puts people in really bad situations where they're forced to do the legal things, potentially, which goes against their nature, goes against a moral character, goes against how they're raised or the system is set up in a way to where it made it makes it easy to, to submit to those things. and you know, i don't want to keep kind of hammering the point, but for as much as this is a palestinian story, it's a story about immigration, it's an american story. you know, it's, it's so many different things. and what i think was so compelling and effective for a group of people that have been marginalized in the media and in the mainstream. especially in hollywood, you kind of made it seem like the palestinian narrative was kind of part and parcel or like in tandem where the other reality is in the american experience, whether brown or black working class people. do you attribute that to a success in the show? is that just naturally who you are? was it intentional? what, there are a lot of strategy and how to, how to present this story. it is really natural, july and it's not something that was calculated. it's just how i live my life. my friend group is a well rounded mixed group of individuals, and it was just easy to take that away. i mean, like i said, you leave in houston being one of most diverse cities in america. in 80 languages, spoke alone. an alias that's how i grew up and how i was raised. and i think that anytime that people think of a particular experience, it's just called mental lives to that ethnic group, which is wrong. it's universal. everyone goes through the same issues and to, to just put it in a bucket. i don't think it's fair. it's also not accurate. and if i found something in a lease where it was just arabs, that's also not accurate, right? you know, that's not how it works. here like you walk into a particular business that's owned by arabs, i guarantee you they speak spanish. speaking of the language that they communicate with, their community is very much that way. and i remember that i worked for that when i was a teenager. that, you know, had a ledger for people that couldn't afford certain things, that became a community that you come in, take care of and get whatever you need. and god bless no problem like you're just, it was that way and still that way to do that. you know, we have a lot of people on youtube asking questions and making comments. so many people reacting positively not just to the trailer but to the show motor a thing have you experienced writers block and how do you move past it? i mean, i can imagine you've spent what a decade writing this. yeah, i wrote the flashback in episode 7 in december somewhere. and sometime in 2014, i think we like early december 2014. so it's been a while. it's been a long time. but yeah, of course the experience was black and it's not about for me the right is why came from the emotionality like where, where to, what does this fit? where does that go? and it wasn't about like a shortage of content because there was a lot of story to package, right, how you parse it out for it to be a well balanced season. one. so you feel connected and we gave every character and, and piece of drama, or comedy time to breed as the really hardest part of the whole thing. and if you're going through, it seems like whenever you do something so so big, you know, you're going to be challenged personally with something deeply emotional. and that happened to me a lot and it was great challenges. i'm grateful for them better for them. they just kind of work through it. you know that i have like an episode 3 where my friends and trying to tell me i need therapy. i highly recommend it. we recommend you, you spill your guts, out to someone that can help you navigate your way. but it's just incredible hearing you kind of talk about that process because i rarely have seen a show that is lead say new or innovative in its structure. what it's about that has been so well received. i mean, what is that 100 percent? i have a right here on rotten tomatoes, 100 percent. the critics ratings. i mean, i've seen it covered everywhere. i don't know. i don't know what the, i don't want to overstate it. but you know, is this something you would have thought of when you were doing stand up that transition from stand up to now the series, i mean was that always when you were a kid in the back, your mind like this? this feels like a common nation that could really be transformative for your career, but also for, for storytelling and palestinians. now it was constantly on my mind. stand up is my 1st love. i have to shows tonight like i'm, that's going to be there for me for storytelling in general. that's why i fell in love with stand up. now translating that to film or television is a completely different animal, but they're all related. and how you tell the story, how you visualize it and you put that up cinematically and how you want to display that to the world. but yeah, it's always been there. it's a, it's something that's a deep passion of mine. and i was never like as far as like the 100 percent around tomatoes, the audience score be 90 percent. it's it's i don't know what to say. i'm just so thrilled. i'm so happy and also like hard work does pay off. right. and it's something that my friend told me that you know, chappelle is one who used me about this because he was like, you work so hard as i saw you when you haven't stopped a left at all on the field, you have to trust the work. and once he told me that it really put me at ease, i'm like, yeah, there's literally not one second in each episode that i took for granted. and so you have to trust a work at some point. i think people who are most nervous usually have not done all that. they could do that. i didn't feel that way and i'm just blessed, received that doesn't mean like it was going to receive what i definitely felt calm . like i did everything i could like. i don't know how much i could have done, and i'm just blessed at such a great