AmericanEast (2007) Movie Script
I know what I have to do today, Maryam.
Homeland Security
officials say the current high alert
is directly related
to the discovery last night
of homemade explosives
at a warehouse in Los Angeles
owned by a Muslim male
The location of the warehouse
and the identity of the owner
have not yet been disclosed
by the Department,
but unnamed sources
in Homeland Security
- Why am I a Muslim?
- What?
Why did you have to
name me Mohammed?
I named you after our own prophet.
And you're Muslim because I am Muslim.
Everyone at schooI is Jewish or Christian.
All the same.
All believe in one God.
What if I wasn't born Muslim?
It is your journey, habibi
You have a great heart,
just like your mother.
Bless her souI in heaven.
Can we get a Christmas tree?
Mohammed, we have to get there.
Walk fast.
Sabir.
There. Mohammed, Sabir's here.
Mohammed?
Mohammed. Mohammed.
Mohammed.
Hammo. Mohammed.
Mohammed!
I have a possible 10-107 in progress.
Mohammed!
Mohammed.
- Sorry, ma'am. I'm sorry.
- It's okay.
I'm really sorry.
- It's okay.
- I'm sorry.
Halt. FederaI agents.
- I'm looking for my son.
- Stay calm.
All right, get him up. Get him up.
- Sir, I'm looking for my son.
- Come on.
Come with us. Come on, let's go.
I was looking for my son.
I didn't do anything.
Where are you taking me, sir?
Mr. Marzoke, I'm Agent Stevens, FBI.
FBI? Where is my son?
Look, your son is safe in the other room.
Why were you running
around the airport yelling, sir?
I was looking for my son.
Do you read the papers, sir?
You realize we're on high alert?
I thought I lost him.
What is your business
at the airport today?
I'm picking up my cousin.
- And what's his business in the US?
- No business, just personaI.
We did a search of your vehicle,
Mr. Marzoke.
We found all of these items.
Could you identify them, please?
Well, I listen and I read the Quran.
Is that a crime now?
The Quran.
These receipts...
What are these?
Money transfer. Donations.
Donations. I see.
Donations to the Sharia Foundation
in Egypt.
Why do you make donations
to the Sharia Foundation?
Sir, I'm a Muslim.
One of the five pillars of Islam
is to give zakat
I don't know if you know about zakat
It's an Islamic law.
When was the last time you were
at the Muhammad Ali Mosque?
- Muhammad Ali?
- Yes. BeautifuI place.
Alabaster, the tall minarets,
the view from the top, the pyramids.
- You've been there?
- Last month.
You have a very rich culture, Mr. Marzoke.
Now imagine if some fundamentalist
Christian nut jobs from the US
flew a jet passenger plane
into the Muhammad Ali Mosque
or another one
of your renowned monuments,
killing thousands of innocent Egyptians.
I'm sure that you'd be busting
every infideI stupid enough
to go around screaming English
in the Cairo airport, wouldn't you?
Let me give you a word of advice.
You be very mindfuI of how you act
and speak in public.
When we're under high alert,
people get trigger-happy.
You got it?
It's okay, Mohammed.
- Are you all right?
- Yeah, it was just a big mistake.
A big mistake.
- You hungry, Sabir?
- Later, later.
I want you to trace these transfers.
Where he sent them from,
who he sent them to.
Get me bank statements,
e- mails, library accounts,
subscriptions, postaI records.
The whole nine yards.
Piece of shit.
God, I hate this dump.
Can I help you, sir?
I told this asshole 100 times,
no sauce on my falafeI.
I'm supposed to ask you
to not use words like that in here, sir.
This is stupid.
Abdulla, please make
the gentleman another falafeI.
No sauce this time.
Are you serious?
- Leila.
- What's up, Fikry?
It's hot, man. Air conditioner working?
Yeah, sure.
It just makes that noise to mess with you.
Smartass.
- Fikry.
- Mustafa.
Next time, Pops,
if you're gonna punch in late,
just give me a call, okay?
It's been a rough day.
Don't start with me, okay, please?
- Where are you going?
- I have a life, too, remember?
- Okay, don't forget to be home early...
- I know.
It's a speciaI night. I know.
Be home early for dinner.
Hey, what's up?
Let's get out of here.
- Mustafa.
- Fikry.
What's wrong?
I get this feeling sometimes
like I'm going to explode.
Don't do that.
We've had enough explosions.
Abdulla, Sam is coming by later.
Have his coffee and baklava ready for him.
- Again? For free?
- Just have it ready.
You know, that guy never
pays for anything, never!
He thinks I work for him.
Oh!
It is hotter than hell.
What's up, Fiky Frik, Big M?
Abdulla in the house.
Turn on the TV. You seen this?
I want to show
what these bastards are doing now.
Despite repeated requests,
American authorities
have not made available
any evidence of explosives or weapons
See, that's what I'm talking about.
You see that?
You know, they cook all this stuff up.
All this heightened-state-of-alert bullshit.
It's all bullshit, red, green, fuchsia.
I mean, they just want people
scared shitless of people like us.
Murad, you see a conspiracy
in everything, man.
Mustafa, you tell him. I've tried.
Actually, I got arrested
today at the airport.
- What?
- What happened?
Nothing. A mistake. I'll tell you later.
A mistake? That's some serious shit, M.
I mean, they can make
your life hell in this country
if they get you on one of their lists.
They will lock your ass up
in one of those ships off the coast
in internationaI waters
and they will torture your ass
untiI you sign a confession.
Murad, I got bigger problems
than torture ships, Murad.
Keeping this place afloat,
that's my torture.
Maybe this place float
if you don't give away
so much free food, huh?
Thank you, Abdulla. He's right.
I need to make money, reaI money.
Why you need money
so badly all of a sudden?
Because I would love to open
a new restaurant, a reaI restaurant,
with reaI Mideastern food, like back home.
There is a place on Washington I like.
That's gonna cost some serious G, M.
So? Why not? Maybe I'll get a partner.
This is America.
Maybe I'll partner with someone like Sam.
- Sam the Jew?
- So?
So? Sam the Sephardic fucking Jew.
Murad, business is business.
Fikry here is Christian.
You're doing business with him.
- He's not a land grabber.
- What's left for an Iraqi Christian to grab?
Murad, Sam is Jewish,
but that doesn't make him a Zionist.
I trust him and he's a good businessman.
That's what I need.
- You asked him already?
- Yeah, he's researching the numbers.
Sure, sure, he's researching the numbers.
Of course he is.
He's gonna research those numbers,
he's gonna go behind your back,
he's gonna buy that building,
he's gonna jack your idea.
I'm telling you,
he will not partner with a Muslim.
You feeling me? You're gonna end up
being his employee bitch.
If you don't mind, guys, I've had enough of
"It's hard being a Muslim" for one day.
I need to change,
and there is an important
visitor coming by later.
So be nice to him.
More important than us?
Easy on the sauce, okay?
Everybody complains.
Just easy on the sauce.
The ongoing investigation
into what is now being referred to
as a terrorist arms depot in Los Angeles
has netted severaI suspects
and authorities say arrests are imminent
Some of the explosive materials
have now been identified
as being both Iraqi
and US military in origin
Taxi!
- Hi.
- Yeah, okay. Get in, lady.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- To what do I owe this surprise?
- I'm free untiI evening rehearsaI.
Thought I'd give you a lift
to your appointment.
Oh, well, I guess it pays
to sleep with a cab driver after all,
especially one with a seven-episode deaI
on a new series.
Yeah, which is why I thought
I could finally...
Afford this.
Omar.
You're doing this
because you want to, right?
- Not because...
- Kate, I want to.
- Good night.
- Salwah?
Yes.
I haven't seen you in forever.
Oh, well, I've been here.
Hey, um...
- Yes.
- Do you want to someday, if you're free...
Do you want to have dinner with me?
Do you like Japanese?
I'm a hell of a sushi chef,
if I do say so myself.
Oh. No, I...
I have to tell you I'm going to get...
I'm... I'm...
I'm going to be late.
I'm going to be late.
Our movie star!
What's with the air conditioner?
It's boiling in here.
What, you expected it to work?
I like it. When I'm here
I can relate to my people in Iraq.
Kate, Salwah called. She's late.
I can run some errands.
Just tell her to call me, okay?
I want to tell Salwah myself, okay?
What's up, my homie-omie?
- How did we do?
- $900, more or less.
That's it?
Your other business... Are you busy?
We have first run-through tonight,
camera rehearsaI.
Pick good roles. Be smart.
Think about the future.
It's funny you say that.
I just proposed to Kate.
What, are you getting married?
Fantastic, Omar!
Omar is getting married.
Huh?
Fresh baklava and tea on me.
I make it myself.
Come here. Come here, come here.
Congratulations.
So, yo, big shot,
you making enough money
to support a wifey now?
I landed a good role finally,
and on a good show, American Safety
Don't tell me, they're gonna have you
play a terrorist again.
No, not this time. A doctor.
Hey, that's a good part for you.
Yeah, no more Arab bad guys, inshallah
Yeah, inshallah,
but don't get your hopes
up too high, homie,
because as long as the Jews
controI Hollywood...
That's a myth.
- Talent wins in this town, that's all.
- For reaI?
So then how come there ain't
no successfuI Arab actors?
- There are.
- Who?
- Omar Sharif.
- He's a Jew.
He's not a Jew.
He was Christian and became a Muslim.
- He's a Jew.
- He's not a Jew.
He's a Jew. They're all Jews.
Name a known actor who's not a Jew.
- Antonio Banderas.
- Big Sephardic Jew.
He's not a Jew. Anyway, you'll see.
I'm going to be the Antonio Banderas
of the Arabs one day.
Yeah, one day the GirI Scouts
are gonna sell cookies
for the Muslim brotherhood, too,
you know.
Murad, you watch too much Al Jazeera.
It feeds your constant fear of the West.
Yeah, and Zionist American propaganda
feeds your constant fear
of your own Middle Eastern people.
- Check that shit on Fox.
- Fox.
Murad, enough already. Read the sign.
"No politics or religious discussion
allowed in this establishment.
"The management. " That's me.
That is, but that sign does
not say "discussion," M.
Whoever made that sign left that shit out.
Ya Ya make it.
His English like mine, not that good.
- But he's cheap.
- What do you mean, "his English"?
He's illiterate in Arabic also, man.
Oh.
You know the way.
You know the way.
You were saying, M, about religion?
I have to get the light on for them.
I'll get you the light. I'm sorry.
Salwah, Kate was here. Give her a call.
I need to set up.
Sam is coming any minute.
You hungry?
I lose, and now I got this.
Hey, Sam.
Look at this guy.
- Sam, how are you?
- Mustafa.
Have a seat. Salwah's setting up.
- How's it going, Fikry?
- Good, Sam.
- Omar.
- Hey, Sam.
Abdulla,
coffee and baklava for Sam.
So, Mustafa, you try those dates
we brought in last week?
- The best, right?
- Sold in two days.
Funny, we were just talking
about those beautifuI dates
that they used to grow in Iraq
before the US government
decided that oiI was sweeter.
You're feeling me. I know you are, Fikry.
It's all about the oiI.
It's not about this democracy shit
they keep feeding us.
It's about the oiI.
And IsraeI.
Sam, I'm ready for you.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
Sabir, you made it!
Sabir, my cousin, came from Egypt.
Hey, Sabir.
- You rested?
- Later, later.
Salwah's here. Let's go in.
Salwah, Sabir is here.
Ow! Ow!
Salwah.
Sorry, Sam. Sabir came
all the way from Egypt to see Salwah.
- Remember him now?
- Yes.
- Hi, Sabir.
- Hello.
Nice to meet you, Sabir.
What brings you to LA?
Mustafa and I have business.
Okay, you guys finish. Let's go. Let's go.
