Zarqa Nawaz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zarqa Nawaz
Zarqa Nawaz is inducted into the Brampton Arts Walk of Fame
Born	1967 (age 57–58) Liverpool, England
Occupation	Journalist, broadcaster, filmmaker, writer, director, producer
Spouse(s)	Married 1993–Present
Children	4
Parent(s)	Ali and Parveen Nawaz

Zarqa Nawaz (born in 1967 in Liverpool, England) is a talented Canadian creator, producer, and writer. She works in film and television, writes books, and is a public speaker. She used to be a journalist and broadcaster.

About Zarqa Nawaz

Zarqa Nawaz grew up in the Toronto area. She first planned to become a doctor and earned a science degree from the University of Toronto. Later, she studied journalism and graduated in 1992. She worked for major Canadian news networks like CBC Radio and CTV.

Zarqa found journalism a bit boring, so she decided to try filmmaking. She took a summer film course and started making movies. She uses comedy to explore how Muslims and their neighbors get along in North America. Her company, FUNdamentalist Films, aims to "put the 'fun' back into fundamentalism."

Her Unique Comedy Style

In 2003, Zarqa talked about her movie idea, Real Terrorists Don't Bellydance. She called it a "terrordy," a mix of a terrorist movie and a comedy. Her use of humor, especially in her TV series Little Mosque on the Prairie, got a lot of attention even before it aired. This made the CBC network show it earlier than planned.

Little Mosque on the Prairie

In 2007, Zarqa Nawaz created Little Mosque on the Prairie. This was the world's first TV comedy about a Muslim community living in a Western country. The show was a huge success, getting the highest ratings ever for a CBC premiere. It won awards in Canada and internationally. In 2012, it started streaming in the United States on Hulu and is now on Amazon Prime. The Los Angeles Times newspaper said the characters in the show connected with people everywhere.

Zarqa's idea for Little Mosque on the Prairie came from her documentary Me and the Mosque. She thought that if religious leaders in mosques were from North America, they might understand local culture better. This would help them connect more with their communities, especially when it came to women's roles.

After the success of Little Mosque on the Prairie, Zarqa sold comedy show ideas to big American networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox Studios.

Her Books and Other Work

Zarqa' wrote a book called Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, published in 2014. It was nominated for several awards, including the Stephen Leacock Award for humor. Reviewers praised her funny stories about being an immigrant daughter balancing tradition and modern life.

She also wrote an advice column for the Globe & Mail newspaper. In 2018 and 2019, she hosted radio and news shows for CBC Saskatchewan.

Zarqa Nawaz received a special degree from the University of Saskatchewan for her work bringing different faiths together. In 2019, she was honored by being added to the Brampton Arts Walk of Fame for her contributions to the arts.

In 2020, Zarqa started doing stand-up comedy. She also helped create an open mic night in Regina for women and non-binary performers.

Recent Projects

In 2021, CBC Television announced a new web series called Zarqa. In this show, Zarqa Nawaz plays a divorced Muslim woman looking for love again. The series started in May 2022. Her novel Jameela Green Ruins Everything was also published in 2022 and was a finalist for the Leacock Award in 2023.

Zarqa Nawaz lives in Regina, Saskatchewan and has four children.

Her Creative Works

Here are some of the films and TV shows Zarqa Nawaz has created or written:

Short Films

• BBQ Muslims (1995) – A funny story about two Muslim brothers accused of terrorism after their barbecue explodes.
• Death Threat (1998) – A young Muslim writer pretends to get a death threat to help her book get published.
• Random Check (2005) – A man is late for his wedding after being stopped at the airport due to racial profiling.
• Fred's Burqa (2005) – A stolen burqa leads to funny mix-ups and new beginnings.

Screenplays

• Real Terrorists Don't Bellydance (2003) – A struggling actor accidentally takes a role as a stereotypical Muslim terrorist, which upsets his fiancée.

Feature-Length Films

• Me and the Mosque (2005) – A documentary exploring the role of women in Islam, both historically and in Canada today.

Television Series (Creator/Writer)

• Little Mosque on the Prairie (2007-2012) – A comedy about the relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims in a small Saskatchewan town.
• Zarqa (2022–Present) - A comedy about a middle-aged Muslim woman who is divorced and trying to outdo her ex-husband after he gets engaged to a much younger woman.

See also

• List of Pakistani journalists