Mo Amer has been so busy working on upcoming projects that he didn't even realise the second season of Ramy had been released.
"I started getting messages and I was like 'Yes, it's out now'."
The Palestinian-American comedian, who plays Mo in Ramy Youssef's hit comedy show, has so far been thrilled with the feedback since the season landed at the end of May.
"When you have someone like Mahershala Ali sending you messages like 'You're the cherry on top of the cake', that makes you feel real giddy inside," he tells The National over a Zoom call.
The semi-autobiographical Hulu show, which revolves a young Arab-American Muslim in the US, has received rave reviews since its first season debuted in April 2019. Earlier this year, lead actor Youssef won a Golden Globe for his performance in the series and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali joined the second season in the role of Sheikh Ali, a mosque leader.
While Ramy – which is available in the UAE on OSN – hasn't been officially picked up for a third season yet, with its current success, it's highly likely it will.
"I would be shocked if it's not [picked up]," Amer, 38, says. "Who knows? But we definitely have our hands full to try and make it even better."
Amer has come a long way from where he is right now. Born and raised in Kuwait, at the age of 9 he moved with his family to Texas following the First Gulf War. After discovering stand-up as a teen, Amer decided to try his hand at the comedy form as a way to express himself and talk about his experience.
He started touring, armed at the time with just a travel document. It took Amer and his family, who originally come from Palestine, 20 years to become American citizens. It's a story he addressed in his first comedy special The Vagabond, which came out in 2018 on Netflix, the first show of its kind by an Arab American on the streaming giant.
At the time, Amer had to make the tough decision to turn down HBO for Netflix, but for a very poignant reason.
"It was a really big deal for me because I wanted that special to be seen in Falasteen [Palestine]," he says. "To see my mum so proud and getting messages from all around the world, it was really rewarding."
As of this month, Amer has been performing stand-up for 21 years and says it's "about time" Arab American stories, such as those in Ramy, are being told.
"When they started doing these shows and allowing these specials to come out, that's how I felt," he says. "How long will you be able to do these one-sided stories and not tell the Palestinian story, for instance?"
It was a really big deal for me because I wanted that special to be seen in Falasteen [Palestine]
For Amer, that sits at the core of his aim as a comedian and actor – to provide a different narrative.
"It's going to eventually get there. 'What you resist shall persist,' that's one of my mantras," he says. "And people are hungry to learn about it."
"Even black people in America to this day are struggling to find their voice. Eventually they have their own networks and they're able to put out their own stories and this has just been in the past 20 or 25 years," he says.
The conversation brings us to what is happening in America today in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd. Amer's voice becomes more serious, bordering on emotional.
"I'll always be there for my black brothers and sisters and any community that has been dealt an unjustly hand," he says. "I've experienced so much prejudice all around the world travelling as a refugee. Seeing how people talk to me, when they see my ID and see my name and how their attitude shifts, I get it."
However, Amer is hopeful that what is happening in the US will have a ripple effect, not just in America but around the world.
"There's a lot of work to be done," he says. "We need to do a lot better.
"As a society we need to have a lot of compassion for each other. Also, [we need] those individuals who hold the power to tell the stories need to let it happen."
Despite having established his life in the US, Amer's career has allowed him to stay very much connected to the Arab world, visiting the region two or three times a year prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year, Amer made a trip to Kuwait, the country he left as a boy, for a sold-out show, even visiting the house where his family lived.
"It was super emotional," he says. "I was literally crying before the show."
He hopes to take a trip back to the Gulf soon but for now, Hollywood beckons.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
Price: Dh1,000,885
On sale: now
Results
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Results
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Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
Fight card
1. Featherweight 66kg: Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg: Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg:Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg: Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg: Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg: Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg: Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Ahmed Abdelraouf of Egypt (EGY)
9. Featherweight 66kg: Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
