International criminal court over the killing of al jazeera journal is showing up our claim. Its the 2nd complaint filed at the un talk court since the palestinian american was shot by Israeli Forces while on assignments and the occupied west bank in may. Step wanston is in the hague. Well, its now more than 4 months after the killing off to read novel utley and the wounding of her colleague ali some audi. And so far it hasnt been any independent criminal investigation by isreal, let alone someone held accountable for her killy. So what the has now been decided is that the family has asked lawyers to file a complaint official complaint here at the International Criminal court to start an investigation into her death and also the injury of ali. So mm. Audi the present, the Palestinian Press syndicate is also a supporting dis complained as is the independence of federation for journalists. Afghanistan has released to the american Citizen Exchange for taliban ally in a prisoner swamp deal. Bashar knows i was imprisoned in the u. S. On Drug Trafficking charges on american, Mark Fredericks was abducted in 2020. The russian bank met in the eastern city of the landscape, accusing Ukrainian Forces of killing 13 people after shilling the area 2 children are said to be among the casualties. 11 School Children have been killed in walk. Witnesses say was a helicopter attack by men, most military on a school and village in the countries north. The schools administrator says that after the initial air attack, parent 80 soldiers entered the school within a buddhist monetary a u. S judge has thrown out a baltimore mans murder conviction in a case highlighted by a popular podcast at man science spent more than 33 years in jail for the killing of his ex girlfriend. A decision is expected within weeks of whether hes to face re trial or be declared innocent. Ah britain, this fit so well to Queen Elizabeth the 2nd with the state feudal, attended by royalty, had serv, stations of the dignitaries. America was laid to rest. Windsor castle is 70 a reign the longest in british history. Are those the headlines that hes continues on al jazeera, off to the stream from the wall in ukraine to the Global Energy crisis. And the impact of climate change. The need for International Cooperation has never been more vital as leaders from a 193 members steaks gather for the United Nations general assembly. Will we see any breakthroughs on al jazeera did with welcome to that stream, i much, much have a dean today. Im delighted to be talking to mom, madame it, 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, yourselves. 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 an ordinary palestinian american family. And in doing so, humanizing them something thats never really been done before on tv. Check out this trailer. I saw the lego with no, with your shoes on what . Come on it with. Okay, no brother, let me show you. So with that crap selling merger, the only thing i could do without papers to support my family. Petro emotion, my last 4. My last one is will practical p r d g o d. And if you could tell me something, what does that tend to be though . Please explain with a minute. A 5th is a huge problem, a couple hours away, not palestine, texas. Israel may involve film to real branding issue. Please welcome to the show from houston, texas, mom and co creator and star mo, mo, thanks so much for being with us. I dont think ive ever said most so many times in my life more. More money, more problems. Its like tiles down on the show. Man. Its 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. Theyve never heard of the show. They dont know you. Whats the show really about to me, it was clear, its a labor of love to say the very least. Whats it about to you . Sure. The show about belonging. Its about what a result of statements miss a, you know, people are similar in america, fish out of water or somebody whos struggling, trying to fit in and take care of their family. Well, so losing themselves spiritually along the way. I mean, its very complex. Theres 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 fathers, theres so much to talk about generational displacement. Its a lot, its, it seems like its 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 and sacrificing lat include the spiritual wellness, the mental health, their actual health, physical health so its michelle is very complex and it is a cavity you know, you start describing to show me 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 dont want to get bogged down in the tragedy. But something that you said, you know, theres about a real family with real problems that have been displaced over generations. But in a lot of ways, for as much as its about palestine, its 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 alias, the neighborhood, the suburb of houston that we felt most of the news in is any language is spoken in alone. Theres no zoning and use. And so everybody is literally next to each other. You havent even the restaurant next for African Foods by next to mexican church, next to a lot of bakery like its is that kind of town and suburb. So in such a big export of music and talent, you know, from lives out of megan estallion, the beyond say, travis scott, robert glass for, i mean before that, but be paul. Well, i can keep going. Real long toby, whos blowing up by now nigeria 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 as history, and they had a narrative sick filmed out of here. So it was, it was a no brainer and a deal breaker. We couldnt do it. And thats why its so beautiful, you know, for as much as its 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 thats, that thats what makes it so palpable to me. I want to share with you a video that was sent to us by fan, someone who has a lot to say about what youve accomplished with the series. Take a listen. Thank you so much for representing palestinian culture and the way that you did other than something thats always seen as just struggle in hard break. I think people got to see us for who we really can be, which is just like everybody else. And i think its 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 im going into the film industry, im going into the comedy industry and its people like you, its 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 isnt the only one thing you i mean yeah. How do you feel . Ive chose, man, i chose when i 1st started stand up as a teenage kid in the mid ninetys. Yeah, yeah. I was me in the south out as a mom in texas who believe yanna arkansas or new mexico. What have you so it felt really lonely and to see the reception 1st of all across the board to be so well received and. And then its inspiring people in certain way odyssey is going to take years to truly see the impact and to really like soak it in completely. It does moment right now im just looking around like, is this real like . Its pretty, its really so real and you have to pinch yourself, but i couldnt be more proud. And thats what i did when i was creating the show and building it out and casting michelle and writing it out. Every part of it, theres 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 criticism for me a