Tinku's World

Salaam,

Well, he's at it again. Chicago area mumin Azhar Usman is taking his talents as a comedian and overall entertainer and has now hit the road. Azhar has emersed himself into reality TV meets (semi) improvisational comedy. Practically speaking (from a showbiz perspective, that is), it was only a matter of time!

Azhar now plays the role of Tinku Patel; a FOB that is apparently on the quest to determine what the American Dream is all about. With his wannabe Naqshabandi beard, a topee that he obviously didn't buy from SHUKR, and a perfectly stereotyped desi accent, Azhar -- err, I mean Tinku -- visits various parts of America querrying Americans on questions dealing with, for instance, race while raising a deeply introspective insight into America's melting pot of cultures. At least I think he is. (Or is it a salad bowl of cultures, Carl Degler?).

Regardless, through his comedic prowess, Azhar uses this form of entertainment to not only make people laugh but give an interesting insight into American stereotypes by, presumably, real Americans. He delves into profound issues such as racial profiling (desi cab driver not picking up African Americans), the Chinese (or, the "China Man") eating dogs, the higher societal rank that dogs enjoy over Arabs, and then brings home his point (?) by quoting the dog, 2pac.

If you are a fan of Azhar's like I am, you already are familiar with his first and classic CD Square the Circle, his Allah Made Me Funny stand-up comedy tour, and his role in MTV Desi. In my opinion, this is a man who is out fighting negative perceptions of the Muslim world one laugh at a time. And if you're not a fan of Azhar's, I recommend that you check out the following:

1. Tinku's World [www.tinkusworld.com]. Check out the first episode for sure!
2. Deenport's interview [www.deenport.com]. Click on interviews.
3. SunniPath [www.sunnipath.com]. Click specifically ME or any the first four links.

As a note, Azhar is mashaAllah a great person in my book. I remember in a small, but beautiful qaseedah burdah gathering downtown a couple years ago, he sung a really beautiful song praising the Prophet (sw). In my opinion, he's found the delicate balance of the duniya (because, hey, you gotta live in it, right?) and deen. And when I say duniya, I mean it duniya for the akhira, inshaAllah'ta'ala.

Cheers