What was that about?
He's my future husband, supposedly.
I didn't know you were engaged.
Hmm.
I didn't either.
I don't get you.
Our family always talked about
me marrying my first cousin.
It's a tradition.
I'm sorry.
Ow.
Mustafa's not like that.
He doesn't hold onto
old tribaI notions like that.
Mustafa thinks it's his duty.
You're joking.
They arrest Muslims
and jaiI them all the time.
You know what I'm saying?
No charges, no evidence.
They just, poof, disappear.
Yeah, we hear how badly Arabs
are treated in this country.
What happened today
was very, very frightening.
You know, Sabir,
We and everybody else will pay the price.
Yo, M, who "Everybody else"?
It's the Arabs
that are paying the price, brother.
Murad, you act as if
we're the only ones, man.
It's part of a hazing process, you know?
It happened to the Irish,
the Japanese before us.
We're the newcomers now, that's all.
Yeah, but it happened here in this country.
See, the fucking problem is
the people in the Middle East
are paying the price so that Americans
can live their American dream.
SUVs, subsidized gas, fucking fast food.
I don't understand
why you want to live here at all.
When you get married and settle,
you will see.
This is a good country.
And a good people, too.
Thank you, Salwah. This is for you.
Thank you.
Mustafa, do you have a minute
to talk about business?
Yes, Sam. Come in the back.
I'll tell you what the problem is.
It's the fucking land grabbers.
Here I thought it was
the fucking Islamic terrorists.
Murad.
Sabir, go to Salwah.
Have a seat.
So, you like doing this?
Sabir, I'm sorry. This is...
This is very strange for me. I...
I need to get to know you. I...
I need to take some time,
but right now I have
another client coming in.
Sam, this place...
Every time I fix something,
something else breaks.
Yeah, I know, I know.
Okay, listen, Mustafa,
I had an inspector check out that building
and my accountant ran the numbers.
- Yeah?
- And it looks pretty good.
That's great, Sam.
I promise you,
we'll have the best Egyptian food in town.
- We're gonna make a difference.
- I agree. I agree.
I brought you cookies from Egypt.
I'm sure they're delicious.
Try one. You'll love it.
I can't. I watch my diet.
But I'm sure the family will love them.
- Atmosphere is important, right?
- Sure, sure.
We can't have certain elements around.
I understand.
Not in the new place if we want it to work,
because it's not a sociaI club.
- I mean, you understand.
- I understand. Sure, Sam, sure.
- No elements, no problem.
- Good, good.
The Mohammeds.
All these guys named Mohammed.
They need room to pray.
- You know what your problem is, Fikry?
- No, what is my problem? Tell me.
You're what we call a self-hating Arab.
That's ridiculous.
You say that because I'm a Christian,
like I'm not even Arab.
I didn't say
you're not an Arab, Fikry.
Let me tell you,
when I walk down the street
the rednecks yell "towelhead" at me also.
Yes, yes, yes,
I'll tell you what my problem is.
My problem is that my country
has been invaded by people
of my own religion.
And now the Jews and the Muslims
have stolen even my victimhood from me.
That's my problem.
- Hi, Sam.
- Hi, Kate.
So my cousin's, like,
in the Marines in Afghanistan, okay?
And he brought back this hash.
I mean, this shit's cold-blooded.
Been meaning to ask you something.
How come every time I turn on the news
there's some Muslim dude
who's pissed off and killing everybody?
Why do you hate America so much?
Maybe if you'd educate yourself,
you would know the whole story.
So tell me the whole story.
It's long. I don't remember it all.
It's, like, 1,400 years old.
So tell me what you know.
I want to hear it.
All right. Pass the rocket.
Once upon a time before the oiI, the sheiks
and all of the Saddams and Osamas,
in the middle of the Arabian Desert
was this cooI dude named Mohammed
His homies called him "the honest "
He used to kick back and meditate
And one day an angeI appeared to him
with a new revelation called Islam
It means "Submission to God "
The God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus
Back then, the locaI yokels believed
in a bunch of different gods
But when the angeI gave Mohammed
the message that there's only one God,
they dumped the whole
idoI-worship thing
See, according to Mohammed's prophecy,
God would free everybody from slavery
Dudes, babes, rich, poor,
black, white, whatever
Everybody was equaI
They were all over that in a heartbeat
So freedom and Islam began
to spread throughout Arabia
And it kept on spreading
to India and all the way to China,
then across North Africa to Spain
This was the start of Islamic civilization
Back then Muslims were, like, top dog
when it came to art,
science, literature and poetry
So pretty soon the buzz hit the West,
only back then Europe was, like,
a bunch of barbarians
busy barbecuing plague victims
But you know what? They didn't dig these
dark dudes with sand all over their feet
And that's, like, where I think
the word "sand nigger" comes from
So they said no way to Islam
This brought on the period
known as the Crusades,
which was, like, a downer for everybody,
especially Muslims living in Jerusalem
who got royally reamed out
by Christian armies fighting
to take back the Holy Land for the Pope
But finally, this other reaI cooI Kurdish
Muslim dude named Saladin shows up
and unites the Arabs
to fight the Europeans
and take Jerusalem back
See, difference is, under Saladin
there's, like, this time of peace
with Jews, Christians and Muslims
all kicking it together,
which is dope, because Jerusalem's,
like, a holy place for all three religions
But guess what? That didn't last
The Europeans came back even stronger
with, like, a divide-and-conquer thing
They gave the land the Palestinians
were living on to the Jews,
and that became the new IsraeI
And once the Euro-honkies split,
there was, like, constant fighting
between the Israelis
and Arabs over Jerusalem
'Cause both the Israeli and Arab radicals
wanted to have it all
If they'd just chill,
they'd see Jerusalem is a spirituaI place,
the land of milk and honey
But, no, because now
some Americans come in
to check out what all the fuss is about,
and they discover oiI
And to keep the pumps happening,
they prop up these greedy dictators
who sell only to them,
and they don't help the Arabs,
only IsraeI, which pisses the Arabs off
So then you get the Israelis
and Palestinians
fighting over Jerusalem
and blowing each other up,
while the world just watches
and plays it all like some kind of game
And that's why the Middle East
is a fricking mess
'Cause there ain't no more cooI dudes.
Whoa.
- Omar, how's it going?
- Great. Looking forward to this.
- Good.
- You wanted to see me?
Yeah, there's some script changes
I wanted to talk to you about.
Look, I'm sorry to say this,
but the doctor role has been cut.
- Cut?
- Yeah. Let's talk over here.
Um...
Okay, look,
they rewrote the entire episode last night.
It's practically a new show.
- I don't believe it.
- Omar, I love your work.
I want you to stay, but I'd have to ask you
to change roles at the last minute.
I'll do it.
Really?
You're the best.
All right, well, here are the new pages.
And take a look at the role of Ali.
- Ali?
- Yeah, we'll run through it shortly, okay?
Can you get Omar
someone to help him suit up?
Hold the noise, please, people.
Action, Omar!
Everyone on your knees.
You're being taken hostage.
Um. Okay, cut, let's cut. Can we cut?
Cut!
You okay? What's up?
I don't understand. Why would
a terrorist take over a hospitaI?
Terrorists want to strike fear
in the heart of America.
That's what the episode's about.
So they're at a hospitaI.
There's a lot of people,
very little security, okay?
But you know this hospitaI
is in a quiet little community.
It's a show, Omar.
We give our heroes of American Safety
heroic things every week, all right?
So, just give me more accent,
and, you know, scary, all right?
Okay, everybody. Back to one.
We're back to one.
Everyone on your knees!
You're being taken hostage!
We are the soldiers of Allah!
Great. Cut! All right.
Meet your second cousin.
This is Sabir.
What's up?
Everybody. Let's eat.
Yeah, come, let's eat.
So your friend Murad...
He tells me you're thinking
of opening a new place.
Maybe with this man Sam.
- I think he's a...
- A Jewish man.
I just see him as a good businessman.
It's true. They're good with money.
But he can use this against you.
Just turn on the TV,
see what they're doing.
Sabir, not too long ago in Egypt,
Jews and Muslims had business together.
But how much interest did they charge us?
Mohammed, put that away, please.
It's broken anyway.
You broke it?
Do you know how much this cost?
So, Sabir,
you own your pharmacy in Egypt.
Salwah here is a nurse.
A nurse?
So why do you do this salon work?
It's extra money.
Um, I'd like to ask, how do you feeI
about women working?
After marriage, I mean.
To be honest, it's better
for women to stay at home.
So you believe that women are born
to raise children and to be wives,
but not to find their own work?
Salwah, what Sabir tried to say here,
to have a strong family
is very important for a mother...
Okay, okay, let me ask Sabir directly,
if I may.
If we were to be married,
would you expect me
to give up my salon and quit nursing?
I don't think it will be an issue.
I'd prefer to stay in Egypt.
I don't think America
is a good place to raise a family.
Excuse me, please.
Salwah, it is always hard at first.
You guys just met.
Oh.
So I should wait and move back
to Egypt when it's less hard.
He will change his mind
when he gets to know you.
I don't know how to say this,
but you're almost 30.
That's nice. That's very nice.
Just let me finish.
You are a Muslim woman
living in America.
So I don't have a lot of options, you mean?
Because I am a Muslim,
I have to marry a Muslim?
That's not for you to decide.
I want you to have your own kids,
your own home.
- I want you to be happy.
- You want me to be happy
or this will make you happy?
This is what our father always wanted.
Listen, get to know him.
Just give him a chance.
You heard how he referred
to me at the cafe today?
"I have business with Mustafa. "
That's how he thinks of me, business.
In Los Angeles,
Homeland Security officials
have made severaI arrests
in connection with the recent terror threat
that has raised the alert leveI to code red
No names have been released,
but one officiaI said
that more arrests were forthcoming
and that, quote,
"A far larger Islamist network has been
uncovered than originally suspected "
I can't believe this shit, M.
What's wrong with you, Murad?
Palestinian this, Palestinian that.
Fuck them! I'm tired of their bullshit.
They are ruining our lives, those bastards.
And now, Arab dictators are controlling us
in the name of the Palestinian cause.
Why don't we just hand the land over
to those motherfuckers,
because they're just going to take it.
Come on, man,
you can't say that about the Palestinians.
- Why not?
- 'Cause it's unfair.
And it's politically stupid, especially now.
They've been kicked out of Lebanon,
they've been kicked out of Jordan.
If they lost their land,
where would they go?
I'll tell you where. Florida.
Take all the Jews,
because there's a lot of them in Florida,
move them to IsraeI,
and take the Palestinians
and let them live in Florida,
or maybe Cuba.
No, I tell you what,
I have the perfect solution
to the problem in the Middle East.
All the Palestinians should convert
to Judaism and become Israeli.
He's melting.
You've gone out of your goddamn mind.
No, all the Arabs
should become Jewish, man.
That'll solve the problem once and for all.
Why would anyone want
to be Arab these days?
But to be Jewish, that's cooI, man.
You get the support of everyone.
You guys still going on about that?
Oppression's still going on,
Sephardic Sam.
Why shouldn't we be going on?
Murad, the truth is, the fact is,
you Jordanians kill more Palestinians
than anybody else.
Bullshit. Bullshit.
You know what? You bageI munchers,
you steaI their land,
you destroy their homes,
you shoot missiles from the sky
into streets full of innocent people...
You prefer to blow up buses
and airplanes full of innocent people.
- Jesus, enough.
- Murad, calm down.
- Look at him.
- Sit down.
I'm sorry.
I just came by to apologize
for walking out yesterday.
- Mustafa.
- Just sit down.
- Not now, Abdulla.
- Mustafa.
But it's this...
This inflammatory shit,
which I guess you watch 24 hours a day.
You're goddamn right I do.