mom, shes like the peter bread is not steamy. You know. Okay, well if thats the only thing i miss, im so grateful for that. But its, its huge. Its absolutely huge. And i just dont know what to say, im overwhelmed by it. It makes me emotional to see that i know what it feels like to get a loan up there and not feel seen. And its just such a privilege that i, that i get to bring it to everyone. And then i thought thats really the bow, right . Its 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 comments on youtube. But what before i get to them, i want to just ask you, i mean, you know, the trailer palestinians in this 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 in 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 youll see something thats like tragedy based, or, you know, its like a family floating to another. Can country, are they going to make it not . This is just really focused on the characters and what they go through. And i think it makes it way more reliable and its, yes, its like, its like food, but its the difference as google, as far as buyers isnt. This is for us for everyone, you know, like it has to be completely reliable. And 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 its, its a story by belonging and feeling like youre less than and, and you want to be equal to the person next to you. So is just really important. Just keep calling it on the characters, some episode gabby and Digging Deeper and deeper into each person. Yeah. And we do get to go so deep, even though its still season one and my sense is that theres a promise of a lot more in depth to come with each character and the complexity of this world that youre 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 havent lost it. I didnt 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 1000 christian and you have which i was also a forgotten thing, right. Which is really upsetting, really, that theres past encryption that exist and thats completely lost in the conversation. And also like these relationships exist to where they can be deeply pass about, theres use argumentative and just like going at each other. But at the same time, when the waiter comes over, you want something to drink. Hes concerned is that he would you like sugar with your coffee or heater and hot, so to show that compassion and that relationship is also really important, just because you have heated conversations doesnt mean you cant be friends, right . And historically my mothers told me so many stories and my grandfather having friends with people across the board with christian jewish. And that that was really important for me as well. That that is a story about unification. Its not something which intended to divide us. This is the opposite. Ive had enough of this division, quite frankly. I know a lot of people feel the same and so i just wasnt going to have that in the series as well. No. I think in such polarized times, you know, coming out of the black, the black lives Matter Movement and everything thats happened the last few years in the u. S. Context with president trump. It really feels like its not a coincidence that maybe it is, but that this show is coming out at this time in a really a cemented in black culture in houston. Cemented in this solidarity that weve seen the last couple years at palestine. I, you know, i dont think things are necessarily coincidences, but for our audience, who might be like one of these 2 guys talking about, lets give them a little clip about your pin trail of state. Lets, lets say 2nd generation state listeners take, take a look to the list. This is now, you know, generational and theres so many different layers to immigration and different ways to get your citizenship. Different paths to that, whether it be through marriage, go through the sales process. And that was part of the story that i wanted to tell which is then take to my experience. And theres much more to tell 22 years of been telling ourselves everythings going to be fine. Well, its never going to happen. Pay you a think me and your dad. So dad feeling saw the boat always said we daddy on it is. Oh, we on carry on, i mean kind of in the 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. Im curious. I how was that borne from your own lonely experience, navigating bad . Well, i mean the ending of episode 7 is exactly what happened to us. Theres a lot of it, there was in the series, youll see its copy paste of experience. And of course we fictionalize along the way. But its a really complex one where people think, did you come migrate to america . Here we go. The sy leaves the 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, its 65 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 youre working, you are contributing. You are, youre paying your taxes, but you dont have any rights like everyone else does. And 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 dont want to do. And i think thats overall the biggest system thats going to move too slow, but it puts people in really bad situations where theyre forced to do the legal things potentially, which goes against their nature, goes against a moral character, goes against how theyre 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 dont want to keep kind of hammering the point, but for as much as this is a palestinian story, its a story about immigration, its an american story. You know, its, its 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. You know, 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 in how to, how to present this story. It is really natural, july and its not something that was calculated. Its just how i live my life. My friend group is a well rounded mixed group of individuals, and it was just easy to take it that way. I mean, like i said, you leave in houston being one of the most diverse cities in america, in 80 languages, spoke alone, an alias. Thats how i grew up and how i was raised. And i think that anytime that people think of a particular experience, its just like caught mental lives to that ethnic group, which is wrong. Its universal. Everyone goes through the same issues and to, to, to just put it in a bucket. I dont think its fair. Its also not accurate. And if i film something in a lease where it was just arabs, thats also not accurate. Right . You know, thats not how it works here. Like you walk into a particular business thats 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 those that i worked for that when i was a teenager that you know, had a ledger for people that couldnt 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 it just it was that way and its 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 youve spent what a decade writing this. Yeah, i wrote the flashback in episode 7 in december somewhere. And sometime in 2014, i think was like early december 2014. So its been a while. Its been a long time. But yeah, of course you experience when i was black and its not about for me the right is why i came from, you know, the emotionality, like where, where to, what does this fit . Where does that go . And it wasnt about like a shortage of content because there was a lot of story to package. So how you parse it out for it to be a well ba