CAIR-Chicago Reviews Play After Community Concerns

CAIR-Chicago is reviewing a play that reportedly discusses the Prophet Mohammad PBAH in an offensive way, after concerns were expressed by community members. The play, titled The Who & The What, was written by Pulitzer prize winning playwright Ayad Akhtar and recently concluded a month long run at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. Akhtar, a Pakistani-American Muslim himself, portrays a contemporary Pakistani-American family in an intimate light. Throughout the play characters discuss a manuscript portraying the Prophet Mohammad PBAH in a taboo way.

“Though the play, written by a Muslim, may not be Islamophobic in nature, we are concerned about how it may be interpreted by an audience unfamiliar with Pakistani culture or the religion of Islam. We want to ensure that the proper dialoged surrounds this play so that any future audiences fully understand the context and nuances of the story.” -Renner Larson, Communications Coordinator, CAIR-Chicago

CAIR-Chicago plans to meet with community members next week to discuss what further action may be needed to create this dialogue.

Image provided courtesy of Victory Gardens Theater.