‘Mo’ on Netflix breaks stereotypes, resonates with Michigan’s Arab and Muslim communities

MoAmer’sNetflixseries,“Mo,”islooselybasedonhislifeasaPalestinianrefugeeseekingasylumwithhisfamilyinHouston.ArabandMuslimMichiganderssayAmer’sseriesdeeplyresonateswiththem,astheirexperiencesareseldomauthenticallydepictedinmainstreammedia.AmerwashonoredattheArabAmericanNationalMuseum’s20thanniversarycelebration,whereDearbornMayorAbdullahHammoudpraisedhisroleinbreakingArabstereotypes.WhenanArabparentisonthephonewithfamilyoverseasandaskstheirchildiftheywanttosayhello,there’snorealchoiceinthematter.Thephoneisalreadybeinghandedover. Andprivacy?That’sanotherflexibleconcept.WhilemanyyoungadultsinWesternculturesmoveoutassoonastheyturn18,Arabparentsarequicktoremindtheirchildrenthatlivingwithfamilyisnothingtobeashamedof—whilecontinuingtodisregardpersonalspace. SuchsmallyetfamiliarmomentsarepartofwhatmakesMohammed“Mo”Amer’sNetflixseries,“Mo,”reson