MBC salutes the CBC and Zarqa Nawaz

Released on = January 12, 2007, 6:02 pm

Press Release Author = Multicultural Business Council

Industry = Small Business

Press Release Summary = MBC applauds the new Canadian Muslim sitcom, \"Little Mosque
on the Prairie\"

Press Release Body = Viewers across Canada and some border cities in the United
States were treated to a fresh new sitcom on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
this week. "Little Mosque on the Prairie" premiered to a viewing audience more than
double CBC\'s average.

Attempting to blend national and religious humor is always a risk for a producer.
Even when it is done effectively, it can be difficult for the producer to find an
outlet for the finished product as a broadcasters worry about sponsors and a viewer
backlash.

Zarqa Nawaz, the show\'s creator, set out to produce a program that would show
Canadians a real-life view of the Muslim culture. Nawaz decided on a comedy because,
as she says, "laughter is a universal language".

She pitched the show to CBC, who had the courage to order eight episodes, the first
appearing this week. The show was heavily acclaimed for its tasteful blending of
devout Muslims with Midwest Canadians. The storyline centers around a lawyer from
Toronto who decides to leave his promising career and become a small town imam.

Wahida Valiente, national vice-president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, is quoted
by Reuters as saying, "It\'s a beginning, we have never had any comedy shows per se
about the Muslim community."

MBC, a global cultural empowerment organization located in Detroit, Michigan, USA,
salutes those who are able to use entertainment to introduce a specific culture to
the masses. "Little Mosque on the Prairie", was certainly able to do so. The show
was seen in Detroit on CBET channel 9 in Windsor, Ontario, which shares the border
with Detroit. According to rating services the show attracted 2.1 million Canadians,
a remarkable achievement considering the network normally peaks at one million
viewers.

In addition to exploring the Muslim culture, the show is able to explore small-town
Canadian culture and even had some fun with the differences between big cities and
small towns and the difficulty some Muslims experience during air travel.

At present Nawaz has not indicated any plans to develop versions of the shows for
other countries.

About Multicultural Business Council

Multicultural Business Council is a membership organization based near Detroit,
Michigan. Its purpose is to connect cultures through commerce. MBC offers
certification programs, events, cultural trips, and other venues to increase
awareness and appreciation of the multiple cultures flavoring the world. For more
information about the Multicultural Business Council, send an email to
rick@mbcglobal.org or visit www.mbcglobal.org.

Web Site = http://www.mbcglobal.org

Contact Details = Rick Weaver||1720 Northumberland Drive, Suite 202||Rochester Hills
, 48309||$$country||||248-802-6138||rick@mbcglobal.org||http://www.mbcglobal.org

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