B.C. Dodge & R. Mordant Mahon talk to Omar Regan in this episode of “What a Relief!” — IRUSA’s official podcast.
This week’s episode is another flashback to the 2016 24-hour Giving Tuesday podcast. They welcome a very special guest, internationally acclaimed African-American Muslim entertainer Omar Regan. Head of Halalywood Entertainment, he joins the podcast to talk about Muslims, entertainment, and more.
Halalywood is a production company responsible for representing Muslims in mainstream film. It offers a unique avenue for Muslims to explore the arts without compromising their faith.
“There are a lot of Muslim writers, actors, directors, and producers who would love to go into this field but want to hold onto their morals, their dignity, their integrity, and they want to hold onto their modesty at the same time. But it’s very difficult to do that in Hollywood,” he says.
In this episode, he talks about the challenges that Muslim artists face and how he tries to make their dreams come true. He also shares his experience directing the feature film American Sharia. The first ever feature film of its kind, it uses comedy to address serious social issues.
Tune in to get a glimpse inside the brilliant mind behind Halalywood, American Sharia, and more. Find out what motivates him, and how he tries to use art to connect us all.
“We put these walls up. We don’t allow ourselves to say hi and be friendly. We don’t connect. I want to build that. Hopefully that will encourage others to get to know each other, and that’s what the Qur’an teaches us: you’re different just to get to know each other. And we want to get back to that.”
LISTEN. SHARE. REPEAT.