Comedian Mohammed (Mo) Amer released the second season of his self-titled show Mo on Netflix at the end of January. The comedy show, loosely based on Amer’s own life, offers a timely recognition not only of the treatment of migrants but also of the condition of Palestinians.
While the timing of the release might not necessarily have been coincidental, it happened just days after the inauguration of Donald Trump. This juxtaposition is significant. Amer is an asylum seeker from Kuwait who is of Palestinian descent. Trump campaigned on the promise of mass deportations of migrants, and so far he has followed through: The administration has used military planes to deport Indian nationals, deported Venezuelan migrants to Guantanamo Bay, and incarcerated migrants in a camp in rural Panama.
In the face of these assaults on human dignity, Mo is a testimony of joy and resilience amid tragedy. The protagonist of the show faces many obstacles: escaping an unsafe country, adapting to the United States while having an uncertain immigration status, dealing with the death of his father, and being in exile from his family’s homeland.
(NB: spoilers are forthcoming)
Amer shares how his parents were born in a village in Palestine that he never had a chance to visit because his parents fled their homeland due to being forcibly displaced by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). While the family settled in Kuwait, this too became a hostile land with the Gulf War and the actions of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. As a result, the family fled to Houston as asylum seekers, and awaited more than two decades for their asylum hearing and their status to be recognized. Mo’s family could not return to visit their homeland for those years while their asylum status was in limbo, as that would have prevented them from returning to the U.S.
In the Netflix show, Mo is unable to secure legitimate employment due to his immigration status. He is forced to work under the table at a family friend’s cellphone store until threats of ICE raids caused his employer to reluctantly let him go. Mo then begins selling counterfeit merchandise out of the trunk of his car as a means of earning money to support his family.
Towards the latter part of season one, Mo eventually works at an olive tree farm. His employer tasks him with tracking down an inventory thief. Inadvertently, the robber drives to Mexico while Mo is stuck in the truck, resulting in the real complication in his immigration status and his inability to re-enter the U.S. There is a scene when Mo utilizes a coyote to cross the border, illustrating the real struggles that migrants face attempting to cross the border, coupled with the presence of American vigilantes at the border and the difficult conditions migrants experience in ICE camps.
Mo’s remaining family is his autistic brother, his mother, and an estranged sister who married a Canadian man. Mo’s father in the show died before the family left for the U.S. due to the dangerous circumstances of their escape from the Middle East. Thus, there is significant pressure on Mo to support his family amid the burdensome situation for asylum seekers to make a living.
Towards the end of season two, Mo and his family have the chance to return to this parents’ village in Palestine. In one respect, this was a homecoming and a return to his roots. At a local mosque, there were men who recounted their experience with Mo’s father and invited Mo to lead the call for prayer. In another respect, Mo experienced the danger and hardships experienced by Palestinians in their homeland. There is even a scene with the IDF at the airport pulling Mo to the side to conduct a full body search and examine his belongings. In the process, the soldiers damage one of the artifacts Mo retrieved from his family home.
A character prone to anger, in this instance Mo follows his mother’s advice, which is to smile through the pain as a means of not giving the oppressor the pleasure that their efforts are causing harm. This scene was reminiscent of the Black Joy movement, which emphasizes the power of joy as a means of countering anti-Black racism and affirming the creativity and humanity of oppressed people.
This crucial scene in the series I also found particularly impactful from a faith perspective. Mo has every reason to be angry, but he is able to pause and reflect on the experiences of his family and that of the suffering of the people of his land. Through this, rather than letting rage fly freely, he finds community and solidarity amid the discrimination he encountered at the airport. To use the language of Ignatian discernment, Mo listened to the stirrings of his heart, acknowledged the pain of that moment, and allowed the voice within to provide strength and resilience amid this injustice.
Under the cover of humor and with vivid storytelling, Amer presents to a Western audience the power of encountering injustice and hardships with strength and joy. It’s an important invitation to acknowledge not only the suffering of those who have been oppressed and marginalized, but also to recognize the richness of their lives and the resilience of their spirits. Mo is a reminder to us all to pause, even in the midst of hardship, and connect with the Spirit—to allow the joy of the Lord to overpower desolation.
Image: Netflix
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