I watch it 24 hours a day
because I like to stay informed,
accurately informed.
Misinformed.
American propaganda!
- No more TV. That's it.
- That's all I'm saying.
That's all I'm saying. No more TV.
- Does Al Jazeera have parentaI controls?
- What?
I try what you say,
but they pray inside, the Mohammed.
He's a Mohammed,
I told you, don't disturb them.
You want peace, but the ignorant
are brainwashed by the crap.
There's no peace
'cause there's no fucking justice.
Occupation and oppression
is why there's no peace!
What kind of peace
do you get from the great Arab tradition
of sending suicide bombers
into hoteI lobbies
and coffee shops full of innocent children?
You're killing the innocent children!
Enough! Enough!
You guys want to fight? Outside!
Don't touch him. Outside!
Mustafa.
Go around them.
They don't let me in.
I told you, don't bother them.
I tried. I tried two times.
This is Habibi Cafe, man, not Hebrew Cafe.
Mohammed, what are you doing here?
It's Friday.
I thought we were meeting at the mosque.
I don't want to go to the mosque anymore.
Mustafa.
What?
Mustafa, Mohammeds won't let me in.
They pray inside and I can't get in.
Okay, have a seat. Have a seat.
Come. Give it to me.
I have to do
everything by myself.
- I tried three times. You try now.
- Okay.
Listen to this. Listen to this.
"Buy a Christmas tree from IsraeI,
where Christ was born.
"We ship to your door. "
They're selling Palestine off
piece by piece, these motherfuckers.
- Dad, are you okay?
- Yes, Mohammed. Yes, I'm okay.
What's the story about you
not going to the mosque?
I told you,
I don't want to be a Muslim anymore.
Why, Mohammed?
And Murad said we can get
a Christmas tree by maiI.
Mohammed, for God's sake!
You are Muslim. We are Muslim.
We don't celebrate Christmas.
We celebrate our own holiday.
- We celebrate Ramadan.
- But Ramadan doesn't have a tree.
And Murad said we can get one
from those motherfuckers in IsraeI.
You tell me what's happening.
Murad, what did you say
in front of my son?
Yo, chill, M. What? I'll show you.
Read for yourself, a baby Christmas tree.
Only the Jews can make money off
the Christians by stealing from the Arabs.
Stop with the Jew thing. I'm sick of it!
Mohammed, when Christmas
comes around, I'll buy you a tree.
Fikry, nobody's buying a tree
for Mohammed.
Yeah, buy it from Jerusalem for $29.99,
get it blessed by a fucking rabbi.
That's it. Murad, outside.
Oh!
Fikry, Fikry, stay away.
I'm talking to you as a friend, Murad.
You have to stop spreading all this hatred.
And no more swearing,
especially in front of Mohammed.
I didn't swear.
You swear all the time!
You don't hear yourself?
You're too angry.
Nobody listens to you when you're angry.
You're goddamn right I'm angry.
I am swole up.
Aren't you?
Look at what's happening to our people.
That's it.
I'm warning you, if you don't stop,
I don't want to see you here.
What?
You're on their side now?
Fine. But I'm gonna
tell you something, Mustafa,
you are too accommodating.
You forget who you are.
You want to fit in maybe.
You, the Jew. The Jew, you.
You can't have it both ways.
Come on, come on.
So you wear this when you get married?
It's supposed to make you exotic
for your husband.
Omar told me, Salwah,
about your marriage.
You know, I don't even know the guy.
I haven't seen him since I was 12.
I hardly remember that.
How can Mustafa expect you to marry
a man you don't even know?
It's tradition, you know.
The family arranges it
to protect the woman.
Listen, it's none of my business, Salwah,
but you need to marry a man
that you love, a man you want to...
I mean, isn't there somebody
that you'd like to, you know...
Shh!
- Kate.
- No one?
I really don't believe it.
Let's face it, Salwah,
you're not the Virgin Mary.
Okay, okay, okay.
All right, there is this doctor
at the hospitaI.
He's very nice. He's very cute.
And he kind of asked me out
for Japanese food at his house.
Okay, well, there you go.
I think you should do it with him.
Kate, stop it.
I'm not gonna just do it with him.
Well, do you like him?
So go out with him.
Why not? Because you're Muslim?
Look, even Omar struggles
with the differences between us,
but it doesn't matter.
What do you mean?
He never told his parents
we were living together,
but all that tradition stuff,
that just goes out the window
when there's love.
Mohammed, what is it?
You don't want to pray with us?
You want to talk about it?
Did Muslims really kill
all those people in the twin towers?
Listen to me, habibi
There are good Muslims and bad Muslims,
like all other religions.
And the ones who flew those planes
were bad and ignorant of Islam.
Who's a good Muslim?
Muhammad Ali is a good Muslim.
He's a black guy, not an Egyptian.
Your dad is a Muslim and Egyptian.
Don't you count me?
Closed? Where is Leila?
- Mr. Marzoke.
- What's going on?
We'd like to bring you in
for further questioning, if you don't mind.
- What for?
- We'll get into that.
No, go into it now.
Mr. Marzoke, I could arrest you,
if that's what you want,
or you can come with us voluntarily
and show your willingness to cooperate.
No, go ahead, arrest me.
I want a record of this.
I'm not gonna disappear
into one of your cells
and nobody knows where I am.
I don't know where you get your ideas
of how we operate, sir,
but it's not like that.
I'm back, Leila.
Who's that? Do you work here, sir?
Do you speak English?
Do you have residency papers, sir?
Sir, what are you doing here?
- You!
- You have to come with us.
Leave him alone! He didn't do anything!
- Take the kids away.
- Back off.
- He's not resisting. Please, please don't.
- I have to take you in.
if the infidels attacks our God,
it is our responsibility to defend Him
Are you ready? Ready!
That is tight. That is hot.
They're running this on prime time, dude.
You are gonna blow the fuck up.
Give me.
Now remind me,
who got you on this MOW?
- You did, Dez.
- Give me some more. Give me some more.
Thank you.
Thank you, but I'm saying
it's another bad-guy Arab.
You know, this thing that happened with
American Safety
Dude, I got clients
who'd gun down their granny
for one episode of this hot-shit series,
American Safety
And how many did you book? Seven?
Who is your fucking manager?
Dez, I'm gratefuI for the work,
for the MOW, too, really.
All right.
I don't know, this kind of image
they want me to play, it's demeaning.
Worse, it's like, I don't know,
crushing my souI.
Omar, you'd better not even be thinking
about bailing out on me on this.
Okay, they changed the role on you,
but you did the right thing.
You rolled with it.
You turn around and back out now,
I'll never be able to book you again.
I fucking mean it.
We square?
Good.
Terry, get me Saperstein.
- Sorry, it's my fiance.
- No, it's cooI.
Kate, I'm leaving. I'll call you.
What? Mustafa?
- All right, tell Salwah I'll be right there.
- You are bad, dude. You are bad.
Oh, yeah, I'm an accessory.
But it'll happen again.
That's right. That's right.
I hear you. I hear you.
Dez...
Uh...
Hang on for one second.
Yeah?
I mean it.
After this, no more.
It's killing me.
Omar.
Okay. All right.
No more terrorists.
I'll see what I can do.
Okay? Go.
Go, go, eat your falafeI, shish kebab,
whatever you want to call them.
And have some espresso, too. Get a life.
Shit. Terry, I lost him.
Yeah, get me Sap on the phone.
Sap? Sorry about that.
Yeah. Yeah.
Salwah. What is it?
Come in. Come in, please.
Salwah, are you okay?
Okay, Mr. Marzoke.
Come with me, please.
Sorry for all the noise, Mr. Marzoke.
Where am I?
We maintain a presence
in a number of locations.
So, Mr. Marzoke,
you don't appear to have
much of a financiaI acumen
for someone who runs his own shop
and owns a car service.
As a matter of fact, you're in the red.
You're very near foreclosure.
- I'm struggling. Is that a crime?
- No, no.
But since you are struggling, as you say,
we were wondering how you could afford
to make such sizable
monthly wire transfers
to a terrorist organization.
I don't send the money to terrorists.
Well, "terrorist" has a broad definition.
The Saudis don't consider HAMAS
to be a terrorist organization, for example,
but the US government does.
I'm not a Saudi.
You send money to an entity
called the Sharia Foundation.
Now, there is a charitable organization
called the Sharia Islamic Foundation.
And they've been known
to finance jihad studies
in madrasas worldwide.
I told you before, I just make zakat
No, these are not zakat
The Sharia Foundation is not a foundation.
It's a storefront operation.
Ostensibly it exports Egyptian music,
movies, the Quran on tape,
things of that type, but unofficially
it's a cash delivery service.
It's not illegaI.
I don't use banks
because banks charge so much money
and it takes weeks
before the money clears.
I know the man who owns the business.
I trust him more than banks.
- Where does the cash go?
- I know the man.
This man brings the money door-to-door.
- Where does it go?
- And in 24 hours the money is there.
- Answer me!
- A bank cannot do that.
Where does the cash go?
The government takes money from you,
taxes you...
- Answer my question. Where does it go?
- To my cousin, sir.
Why?
Because my father sold our land for me
so I can own my business here.
He sold it to his brother, like a loan,
with the promise that we'll buy it back.
Buying it back was my responsibility,
to make a life here,
to bring my sister over.
My father didn't live
to see the land come back.
Because all these years
I've been trying to buy the land back.
And every night when I go to sleep
I can hear my own father's voice saying,
"Mustafa,
"what happened to your promise?
What happened to your land?"
So you sent your money
through a hawala service
to buy your land back.
Why didn't you say that before?
Why did you tell me
it was a charitable donation?
Even my sister and my kids
don't know about this, sir.
Where I come from,
it is a shame for a man to lose his land.
Dad's here. Dad!
Leila, Hammo.
Everything is okay. It's okay.
Daddy, what are we gonna do?
We're gonna live our lives. You hear me?
I still believe in this country.
It will get better, okay?
- Thanks for seeing us, Sam.
- It's okay. It's important.
- Ben coming?
- No, he wanted us to talk to you first.
Look, as far as I'm concerned,
nothing's changed.
We ran the numbers.
We projected that the place
would be into profits in two years.
This is not about profits, Sam.
Okay, you sold merchandise to this guy
for a couple of years. So what?
You don't know him. He's an Arab.
So it's not impossible
he's sending money to terrorists
who want to destroy IsraeI, is it?
You watch too much TV, David.
Okay, okay, let's not call it terrorism then.
Let's say he supports
the liberation of Palestine, okay?
It's not so far-fetched.
I mean, most of them do.
Sam, we haven't made a commitment yet.
I shook his hand.
I told him that we could make this work.
Besides, it's good business. We all agreed.
So it's good business.
Why do we need him?
We have the capitaI.
- Well, first off, he brought it to me.
- So offer him something.
Let him be the manager and the chef,
but don't cut him in as a partner.
He'll be gratefuI for anything you give him,
you'll see.
Okay, I've listened to what you had to say,
but Ben has the last word.
Why is there anything
to discuss with Ben?
I mean, who,
who anywhere in the entire world
would want to have their money tied up
with some Muslim guy
who's under investigation
by the FBI, for Christ's sakes?
I mean, just answer me that.
What did you tell Sam?
I didn't tell him anything.
He didn't ask.
He volunteered his lawyer, Mustafa.
Salwah, I can't afford a lawyer.
I can't even pay Sam back for the baiI.
You need a lawyer.
They're still investigating you.
They've frozen all of your accounts.
Do you think that your problems
are none of my business?
I thought I could work it out.
By marrying me off to Sabir.
Shh!
You thought that if I marry him
you'll get the land back.
It's not just the land, Salwah.
No, it kills the two birds with one stone.
The land and your duty
to see that I'm married.
This is your land now.
