When stories become relief

I recently discovered the Netflix series “Mo” by Palestinian-American comedian Mohammed Mustafa Amer, more widely known as Mo. What I expected to be light entertainment turned into something more — an experience that lingered and made me reflect long after the credits had rolled.

One episode in particular, “Tombstone,” from Season 1 touched me deeply. Sameer, Mo’s brother in the story, takes the initiative to make the chicken shop where he works halal. What begins as a gesture of faith and integrity spirals into workplace tension, until his siblings step in to help. 

The final scene, where the three of them visit their father’s grave — praying in the absence of a tombstone — was profoundly moving. It was not a scene of anger or accusation, but of dignity, tenderness, and the quiet power of prayer.

That is where Mo Amer’s courage lies. In today’s climate, where Palestine is reduced to headlines of conflict, he does not shout, blame, or antagonize. Instead, he tells a story — their story — as lived. 

Through humor, faith, and family, he presents Palestinian life as human, relatable, and whole. 

That decision is no less political, but it is gentler, braver. It builds bridges instead of walls. By allowing the audience to laugh, feel, and even grieve with him, Amer creates understanding that no debate or soundbite could ever achieve.

Watching that scene reminded me of my own lived experience. Toward the end of the pandemic, when restrictions were at their tightest, we buried my father in the nearest Muslim cemetery — more than an hour away from where he passed. 

We did not know what to do, how to properly send him off according to Islamic teaching. Our support systems were caught up in the lockdowns. Yet, by the grace of Allah, some found their way to the hospital and joined us on the road to the cemetery, checkpoints and all.

I was still in my home clothes when we arrived. The graveyard was on steep, slippery ground, and as darkness fell, I nearly stumbled into the ravine where the grave was dug. It was an almost surreal moment: grief weighing heavily, danger close at hand, yet faith keeping us steady. 

What we lacked in formality — no procession, no markers, no tombstone — we made up for in prayer. Like in Mo, absence became presence — the permanence was not in stone, but in remembrance, faith, and family.

This is why Mohammed Mustafa “Mo” Amer’s work matters. It affirms that stories of faith and resilience do not need to attack anyone to be powerful. They can simply be told, quietly and truthfully, and in so doing they open hearts. 

For me, Mo was not only entertainment — it was relief. Relief from noise, relief from narratives that flatten, relief in seeing a story of displacement told with dignity.

And so I ask: why not here? Why not us? If Mo Amer can give the world a glimpse of Palestinian Muslim life with humor and honesty, can we not do the same for Filipino Muslim life? 

Our producers, directors, and writers — Muslim and non-Muslim alike — have the chance to bring to light stories of faith, family, and everyday resilience in Mindanao and beyond. Not for propaganda, not to divide, but to deepen understanding.

Stories heal. They invite empathy, not argument. They make coexistence not just possible, but natural. Mo is proof. Perhaps it is time we do the same — for ourselves, and for the nation that grows richer when all its stories are told.