“Ramy’ and the New American Muslims of TV

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Bilal Qureshi

Ramy Youssef, left, with Mahershala Ali in a scene from Season 2 of “Ramy.” Unlike with a lot of previous portrayals of American Muslims, Youssef’s character is unafraid to display his faith. Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu

He’s a rudderless, sexually frustrated millennial. He’s also deeply religious. He’s Ramy, the Egyptian-American at the center of the comedian Ramy Youssef’s semi-autobiographical series, “Ramy,” returning Friday for a second season on Hulu. For fans, it’s the welcome return of a nuanced portrayal of a young New Jersey Muslim struggling with his identity — a wry blend of sacred and profane that earned Youssef a Golden Globe Award in January. But the freedom to work out one’s Muslimness on TV has only recently begun to be unburdened from the pressures to be a representative and palatable Muslim. [More]