And you can choose to live
with one foot over here
and one foot over there
if you want to, but not me.
Come, Sabir, come.
I think maybe this deaI our fathers made,
maybe it's a kind of curse for all of us.
- No, Sabir.
- Wait. Let him finish.
All my life I hear
how you are here in America,
a big success.
So I come here
with a little bit of resentment, Mustafa.
- Why?
- No, it's true.
I come here resenting what you have.
Resenting America even.
But I look around and I see maybe
a family that's not so happy.
I see your troubles.
And I think maybe
what they say about Muslims
who come to live here is true.
They must give something up to live here.
But is it worth it?
I...
I got this fixed for Mohammed.
Good night.
- Thank you, Sabir.
- Good night.
Are you ready? Ready?
Authorities have identified
and released photographs of suspects
in the ongoing terrorist investigation
in Los Angeles
that has resulted in the nationaI alert leveI
being raised to code red
The four Middle Eastern
Omar, it stresses you out.
Okay.
Everyone at the bank saw your TV ad.
Great.
Omar the jihadi.
Come on, they were impressed.
Everyone says you're gonna be famous.
It's not so bad, you know.
You have a great role on American Safety
We should be celebrating.
You know, this American Safety job...
- I wanted to tell you...
- What?
You're starting your first episode today.
- Aren't you excited? I am.
- Yeah.
You're right, it should be celebrated.
We'll have another reason
to celebrate soon.
Omar, you're all right with this, right?
You're not gonna judge me
differently later?
No, I just want our child to live in a place
where nobody will think
twice about his name,
where "Nasser" is just as American
as "Giuliani" or "Lieberman. "
It's gonna happen, Omar.
It is, okay?
- Dez.
- Omar, are you listening carefully?
I just got back from
a little breakfast meeting.
This is hot shit, homeboy.
This is big This is awesome
I'm talking major studio, leading role.
Are you ready?
You got an audition in two hours.
- I got the script for you right here
- Dez, thank you. Thank you.
This is the kind of thing I wanted.
- You're gonna naiI it
- Yeah, I will.
- You're gonna naiI it
- I'll naiI it, I promise. I'll naiI it.
All right then
Son of a bitch.
Hey, Murad. Come in.
Yo, M, you all right? I heard.
Yeah, Sam called his lawyer for me.
- The Jew did that?
- Yeah, the Jew did this for me, Murad.
You know, about yesterday,
I just wanted to say that...
Murad, forget it.
We're friends for a long time.
Okay?
- I just want respect.
- You should have respect.
But we should respect other people
or we're never going to pull ourselves up.
You hear me?
- I do.
- Good.
Listen, I need to fix this place up
and sell it.
I need to put my life together.
Go have some coffee or tea.
Fikry here has started.
- Thank you.
- Murad.
Fikry, how are you, habibi?
What are you doing here?
- What are you doing here always?
- I was waiting for you.
- Can you fix it?
- I fix.
Not like you fixed the sign.
- What's wrong with the sign?
- Well, you missed one word.
I give a good price!
What, you want one-word refund?
Thank you, Mrs Jensen
Tell Sam I appreciate it
Look, it shows that we sold the land
with the option that we can buy it back.
That's why I've been
sending money to Egypt.
So it's a deed.
Okay, we need to get it translated.
But how long will it take?
I need to sell this place.
I need the money so I can
buy the new place with Sam.
I don't think you understand, Mr. Marzoke.
They have frozen all your assets
untiI the investigation is over.
I advise you not to even try
to liquidate any property right now.
But this is my money.
You give me a few days.
- Hi. Can I help you?
- Hi.
- One coffee, please.
- No problem.
Hey, check this guy.
I saw him before, man,
like on the news or something,
but with the whole raghead business.
- You mean like the terror alert thing?
- I don't know, man, but...
He just left his backpack right behind you.
Hey, man.
- Is that your bag over there?
- Yeah.
Maybe you shouldn't
be leaving it Iying around.
What?
You think I'm a suicide bomber?
Look, I've seen you before, man.
Yeah?
Where, on TV,
beheading an innocent reporter maybe?
Well, you've got me pegged, man.
I am a terrorist.
And if you don't get out of my face,
my fucking face,
I'm gonna blow this place up!
But first, I'm gonna have my coffee.
All right? Okay?
Thanks.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen
This is TVLA 4 breaking news
Authorities have identified these men
as part of an ongoing
terrorist operation in Los Angeles
All are believed to be at large
in the US or trying to enter
What's really going on?
I mean, what is really going on?
Do they cast actors for this crap?
Pretty soon everybody's gonna be
scared shitless of anyone with a suntan.
It's a good time
for Americans to stay alert
Murad, we already talked about this.
No more news. Watch a movie.
I want people to walk here and look,
nice atmosphere.
No bad elements. Okay?
You!
Place your hands
behind the back of your head,
interlace your fingers and stand up.
Put your hands behind your head.
All right, Mr. Nasser, you can go.
But I want to say this,
under the circumstances,
we take what you said very seriously.
Doesn't matter what the situation was
or how angry the other guy made you.
Do something like this again
and they're not gonna be
so forgiving next time.
- Got it?
- Yeah, sure.
Hey, wait.
I'm sorry I'm late. I apologize.
Omar, there's nothing I can do.
They're gone. It's over.
- Can't we reschedule?
- They cast the role. They shoot next week.
Look, I'm sorry.
They really wanted to see you,
but it's a done deaI.
I'm here.
Leila, where is Mohammed?
I thought he was with you.
No, you were supposed to bring him here.
- What about Sabir?
- They were both gone when I got up.
Phone home, see if they're back
and try Salwah.
Okay.
You have to replace all these pipes.
They are no good.
Come on, Ya Ya.
Yo, Omar.
We were just talking about you.
Just saw your TV ad for your show.
I thought no more terrorists, man.
Hey, don't listen to him.
You're doing great.
You're gonna be a big star.
I have to run. We're shooting.
- How did we do?
- $750.
Omar, I know you're busy with acting.
That's great,
but I need a full-time driver, man.
I need the money.
You don't want me to drive for you now?
You focus on acting.
Let me take the cab off your hand.
I need... I need it, man.
Look, it's really a bad time for me.
Can we talk?
Listen, I've got some problem here.
Ya Ya's here fixing the thing.
I need to fix all this situation.
- Mustafa, you're okay.
- Hey, Sam, how you doing?
Have a seat. We'll get you a shisha.
All right. Won't say no to a shisha.
Look, Mustafa, it's very important,
something I didn't tell anybody.
Listen, thank you
for what you did yesterday.
Taking Salwah to Sam,
it made all the difference.
Leila, shisha for Sam.
Listen, listen.
Come back, we'll talk, okay?
Ya Ya, talk to me!
Oh, whoa, Sam.
Don't suck so hard.
You need to treat it like a nipple.
A nipple.
Sorry.
You see that?
Gentle.
You like?
I knew that you would like that. Me, too.
Yes, you like
big fat juicy nipples, just like me.
That's why I like Jewish women.
That's funny.
I got the idea
that you didn't like Jewish people at all.
No, man. What...
You're not feeling me, Sam.
I love Jewish women.
The best sex that I ever had
was with a Muslim woman
and a Jewish woman at the same time.
You know how Muslims and Jews
fight over Jerusalem?
That's how they fought over my dick.
And I ain't bullshitting you.
You need to hit that shit, Sammy.
Well, somehow I think it would be hard
for me to get a Muslim woman into bed.
No. No.
Just convince them
that you're doing it for peace.
That's how you get them.
Peace, my friend.
Everybody fucks everybody else for peace.
I guess you got a point there.
- You okay, Sam?
- Yeah.
Yeah, Murad was just giving me
some new insights
into smoking a shisha.
Thank you, my friend,
for yesterday.
Oh, no. I'm sorry it happened.
You okay? You seem...
I guess Angela told you
they froze my money.
Yeah, yeah.
Mustafa, listen.
Maybe the timing isn't right.
- Yeah?
- Sam, you put the deposit on the building,
I pay you my share
when I work my situation out.
- We'll have it in writing.
- No, yeah, yeah...
Look,
there are some complications
that we have to address.
Your circumstances have changed, right?
- This is only a cash flow problem.
- No.
No. No.
Okay, look,
this is hard for me.
You know I'm in business
with my family, right?
And my family is run
like a corporation, believe me.
So untiI your legaI situation is cleared up
they want to offer you a different deaI.
They put up the totaI investment,
you run the place.
You want me to run the place for you?
Like a manager?
- No. No.
- Sam, we are partners, you and me.
Mustafa, don't take this the wrong way.
I have to tell you what they're saying.
You want me to work for your family.
It's not what I want.
I'm getting outvoted here.
Do you understand?
What about our chance?
Let's just see what happens, okay?
Let's just see how it goes.
Okay?
Omar, you're late.
We've been trying to reach you.
- Yeah, look, I had a problem.
- What do you mean?
Omar, what's up? We're waiting.
Those lines, I can't say them.
You did them in rehearsaI
and you were cooI with it.
- No, I'm not cooI with it.
- Okay, but we're shooting, okay?
The show airs in a week.
They will seriously have your head
if you just walk out in the middle of this.
The scene has no sense.
The lines are stupid.
Character isn't reaI.
I don't understand what he's trying to do.
Okay, he's a terrorist. He's full of hate.
That's all you have to play.
No. That's what I'm saying.
That's exactly wrong.
Wait, what's happening?
Omar has problems with how his
character's being portrayed in the script.
It's a bit late for that, isn't it, Omar?
- Let's get on with it, bud.
- Don't call me bud.
- Read the lines and see how they sound.
- I have read the lines.
And since I'm producing this show,
you're either gonna do the lines
as they're written or I'll replace you.
I don't care how late in the day it is.
Are you stupid
or don't care if it's propaganda or not?
All right.
I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
No, you leave. I'm talking to her.
- Get security.
- Hey, over here.
- Believe this?
- I can't...
I mean, he's... I don't know what to do.
What's up?
Now, I'd advise you to go on your own
and not make them force you, okay?
All right, everybody, back to work.
This is over.
- No, no, it's not over. It's not over.
- Hey, hey. Get this maniac off of me.
- Listen to me. Wait a minute.
- Get off of me.
- Wait, wait, wait. I want to...
- Get off of me.
- Listen.
- Wait!
Freeze!
Get out!
Johnny, get out of here.
Down! Down!
Omar, chill out, man.
I was surprised
when you said you wanted to do this
Last time I saw you,
you practically sprinted away from me
I don't know what to say
Tell me about you.
I mean, you're a mystery to me.
- You're Egyptian, right?
- Yes.
Uh...
I was born there. That's all.
Okay, well, I came here when I was 12.
And I went to schooI and to college here.
So, really, you know, this is like my home.
Yeah, but still,
it must have been hard for you,
the transition from Egypt to America.
Uh...
No, not really, you know.
I wanted to fit in, so...
Well, you know, Egypt's right at the top
of my list. You okay?
I love Egyptian history.
I love Middle Eastern music,
Middle Eastern food.
Every time I'm on the Westside,
I go to that...
What's the name of it?
It's an Egyptian place.
- Habibi's?
- Habibi's, yeah. It's a great place.
- That's my brother's place.
- Come on.
- Really? That's amazing.
- Yes.
What does it mean, "habibi"?
"My love. "
Do you want to eat?
No.
We're at Coyote Film Studios
in East Los Angeles,
where a gunman has seized
a number of hostages
Eyewitnesses say that the man,
an actor, Omar JamaI AbduI Nasser,
attacked members of a film crew
and is holding the director, the producer
and others against their will
A security guard has been
reported to be shot
- Is this guy flying solo?
- He's a disgruntled employee.
He got picked up earlier for a similar thing.