team around me that didn't help bring this to life and more, you know, you've inspired so many people so many storytellers. i have people stopping me being like could you tell me if i like have a feed out to you, but it's incredible. it's incredible to me that that's happened. and i wonder, has this at all shifted for you? what it means to be successful? you, you've had so much success in so many different ways that feels like a new realm. what is, i mean to? is it that 100 percent certified fresh? it's a great bonus. it's a great bonus to for that to happen. i'm not going to pretend like it's not, you know, well that we live it. but to me the success is when my mom is getting what have messages of the show and they don't know. she's my mother. you know, that is that when people are to me, that's like a foreigner. success is like when your mom is getting in and dated with what's at messages and i don't know that i'm her son. it's really, it's really a beautiful thing when people are ready, when i got a video of people changing my name in the streets, when donald was performing and i forgot what city they were and i think i know what city was passed. i was just changing my name, it just like people when i meet them and they're just like in like emotional about how they feel about the showing their connection to me that is good to success. you know, that to me is, is everything that went to a fight, the ortiz ortiz, and the, and the release fight. and he's a friend invited me to the match. and i was the 1st time i went outside. i was kind of like having some apps to shows, feeling anxious. it was my 1st public appearance and yeah. and made connell's walking up to me like one of us. mo, you want to was. this is incredible. this is a different thing. yeah it's. we struck a nerve that where people feel seen where their stories are being told in the vehicle just happens to be a palestinian family, may not get deeply emotional. think about it is crazy now and i know it's a beautiful thing and it's not lost on anybody i think who is understanding of the social fabric of the u. s. in this moment, after the last few years that are getting political about it, it's, i know you're all about emotions you, you're all about the jokes. but if you look at the comedy and your series, it all comes down to feelings and emotions. so beautiful, we have a comment from a res mccarty, video. com and take a listen to what she said. hello, son, recently supported his study by u. s. c. annenberg inclusion initiative, which showed that muslims are most likely to be seen on screen as victims or perpetrators have a meeting that were really under represented and comedy. even though we're hilarious thing that i love about what most show does is not shy away from the incredibly important to address systemic issues that muslims and arabs face every day in the united states. while still acknowledging that we as marginalized people deserve for quality to that, our laughter and our love. and our humanity is what allows us to survive and to rise under really difficult situations, surviving in thriving. well, as someone who is driving a lot of people asking me, ask him about season to, is it happening and what are you excited about quickly? well, i'm moving confidently like you will. i have not gotten confirmation yet, but waiting on the waiting on the news, but yeah, i'm already building it out of my mind. so much more story tell. i'm excited. incredible. and just quickly before we wrap up, black adam, how are you feeling about that? i mean, i forget that i'm a super hear a movie with a movie with the rock. amazing. yes. it's incredible. what an amazing experience to work with him and the entire cast is phenomenal. pierce brosnan, my hero, or what of what a crazy time. what a blessing my taking it for granted, and it's a changeable thing. and by the way, if everybody's wondering yes, visiting my mother, this is, this is classic. i'm a mom. i same thing in the background. i want to thank you for joining us on this show. i want to thank you also for inspiring so, so many people with your authentic storytelling and you know, keep, keep it up and thanks for joining us. for those of you at home and our show for today join us next time. ah, i saw me express his f e a every feeling this question good and has its own super stuff, like food. i'll just say, well tells the stories behind for iconic songs. passion, drama, no infidelity, and an unrequited love or of love songs on al jazeera. with this inspiring films from around the world, they shall not stop the violin and kill the power is fast witness intimate portraits and epic struggles. because when leadership is off the phone with not just the people witness the human spirit and bit to reality, there been men who believe when a property witness award winning voice is telling groundbreaking stories. witness on al jazeera, the metropolitan museum of art in york is known for its extensive collection of art from around the world. but if the museums laid a show in employee exhibition that is entering new territory and has been organizing employee exhibits for nearly 100 years. but this is the 1st time one has been opened to the public. more than 400 of the med, 1700 workers submitted, there are so even the security guards here are artistically talent, especially the security guards at the main. for me, that's really interesting. it's the people who have jobs that don't seem to be ones that involved necessarily the artistic calories. it felt an exhibition design manager daniel kershaw to organize works is installation, gives you a slice of what's on the minds of more varied types of artists in new york, then you can possibly get anywhere else. the exhibit is a sign of appreciation for the met employees and a fresh approach to art from an age old institution. aah! or a can fiona last is the dominican republic off to bringing destruction and power blackouts to puerto rico.

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