I got a man
trying to penetrate from the roof up there
and another seeking
a vantage point from over here.
Why didn't you just listen?
Omar, please. It's just a TV show, okay?
It doesn't mean anything.
It means everything.
We're live at the studios
where the new TVseries
American Safety is filmed
An Egyptian-born Muslim actor
and part-time cab driver Omar Nasser
- is still holding
- I don't understand.
the film crew hostage at gunpoint
- How can this be?
- He didn't do it.
Change the channeI.
Put it on an Arab station.
- Hey, hey, hey!
- Leave it, Murad.
I just asked him to give up driving my cab.
That can't be it, Mustafa.
There has to be a problem, man.
The problem is this young generation.
They listen to their heart
and forget about their brain.
You just wait.
If there is another 9/11
it will be safer for all of us
to go back to Iraq with Fikry.
officers inspecting the roof of the studio
where Mr Nasser is holding the hostages
We don't know if police are preparing
any kind of assault on the studio,
but I've been assured
by the office authority
Anybody working here?
Leila, see what he wants.
No, no, no.
- No, no, no. I'm sorry.
- What's wrong?
Wait.
I won't hurt you.
No, stop.
Stop, please. I'm sorry, I...
- What did I do wrong?
- I thought...
I thought I could do this,
but I can't.
It's...
It's not you. It's me.
You wouldn't understand.
I can't even believe it.
I don't believe what I'm seeing.
You liked it with a lot of sauce, right?
You know what?
I come in here
and spend good money for service,
not to take a load of crap off you.
Sir, you're talking to my daughter.
I come in here all the time.
Your daughter is rude to me.
I don't have to put up with this shit.
Sir, I'm asking you
not to speak like that here.
Or you'll what? Come on.
Look at you people.
You're fucking pathetic.
- Who are you calling pathetic, bitch?
- You, and all of you,
sitting around
bitching and moaning all day
about how Arabs are treated,
fighting amongst yourselves.
If that's the best you can do,
you deserve to have your asses kicked.
You've got to let it go.
You can't win like this.
You'll just end up getting hurt.
I'm already hurt.
Hanging in there? Good.
You want some water?
Keep the pressure on your leg
and keep still.
- Kate?
- Omar, what are you doing?
His name
is still being withheld
- What did the doctor say?
- He said...
- Put down the gun, Omar!
- No!
Put it down, Omar.
You're going to get hurt.
- Omar?
- The SWAT guys are on their way.
They will not hesitate to kill you.
You have my word on that.
I was gonna let them go. It's an accident.
I believe you. I believe you.
I'm gonna put down my gun.
Now...
You step away from them.
You put your gun down now.
You can't arrest me.
I was gonna let them go.
Nobody's gonna do anything.
We're just gonna talk.
I'll listen.
Omar?
My fiance, she's...
I've just heard a single shot
that sounded like a discharge
from a high-powered rifle,
possibly one of the sniper rifles
You deserve
to have your asses kicked.
I'll kick your ass, you sand nigger.
Me, sand nigger?
trying to look like a black man.
You think people in this country
think you're cooI?
Damn right they think I'm cooI.
You understand?
They don't think you're cooI, asshole.
Sir, I told you, watch your language!
Excuse me,
I'm looking for Mustafa Marzoke.
I am Mustafa Marzoke.
What is your reaction
to your employee, Omar Nasser,
being killed by police tonight?
What?
EMS are coming out
with someone on a stretcher
Yes, we're getting reports
that the gunman, Omar Nasser,
has been shot and killed by police,
and that all the hostages are alive
In fact, I am seeing the hostages now
No, no, no!
- They fucking murdered him!
- Stay.
Get the fuck out of my face!
Get the fuck out.
You people, you fucking murder us.
You fucking film our suffering
for your entertainment! Fuck you!
Murad, Murad, Omar is dead. He's dead.
What murder?
He takes people hostage with a gun.
- What do you expect to happen?
- Fuck you!
- And fuck your American media!
- No, fuck the Arab media!
Tell me about your employee,
Mr. Marzoke.
Did he have extremist politicaI
or religious views?
What? No.
Do you
know if he has any connection
to any of the other Middle Eastern men
being arrested tonight by police?
He was our friend. Go away, please.
- Fucking cameI cocksucker.
- Go away! Go away!
- Out! We're closed!
- Okay. Okay. All right.
Please.
We're closed!
Out!
It's all right. It's okay.
Mustafa, I heard about Omar...
Oh, my God.
Oh, my...
Who did this?
I did it. I did it all.
What?
Mustafa...
You don't need to worry about me
or the land.
Do you understand?
You're released from all of that.
You've done your duty.
You've done more than enough.
You've made a new life for all of us.
Sam, I've always respected
your decisions
and let you run the family business,
but this time,
the family thinks you're mistaken.
So I hear.
Then you're prepared
to get us out of this arrangement?
Ben.
I've always believed in our purpose.
I've always tried
to keep that foremost in my mind,
but if anyone asked me
to apply that belief,
or even money for that matter,
to the destruction of other people's lives,
I would draw the line.
Well, I know Mustafa.
And I know that he is
the same kind of man.
We are tied together
by the same forefather.
More importantly,
I believe we are tied together now, here.
We're Americans.
We can make a difference.
We can change things,
maybe show that catastrophe
isn't a foregone conclusion.
The everyday act
of breaking bread together
is more powerfuI than all the hate.
Let's do it!
What's this? Wait. It's supposed to say,
"American Middle East. "
Ya Ya, what happened?
I write the way you tell me on the phone.
- What?
- I write the way you tell me on the phone.
I don't know what he said
or what you wrote,
but it's "American Middle East. "
What's the difference?
He gave us a great price.
I can't argue with that.
Our investors.
Here come Fikry and
Murad and the four Mohammeds.
What are they doing here?
Murad, I thought no SUV.
- It's a hybrid, bitch.
- Mother bitch.
- Mustafa, look, we talked about this.
- You know, good luck for us.
No, no, no, no, no, no,
we talked about this, right?
This place is gonna be different.
It's a business, not a sociaI club.
- Sure, Sam. Sure.
- Let's just get them in.
- Whoa, we were here first.
- No, we come before you.
- No, you didn't.
- David, David, it's okay.
No, it's not okay.
Mr. Bloom is an investor.
He was here first.
Yo, March of the Penguins,
step off, boy, all right?
- Murad...
- Just because you spend...
Hello, young man. Who are you?
I'm Mustafa's son
and my name is Mohammed.
Good. Let's go inside, shall we?
- Are you hungry?
- Yeah, looks good.
Don't pay attention to them.
They don't know what they're doing.
Homeland Security
officials say the current high alert
is directly related
to the discovery last night
of homemade explosives
at a warehouse in Los Angeles
owned by a Muslim male
The location of the warehouse
and the identity of the owner
have not yet been disclosed
by the Department,
but unnamed sources
in Homeland Security
- Why am I a Muslim?
- What?
Why did you have to
name me Mohammed?
I named you after our own prophet.
And you're Muslim because I am Muslim.
Everyone at schooI is Jewish or Christian.
All the same.
All believe in one God.
What if I wasn't born Muslim?
It is your journey, habibi
You have a great heart,
just like your mother.
Bless her souI in heaven.
Can we get a Christmas tree?
Mohammed, we have to get there.
Walk fast.
Sabir.
There. Mohammed, Sabir's here.
Mohammed?
Mohammed. Mohammed.
Mohammed.
Hammo. Mohammed.
Mohammed!
I have a possible 10-107 in progress.
Mohammed!
Mohammed.
- Sorry, ma'am. I'm sorry.
- It's okay.
I'm really sorry.
- It's okay.
- I'm sorry.
Halt. FederaI agents.
- I'm looking for my son.
- Stay calm.
All right, get him up. Get him up.
- Sir, I'm looking for my son.
- Come on.
Come with us. Come on, let's go.
I was looking for my son.
I didn't do anything.
Where are you taking me, sir?
Mr. Marzoke, I'm Agent Stevens, FBI.
FBI? Where is my son?
Look, your son is safe in the other room.
Why were you running
around the airport yelling, sir?
I was looking for my son.
Do you read the papers, sir?
You realize we're on high alert?
I thought I lost him.
What is your business
at the airport today?
I'm picking up my cousin.
- And what's his business in the US?
- No business, just personaI.
We did a search of your vehicle,
Mr. Marzoke.
We found all of these items.
Could you identify them, please?
Well, I listen and I read the Quran.
Is that a crime now?
The Quran.
These receipts...
What are these?
Money transfer. Donations.
Donations. I see.
Donations to the Sharia Foundation
in Egypt.
Why do you make donations
to the Sharia Foundation?
Sir, I'm a Muslim.
One of the five pillars of Islam
is to give zakat
I don't know if you know about zakat
It's an Islamic law.
When was the last time you were
at the Muhammad Ali Mosque?
- Muhammad Ali?
- Yes. BeautifuI place.
Alabaster, the tall minarets,
the view from the top, the pyramids.
- You've been there?
- Last month.
You have a very rich culture, Mr. Marzoke.
Now imagine if some fundamentalist
Christian nut jobs from the US
flew a jet passenger plane
into the Muhammad Ali Mosque
or another one
of your renowned monuments,
killing thousands of innocent Egyptians.
I'm sure that you'd be busting
every infideI stupid enough
to go around screaming English
in the Cairo airport, wouldn't you?
Let me give you a word of advice.
You be very mindfuI of how you act
and speak in public.
When we're under high alert,
people get trigger-happy.
You got it?
It's okay, Mohammed.
- Are you all right?
- Yeah, it was just a big mistake.
A big mistake.
- You hungry, Sabir?
- Later, later.
I want you to trace these transfers.
Where he sent them from,
who he sent them to.
Get me bank statements,
e- mails, library accounts,
subscriptions, postaI records.
The whole nine yards.
Piece of shit.
God, I hate this dump.
Can I help you, sir?
I told this asshole 100 times,
no sauce on my falafeI.
I'm supposed to ask you
to not use words like that in here, sir.
This is stupid.
Abdulla, please make
the gentleman another falafeI.
No sauce this time.
Are you serious?
- Leila.
- What's up, Fikry?
It's hot, man. Air conditioner working?
Yeah, sure.
It just makes that noise to mess with you.
Smartass.
- Fikry.
- Mustafa.
Next time, Pops,
if you're gonna punch in late,
just give me a call, okay?
It's been a rough day.
Don't start with me, okay, please?
- Where are you going?
- I have a life, too, remember?
- Okay, don't forget to be home early...
- I know.
It's a speciaI night. I know.
Be home early for dinner.
Hey, what's up?
Let's get out of here.
- Mustafa.
- Fikry.
What's wrong?
I get this feeling sometimes
like I'm going to explode.
Don't do that.
We've had enough explosions.
Abdulla, Sam is coming by later.
Have his coffee and baklava ready for him.
- Again? For free?
- Just have it ready.
You know, that guy never
pays for anything, never!
He thinks I work for him.
Oh!
It is hotter than hell.
What's up, Fiky Frik, Big M?
Abdulla in the house.
Turn on the TV. You seen this?
I want to show
what these bastards are doing now.
Despite repeated requests,
American authorities
have not made available
any evidence of explosives or weapons
See, that's what I'm talking about.
You see that?
You know, they cook all this stuff up.
All this heightened-state-of-alert bullshit.
It's all bullshit, red, green, fuchsia.
I mean, they just want people
scared shitless of people like us.
Murad, you see a conspiracy
in everything, man.
Mustafa, you tell him. I've tried.
Actually, I got arrested
today at the airport.
- What?
- What happened?
Nothing. A mistake. I'll tell you later.
A mistake? That's some serious shit, M.
I mean, they can make
your life hell in this country
if they get you on one of their lists.
They will lock your ass up
in one of those ships off the coast
in internationaI waters
and they will torture your ass
untiI you sign a confession.
Murad, I got bigger problems
than torture ships, Murad.
Keeping this place afloat,
that's my torture.
Maybe this place float
if you don't give away
so much free food, huh?
Thank you, Abdulla. He's right.
I need to make money, reaI money.
Why you need money
so badly all of a sudden?
Because I would love to open
a new restaurant, a reaI restaurant,
with reaI Mideastern food, like back home.
There is a place on Washington I like.
That's gonna cost some serious G, M.
So? Why not? Maybe I'll get a partner.
This is America.
Maybe I'll partner with someone like Sam.
- Sam the Jew?
- So?
So? Sam the Sephardic fucking Jew.
Murad, business is business.
Fikry here is Christian.
You're doing business with him.
- He's not a land grabber.
- What's left for an Iraqi Christian to grab?
Murad, Sam is Jewish,
but that doesn't make him a Zionist.
I trust him and he's a good businessman.
That's what I need.
- You asked him already?
- Yeah, he's researching the numbers.
Sure, sure, he's researching the numbers.
Of course he is.
He's gonna research those numbers,
he's gonna go behind your back,
he's gonna buy that building,
he's gonna jack your idea.
I'm telling you,
he will not partner with a Muslim.
You feeling me? You're gonna end up
being his employee bitch.
If you don't mind, guys, I've had enough of
"It's hard being a Muslim" for one day.
I need to change,
and there is an important
visitor coming by later.
So be nice to him.
More important than us?
Easy on the sauce, okay?
Everybody complains.
Just easy on the sauce.
The ongoing investigation
into what is now being referred to
as a terrorist arms depot in Los Angeles
has netted severaI suspects
and authorities say arrests are imminent
Some of the explosive materials
have now been identified
as being both Iraqi
and US military in origin
Taxi!
- Hi.
- Yeah, okay. Get in, lady.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- To what do I owe this surprise?
- I'm free untiI evening rehearsaI.
Thought I'd give you a lift
to your appointment.
Oh, well, I guess it pays
to sleep with a cab driver after all,
especially one with a seven-episode deaI
on a new series.
Yeah, which is why I thought
I could finally...
Afford this.
Omar.
You're doing this
because you want to, right?
- Not because...
- Kate, I want to.
- Good night.
- Salwah?
Yes.
I haven't seen you in forever.
Oh, well, I've been here.
Hey, um...
- Yes.
- Do you want to someday, if you're free...
Do you want to have dinner with me?
Do you like Japanese?
I'm a hell of a sushi chef,
if I do say so myself.
Oh. No, I...
I have to tell you I'm going to get...
I'm... I'm...
I'm going to be late.
I'm going to be late.
Our movie star!
What's with the air conditioner?
It's boiling in here.
What, you expected it to work?
I like it. When I'm here
I can relate to my people in Iraq.
Kate, Salwah called. She's late.
I can run some errands.
Just tell her to call me, okay?
I want to tell Salwah myself, okay?
What's up, my homie-omie?
- How did we do?
- $900, more or less.
That's it?
Your other business... Are you busy?
We have first run-through tonight,
camera rehearsaI.
Pick good roles. Be smart.
Think about the future.
It's funny you say that.
I just proposed to Kate.
What, are you getting married?
Fantastic, Omar!
Omar is getting married.
Huh?
Fresh baklava and tea on me.
I make it myself.
Come here. Come here, come here.
Congratulations.
So, yo, big shot,
you making enough money
to support a wifey now?
I landed a good role finally,
and on a good show, American Safety
Don't tell me, they're gonna have you
play a terrorist again.
No, not this time. A doctor.
Hey, that's a good part for you.
Yeah, no more Arab bad guys, inshallah
Yeah, inshallah,
but don't get your hopes
up too high, homie,
because as long as the Jews
controI Hollywood...
That's a myth.
- Talent wins in this town, that's all.
- For reaI?
So then how come there ain't
no successfuI Arab actors?
- There are.
- Who?
- Omar Sharif.
- He's a Jew.
He's not a Jew.
He was Christian and became a Muslim.
- He's a Jew.
- He's not a Jew.
He's a Jew. They're all Jews.
Name a known actor who's not a Jew.
- Antonio Banderas.
- Big Sephardic Jew.
He's not a Jew. Anyway, you'll see.
I'm going to be the Antonio Banderas
of the Arabs one day.
Yeah, one day the GirI Scouts
are gonna sell cookies
for the Muslim brotherhood, too,
you know.
Murad, you watch too much Al Jazeera.
It feeds your constant fear of the West.
Yeah, and Zionist American propaganda
feeds your constant fear
of your own Middle Eastern people.
- Check that shit on Fox.
- Fox.
Murad, enough already. Read the sign.
"No politics or religious discussion
allowed in this establishment.
"The management. " That's me.
That is, but that sign does
not say "discussion," M.
Whoever made that sign left that shit out.
Ya Ya make it.
His English like mine, not that good.
- But he's cheap.
- What do you mean, "his English"?
He's illiterate in Arabic also, man.
Oh.
You know the way.
You know the way.
You were saying, M, about religion?
I have to get the light on for them.
I'll get you the light. I'm sorry.
Salwah, Kate was here. Give her a call.
I need to set up.
Sam is coming any minute.
You hungry?
I lose, and now I got this.
Hey, Sam.
Look at this guy.
- Sam, how are you?
- Mustafa.
Have a seat. Salwah's setting up.
- How's it going, Fikry?
- Good, Sam.
- Omar.
- Hey, Sam.
Abdulla,
coffee and baklava for Sam.
So, Mustafa, you try those dates
we brought in last week?
- The best, right?
- Sold in two days.
Funny, we were just talking
about those beautifuI dates
that they used to grow in Iraq
before the US government
decided that oiI was sweeter.
You're feeling me. I know you are, Fikry.
It's all about the oiI.
It's not about this democracy shit
they keep feeding us.
It's about the oiI.
And IsraeI.
Sam, I'm ready for you.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
Sabir, you made it!
Sabir, my cousin, came from Egypt.
Hey, Sabir.
- You rested?
- Later, later.
Salwah's here. Let's go in.
Salwah, Sabir is here.
Ow! Ow!
Salwah.
Sorry, Sam. Sabir came
all the way from Egypt to see Salwah.
- Remember him now?
- Yes.
- Hi, Sabir.
- Hello.
Nice to meet you, Sabir.
What brings you to LA?
Mustafa and I have business.
Okay, you guys finish. Let's go. Let's go.
What was that about?
He's my future husband, supposedly.
I didn't know you were engaged.
Hmm.
I didn't either.
I don't get you.
Our family always talked about
me marrying my first cousin.
It's a tradition.
I'm sorry.
Ow.
Mustafa's not like that.
He doesn't hold onto
old tribaI notions like that.
Mustafa thinks it's his duty.
You're joking.
They arrest Muslims
and jaiI them all the time.
You know what I'm saying?
No charges, no evidence.
They just, poof, disappear.
Yeah, we hear how badly Arabs
are treated in this country.
What happened today
was very, very frightening.
You know, Sabir,
We and everybody else will pay the price.
Yo, M, who "Everybody else"?
It's the Arabs
that are paying the price, brother.
Murad, you act as if
we're the only ones, man.
It's part of a hazing process, you know?
It happened to the Irish,
the Japanese before us.
We're the newcomers now, that's all.
Yeah, but it happened here in this country.
See, the fucking problem is
the people in the Middle East
are paying the price so that Americans
can live their American dream.
SUVs, subsidized gas, fucking fast food.
I don't understand
why you want to live here at all.
When you get married and settle,
you will see.
This is a good country.
And a good people, too.
Thank you, Salwah. This is for you.
Thank you.
Mustafa, do you have a minute
to talk about business?
Yes, Sam. Come in the back.
I'll tell you what the problem is.
It's the fucking land grabbers.
Here I thought it was
the fucking Islamic terrorists.
Murad.
Sabir, go to Salwah.
Have a seat.
So, you like doing this?
Sabir, I'm sorry. This is...
This is very strange for me. I...
I need to get to know you. I...
I need to take some time,
but right now I have
another client coming in.
Sam, this place...
Every time I fix something,
something else breaks.
Yeah, I know, I know.
Okay, listen, Mustafa,
I had an inspector check out that building
and my accountant ran the numbers.
- Yeah?
- And it looks pretty good.
That's great, Sam.
I promise you,
we'll have the best Egyptian food in town.
- We're gonna make a difference.
- I agree. I agree.
I brought you cookies from Egypt.
I'm sure they're delicious.
Try one. You'll love it.
I can't. I watch my diet.
But I'm sure the family will love them.
- Atmosphere is important, right?
- Sure, sure.
We can't have certain elements around.
I understand.
Not in the new place if we want it to work,
because it's not a sociaI club.
- I mean, you understand.
- I understand. Sure, Sam, sure.
- No elements, no problem.
- Good, good.
The Mohammeds.
All these guys named Mohammed.
They need room to pray.
- You know what your problem is, Fikry?
- No, what is my problem? Tell me.
You're what we call a self-hating Arab.
That's ridiculous.
You say that because I'm a Christian,
like I'm not even Arab.
I didn't say
you're not an Arab, Fikry.
Let me tell you,
when I walk down the street
the rednecks yell "towelhead" at me also.
Yes, yes, yes,
I'll tell you what my problem is.
My problem is that my country
has been invaded by people
of my own religion.
And now the Jews and the Muslims
have stolen even my victimhood from me.
That's my problem.
- Hi, Sam.
- Hi, Kate.
So my cousin's, like,
in the Marines in Afghanistan, okay?
And he brought back this hash.
I mean, this shit's cold-blooded.
Been meaning to ask you something.
How come every time I turn on the news
there's some Muslim dude
who's pissed off and killing everybody?
Why do you hate America so much?
Maybe if you'd educate yourself,
you would know the whole story.
So tell me the whole story.
It's long. I don't remember it all.
It's, like, 1,400 years old.
So tell me what you know.
I want to hear it.
All right. Pass the rocket.
Once upon a time before the oiI, the sheiks
and all of the Saddams and Osamas,
in the middle of the Arabian Desert
was this cooI dude named Mohammed
His homies called him "the honest "
He used to kick back and meditate
And one day an angeI appeared to him
with a new revelation called Islam
It means "Submission to God "
The God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus
Back then, the locaI yokels believed
in a bunch of different gods
But when the angeI gave Mohammed
the message that there's only one God,
they dumped the whole
idoI-worship thing
See, according to Mohammed's prophecy,
God would free everybody from slavery
Dudes, babes, rich, poor,
black, white, whatever
Everybody was equaI
They were all over that in a heartbeat
So freedom and Islam began
to spread throughout Arabia
And it kept on spreading
to India and all the way to China,
then across North Africa to Spain
This was the start of Islamic civilization
Back then Muslims were, like, top dog
when it came to art,
science, literature and poetry
So pretty soon the buzz hit the West,
only back then Europe was, like,
a bunch of barbarians
busy barbecuing plague victims
But you know what? They didn't dig these
dark dudes with sand all over their feet
And that's, like, where I think
the word "sand nigger" comes from
So they said no way to Islam
This brought on the period
known as the Crusades,
which was, like, a downer for everybody,
especially Muslims living in Jerusalem
who got royally reamed out
by Christian armies fighting
to take back the Holy Land for the Pope
But finally, this other reaI cooI Kurdish
Muslim dude named Saladin shows up
and unites the Arabs
to fight the Europeans
and take Jerusalem back
See, difference is, under Saladin
there's, like, this time of peace
with Jews, Christians and Muslims
all kicking it together,
which is dope, because Jerusalem's,
like, a holy place for all three religions
But guess what? That didn't last
The Europeans came back even stronger
with, like, a divide-and-conquer thing
They gave the land the Palestinians
were living on to the Jews,
and that became the new IsraeI
And once the Euro-honkies split,
there was, like, constant fighting
between the Israelis
and Arabs over Jerusalem
'Cause both the Israeli and Arab radicals
wanted to have it all
If they'd just chill,
they'd see Jerusalem is a spirituaI place,
the land of milk and honey
But, no, because now
some Americans come in
to check out what all the fuss is about,
and they discover oiI
And to keep the pumps happening,
they prop up these greedy dictators
who sell only to them,
and they don't help the Arabs,
only IsraeI, which pisses the Arabs off
So then you get the Israelis
and Palestinians
fighting over Jerusalem
and blowing each other up,
while the world just watches
and plays it all like some kind of game
And that's why the Middle East
is a fricking mess
'Cause there ain't no more cooI dudes.
Whoa.
- Omar, how's it going?
- Great. Looking forward to this.
- Good.
- You wanted to see me?
Yeah, there's some script changes
I wanted to talk to you about.
Look, I'm sorry to say this,
but the doctor role has been cut.
- Cut?
- Yeah. Let's talk over here.
Um...
Okay, look,
they rewrote the entire episode last night.
It's practically a new show.
- I don't believe it.
- Omar, I love your work.
I want you to stay, but I'd have to ask you
to change roles at the last minute.
I'll do it.
Really?
You're the best.
All right, well, here are the new pages.
And take a look at the role of Ali.
- Ali?
- Yeah, we'll run through it shortly, okay?
Can you get Omar
someone to help him suit up?
Hold the noise, please, people.
Action, Omar!
Everyone on your knees.
You're being taken hostage.
Um. Okay, cut, let's cut. Can we cut?
Cut!
You okay? What's up?
I don't understand. Why would
a terrorist take over a hospitaI?
Terrorists want to strike fear
in the heart of America.
That's what the episode's about.
So they're at a hospitaI.
There's a lot of people,
very little security, okay?
But you know this hospitaI
is in a quiet little community.
It's a show, Omar.
We give our heroes of American Safety
heroic things every week, all right?
So, just give me more accent,
and, you know, scary, all right?
Okay, everybody. Back to one.
We're back to one.
Everyone on your knees!
You're being taken hostage!
We are the soldiers of Allah!
Great. Cut! All right.
Meet your second cousin.
This is Sabir.
What's up?
Everybody. Let's eat.
Yeah, come, let's eat.
So your friend Murad...
He tells me you're thinking
of opening a new place.
Maybe with this man Sam.
- I think he's a...
- A Jewish man.
I just see him as a good businessman.
It's true. They're good with money.
But he can use this against you.
Just turn on the TV,
see what they're doing.
Sabir, not too long ago in Egypt,
Jews and Muslims had business together.
But how much interest did they charge us?
Mohammed, put that away, please.
It's broken anyway.
You broke it?
Do you know how much this cost?
So, Sabir,
you own your pharmacy in Egypt.
Salwah here is a nurse.
A nurse?
So why do you do this salon work?
It's extra money.
Um, I'd like to ask, how do you feeI
about women working?
After marriage, I mean.
To be honest, it's better
for women to stay at home.
So you believe that women are born
to raise children and to be wives,
but not to find their own work?
Salwah, what Sabir tried to say here,
to have a strong family
is very important for a mother...
Okay, okay, let me ask Sabir directly,
if I may.
If we were to be married,
would you expect me
to give up my salon and quit nursing?
I don't think it will be an issue.
I'd prefer to stay in Egypt.
I don't think America
is a good place to raise a family.
Excuse me, please.
Salwah, it is always hard at first.
You guys just met.
Oh.
So I should wait and move back
to Egypt when it's less hard.
He will change his mind
when he gets to know you.
I don't know how to say this,
but you're almost 30.
That's nice. That's very nice.
Just let me finish.
You are a Muslim woman
living in America.
So I don't have a lot of options, you mean?
Because I am a Muslim,
I have to marry a Muslim?
That's not for you to decide.
I want you to have your own kids,
your own home.
- I want you to be happy.
- You want me to be happy
or this will make you happy?
This is what our father always wanted.
Listen, get to know him.
Just give him a chance.
You heard how he referred
to me at the cafe today?
"I have business with Mustafa. "
That's how he thinks of me, business.
In Los Angeles,
Homeland Security officials
have made severaI arrests
in connection with the recent terror threat
that has raised the alert leveI to code red
No names have been released,
but one officiaI said
that more arrests were forthcoming
and that, quote,
"A far larger Islamist network has been
uncovered than originally suspected "
I can't believe this shit, M.
What's wrong with you, Murad?
Palestinian this, Palestinian that.
Fuck them! I'm tired of their bullshit.
They are ruining our lives, those bastards.
And now, Arab dictators are controlling us
in the name of the Palestinian cause.
Why don't we just hand the land over
to those motherfuckers,
because they're just going to take it.
Come on, man,
you can't say that about the Palestinians.
- Why not?
- 'Cause it's unfair.
And it's politically stupid, especially now.
They've been kicked out of Lebanon,
they've been kicked out of Jordan.
If they lost their land,
where would they go?
I'll tell you where. Florida.
Take all the Jews,
because there's a lot of them in Florida,
move them to IsraeI,
and take the Palestinians
and let them live in Florida,
or maybe Cuba.
No, I tell you what,
I have the perfect solution
to the problem in the Middle East.
All the Palestinians should convert
to Judaism and become Israeli.
He's melting.
You've gone out of your goddamn mind.
No, all the Arabs
should become Jewish, man.
That'll solve the problem once and for all.
Why would anyone want
to be Arab these days?
But to be Jewish, that's cooI, man.
You get the support of everyone.
You guys still going on about that?
Oppression's still going on,
Sephardic Sam.
Why shouldn't we be going on?
Murad, the truth is, the fact is,
you Jordanians kill more Palestinians
than anybody else.
Bullshit. Bullshit.
You know what? You bageI munchers,
you steaI their land,
you destroy their homes,
you shoot missiles from the sky
into streets full of innocent people...
You prefer to blow up buses
and airplanes full of innocent people.
- Jesus, enough.
- Murad, calm down.
- Look at him.
- Sit down.
I'm sorry.
I just came by to apologize
for walking out yesterday.
- Mustafa.
- Just sit down.
- Not now, Abdulla.
- Mustafa.
But it's this...
This inflammatory shit,
which I guess you watch 24 hours a day.
You're goddamn right I do.
I watch it 24 hours a day
because I like to stay informed,
accurately informed.
Misinformed.
American propaganda!
- No more TV. That's it.
- That's all I'm saying.
That's all I'm saying. No more TV.
- Does Al Jazeera have parentaI controls?
- What?
I try what you say,
but they pray inside, the Mohammed.
He's a Mohammed,
I told you, don't disturb them.
You want peace, but the ignorant
are brainwashed by the crap.
There's no peace
'cause there's no fucking justice.
Occupation and oppression
is why there's no peace!
What kind of peace
do you get from the great Arab tradition
of sending suicide bombers
into hoteI lobbies
and coffee shops full of innocent children?
You're killing the innocent children!
Enough! Enough!
You guys want to fight? Outside!
Don't touch him. Outside!
Mustafa.
Go around them.
They don't let me in.
I told you, don't bother them.
I tried. I tried two times.
This is Habibi Cafe, man, not Hebrew Cafe.
Mohammed, what are you doing here?
It's Friday.
I thought we were meeting at the mosque.
I don't want to go to the mosque anymore.
Mustafa.
What?
Mustafa, Mohammeds won't let me in.
They pray inside and I can't get in.
Okay, have a seat. Have a seat.
Come. Give it to me.
I have to do
everything by myself.
- I tried three times. You try now.
- Okay.
Listen to this. Listen to this.
"Buy a Christmas tree from IsraeI,
where Christ was born.
"We ship to your door. "
They're selling Palestine off
piece by piece, these motherfuckers.
- Dad, are you okay?
- Yes, Mohammed. Yes, I'm okay.
What's the story about you
not going to the mosque?
I told you,
I don't want to be a Muslim anymore.
Why, Mohammed?
And Murad said we can get
a Christmas tree by maiI.
Mohammed, for God's sake!
You are Muslim. We are Muslim.
We don't celebrate Christmas.
We celebrate our own holiday.
- We celebrate Ramadan.
- But Ramadan doesn't have a tree.
And Murad said we can get one
from those motherfuckers in IsraeI.
You tell me what's happening.
Murad, what did you say
in front of my son?
Yo, chill, M. What? I'll show you.
Read for yourself, a baby Christmas tree.
Only the Jews can make money off
the Christians by stealing from the Arabs.
Stop with the Jew thing. I'm sick of it!
Mohammed, when Christmas
comes around, I'll buy you a tree.
Fikry, nobody's buying a tree
for Mohammed.
Yeah, buy it from Jerusalem for $29.99,
get it blessed by a fucking rabbi.
That's it. Murad, outside.
Oh!
Fikry, Fikry, stay away.
I'm talking to you as a friend, Murad.
You have to stop spreading all this hatred.
And no more swearing,
especially in front of Mohammed.
I didn't swear.
You swear all the time!
You don't hear yourself?
You're too angry.
Nobody listens to you when you're angry.
You're goddamn right I'm angry.
I am swole up.
Aren't you?
Look at what's happening to our people.
That's it.
I'm warning you, if you don't stop,
I don't want to see you here.
What?
You're on their side now?
Fine. But I'm gonna
tell you something, Mustafa,
you are too accommodating.
You forget who you are.
You want to fit in maybe.
You, the Jew. The Jew, you.
You can't have it both ways.
Come on, come on.
So you wear this when you get married?
It's supposed to make you exotic
for your husband.
Omar told me, Salwah,
about your marriage.
You know, I don't even know the guy.
I haven't seen him since I was 12.
I hardly remember that.
How can Mustafa expect you to marry
a man you don't even know?
It's tradition, you know.
The family arranges it
to protect the woman.
Listen, it's none of my business, Salwah,
but you need to marry a man
that you love, a man you want to...
I mean, isn't there somebody
that you'd like to, you know...
Shh!
- Kate.
- No one?
I really don't believe it.
Let's face it, Salwah,
you're not the Virgin Mary.
Okay, okay, okay.
All right, there is this doctor
at the hospitaI.
He's very nice. He's very cute.
And he kind of asked me out
for Japanese food at his house.
Okay, well, there you go.
I think you should do it with him.
Kate, stop it.
I'm not gonna just do it with him.
Well, do you like him?
So go out with him.
Why not? Because you're Muslim?
Look, even Omar struggles
with the differences between us,
but it doesn't matter.
What do you mean?
He never told his parents
we were living together,
but all that tradition stuff,
that just goes out the window
when there's love.
Mohammed, what is it?
You don't want to pray with us?
You want to talk about it?
Did Muslims really kill
all those people in the twin towers?
Listen to me, habibi
There are good Muslims and bad Muslims,
like all other religions.
And the ones who flew those planes
were bad and ignorant of Islam.
Who's a good Muslim?
Muhammad Ali is a good Muslim.
He's a black guy, not an Egyptian.
Your dad is a Muslim and Egyptian.
Don't you count me?
Closed? Where is Leila?
- Mr. Marzoke.
- What's going on?
We'd like to bring you in
for further questioning, if you don't mind.
- What for?
- We'll get into that.
No, go into it now.
Mr. Marzoke, I could arrest you,
if that's what you want,
or you can come with us voluntarily
and show your willingness to cooperate.
No, go ahead, arrest me.
I want a record of this.
I'm not gonna disappear
into one of your cells
and nobody knows where I am.
I don't know where you get your ideas
of how we operate, sir,
but it's not like that.
I'm back, Leila.
Who's that? Do you work here, sir?
Do you speak English?
Do you have residency papers, sir?
Sir, what are you doing here?
- You!
- You have to come with us.
Leave him alone! He didn't do anything!
- Take the kids away.
- Back off.
- He's not resisting. Please, please don't.
- I have to take you in.
if the infidels attacks our God,
it is our responsibility to defend Him
Are you ready? Ready!
That is tight. That is hot.
They're running this on prime time, dude.
You are gonna blow the fuck up.
Give me.
Now remind me,
who got you on this MOW?
- You did, Dez.
- Give me some more. Give me some more.
Thank you.
Thank you, but I'm saying
it's another bad-guy Arab.
You know, this thing that happened with
American Safety
Dude, I got clients
who'd gun down their granny
for one episode of this hot-shit series,
American Safety
And how many did you book? Seven?
Who is your fucking manager?
Dez, I'm gratefuI for the work,
for the MOW, too, really.
All right.
I don't know, this kind of image
they want me to play, it's demeaning.
Worse, it's like, I don't know,
crushing my souI.
Omar, you'd better not even be thinking
about bailing out on me on this.
Okay, they changed the role on you,
but you did the right thing.
You rolled with it.
You turn around and back out now,
I'll never be able to book you again.
I fucking mean it.
We square?
Good.
Terry, get me Saperstein.
- Sorry, it's my fiance.
- No, it's cooI.
Kate, I'm leaving. I'll call you.
What? Mustafa?
- All right, tell Salwah I'll be right there.
- You are bad, dude. You are bad.
Oh, yeah, I'm an accessory.
But it'll happen again.
That's right. That's right.
I hear you. I hear you.
Dez...
Uh...
Hang on for one second.
Yeah?
I mean it.
After this, no more.
It's killing me.
Omar.
Okay. All right.
No more terrorists.
I'll see what I can do.
Okay? Go.
Go, go, eat your falafeI, shish kebab,
whatever you want to call them.
And have some espresso, too. Get a life.
Shit. Terry, I lost him.
Yeah, get me Sap on the phone.
Sap? Sorry about that.
Yeah. Yeah.
Salwah. What is it?
Come in. Come in, please.
Salwah, are you okay?
Okay, Mr. Marzoke.
Come with me, please.
Sorry for all the noise, Mr. Marzoke.
Where am I?
We maintain a presence
in a number of locations.
So, Mr. Marzoke,
you don't appear to have
much of a financiaI acumen
for someone who runs his own shop
and owns a car service.
As a matter of fact, you're in the red.
You're very near foreclosure.
- I'm struggling. Is that a crime?
- No, no.
But since you are struggling, as you say,
we were wondering how you could afford
to make such sizable
monthly wire transfers
to a terrorist organization.
I don't send the money to terrorists.
Well, "terrorist" has a broad definition.
The Saudis don't consider HAMAS
to be a terrorist organization, for example,
but the US government does.
I'm not a Saudi.
You send money to an entity
called the Sharia Foundation.
Now, there is a charitable organization
called the Sharia Islamic Foundation.
And they've been known
to finance jihad studies
in madrasas worldwide.
I told you before, I just make zakat
No, these are not zakat
The Sharia Foundation is not a foundation.
It's a storefront operation.
Ostensibly it exports Egyptian music,
movies, the Quran on tape,
things of that type, but unofficially
it's a cash delivery service.
It's not illegaI.
I don't use banks
because banks charge so much money
and it takes weeks
before the money clears.
I know the man who owns the business.
I trust him more than banks.
- Where does the cash go?
- I know the man.
This man brings the money door-to-door.
- Where does it go?
- And in 24 hours the money is there.
- Answer me!
- A bank cannot do that.
Where does the cash go?
The government takes money from you,
taxes you...
- Answer my question. Where does it go?
- To my cousin, sir.
Why?
Because my father sold our land for me
so I can own my business here.
He sold it to his brother, like a loan,
with the promise that we'll buy it back.
Buying it back was my responsibility,
to make a life here,
to bring my sister over.
My father didn't live
to see the land come back.
Because all these years
I've been trying to buy the land back.
And every night when I go to sleep
I can hear my own father's voice saying,
"Mustafa,
"what happened to your promise?
What happened to your land?"
So you sent your money
through a hawala service
to buy your land back.
Why didn't you say that before?
Why did you tell me
it was a charitable donation?
Even my sister and my kids
don't know about this, sir.
Where I come from,
it is a shame for a man to lose his land.
Dad's here. Dad!
Leila, Hammo.
Everything is okay. It's okay.
Daddy, what are we gonna do?
We're gonna live our lives. You hear me?
I still believe in this country.
It will get better, okay?
- Thanks for seeing us, Sam.
- It's okay. It's important.
- Ben coming?
- No, he wanted us to talk to you first.
Look, as far as I'm concerned,
nothing's changed.
We ran the numbers.
We projected that the place
would be into profits in two years.
This is not about profits, Sam.
Okay, you sold merchandise to this guy
for a couple of years. So what?
You don't know him. He's an Arab.
So it's not impossible
he's sending money to terrorists
who want to destroy IsraeI, is it?
You watch too much TV, David.
Okay, okay, let's not call it terrorism then.
Let's say he supports
the liberation of Palestine, okay?
It's not so far-fetched.
I mean, most of them do.
Sam, we haven't made a commitment yet.
I shook his hand.
I told him that we could make this work.
Besides, it's good business. We all agreed.
So it's good business.
Why do we need him?
We have the capitaI.
- Well, first off, he brought it to me.
- So offer him something.
Let him be the manager and the chef,
but don't cut him in as a partner.
He'll be gratefuI for anything you give him,
you'll see.
Okay, I've listened to what you had to say,
but Ben has the last word.
Why is there anything
to discuss with Ben?
I mean, who,
who anywhere in the entire world
would want to have their money tied up
with some Muslim guy
who's under investigation
by the FBI, for Christ's sakes?
I mean, just answer me that.
What did you tell Sam?
I didn't tell him anything.
He didn't ask.
He volunteered his lawyer, Mustafa.
Salwah, I can't afford a lawyer.
I can't even pay Sam back for the baiI.
You need a lawyer.
They're still investigating you.
They've frozen all of your accounts.
Do you think that your problems
are none of my business?
I thought I could work it out.
By marrying me off to Sabir.
Shh!
You thought that if I marry him
you'll get the land back.
It's not just the land, Salwah.
No, it kills the two birds with one stone.
The land and your duty
to see that I'm married.
This is your land now.
And you can choose to live
with one foot over here
and one foot over there
if you want to, but not me.
Come, Sabir, come.
I think maybe this deaI our fathers made,
maybe it's a kind of curse for all of us.
- No, Sabir.
- Wait. Let him finish.
All my life I hear
how you are here in America,
a big success.
So I come here
with a little bit of resentment, Mustafa.
- Why?
- No, it's true.
I come here resenting what you have.
Resenting America even.
But I look around and I see maybe
a family that's not so happy.
I see your troubles.
And I think maybe
what they say about Muslims
who come to live here is true.
They must give something up to live here.
But is it worth it?
I...
I got this fixed for Mohammed.
Good night.
- Thank you, Sabir.
- Good night.
Are you ready? Ready?
Authorities have identified
and released photographs of suspects
in the ongoing terrorist investigation
in Los Angeles
that has resulted in the nationaI alert leveI
being raised to code red
The four Middle Eastern
Omar, it stresses you out.
Okay.
Everyone at the bank saw your TV ad.
Great.
Omar the jihadi.
Come on, they were impressed.
Everyone says you're gonna be famous.
It's not so bad, you know.
You have a great role on American Safety
We should be celebrating.
You know, this American Safety job...
- I wanted to tell you...
- What?
You're starting your first episode today.
- Aren't you excited? I am.
- Yeah.
You're right, it should be celebrated.
We'll have another reason
to celebrate soon.
Omar, you're all right with this, right?
You're not gonna judge me
differently later?
No, I just want our child to live in a place
where nobody will think
twice about his name,
where "Nasser" is just as American
as "Giuliani" or "Lieberman. "
It's gonna happen, Omar.
It is, okay?
- Dez.
- Omar, are you listening carefully?
I just got back from
a little breakfast meeting.
This is hot shit, homeboy.
This is big This is awesome
I'm talking major studio, leading role.
Are you ready?
You got an audition in two hours.
- I got the script for you right here
- Dez, thank you. Thank you.
This is the kind of thing I wanted.
- You're gonna naiI it
- Yeah, I will.
- You're gonna naiI it
- I'll naiI it, I promise. I'll naiI it.
All right then
Son of a bitch.
Hey, Murad. Come in.
Yo, M, you all right? I heard.
Yeah, Sam called his lawyer for me.
- The Jew did that?
- Yeah, the Jew did this for me, Murad.
You know, about yesterday,
I just wanted to say that...
Murad, forget it.
We're friends for a long time.
Okay?
- I just want respect.
- You should have respect.
But we should respect other people
or we're never going to pull ourselves up.
You hear me?
- I do.
- Good.
Listen, I need to fix this place up
and sell it.
I need to put my life together.
Go have some coffee or tea.
Fikry here has started.
- Thank you.
- Murad.
Fikry, how are you, habibi?
What are you doing here?
- What are you doing here always?
- I was waiting for you.
- Can you fix it?
- I fix.
Not like you fixed the sign.
- What's wrong with the sign?
- Well, you missed one word.
I give a good price!
What, you want one-word refund?
Thank you, Mrs Jensen
Tell Sam I appreciate it
Look, it shows that we sold the land
with the option that we can buy it back.
That's why I've been
sending money to Egypt.
So it's a deed.
Okay, we need to get it translated.
But how long will it take?
I need to sell this place.
I need the money so I can
buy the new place with Sam.
I don't think you understand, Mr. Marzoke.
They have frozen all your assets
untiI the investigation is over.
I advise you not to even try
to liquidate any property right now.
But this is my money.
You give me a few days.
- Hi. Can I help you?
- Hi.
- One coffee, please.
- No problem.
Hey, check this guy.
I saw him before, man,
like on the news or something,
but with the whole raghead business.
- You mean like the terror alert thing?
- I don't know, man, but...
He just left his backpack right behind you.
Hey, man.
- Is that your bag over there?
- Yeah.
Maybe you shouldn't
be leaving it Iying around.
What?
You think I'm a suicide bomber?
Look, I've seen you before, man.
Yeah?
Where, on TV,
beheading an innocent reporter maybe?
Well, you've got me pegged, man.
I am a terrorist.
And if you don't get out of my face,
my fucking face,
I'm gonna blow this place up!
But first, I'm gonna have my coffee.
All right? Okay?
Thanks.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen
This is TVLA 4 breaking news
Authorities have identified these men
as part of an ongoing
terrorist operation in Los Angeles
All are believed to be at large
in the US or trying to enter
What's really going on?
I mean, what is really going on?
Do they cast actors for this crap?
Pretty soon everybody's gonna be
scared shitless of anyone with a suntan.
It's a good time
for Americans to stay alert
Murad, we already talked about this.
No more news. Watch a movie.
I want people to walk here and look,
nice atmosphere.
No bad elements. Okay?
You!
Place your hands
behind the back of your head,
interlace your fingers and stand up.
Put your hands behind your head.
All right, Mr. Nasser, you can go.
But I want to say this,
under the circumstances,
we take what you said very seriously.
Doesn't matter what the situation was
or how angry the other guy made you.
Do something like this again
and they're not gonna be
so forgiving next time.
- Got it?
- Yeah, sure.
Hey, wait.
I'm sorry I'm late. I apologize.
Omar, there's nothing I can do.
They're gone. It's over.
- Can't we reschedule?
- They cast the role. They shoot next week.
Look, I'm sorry.
They really wanted to see you,
but it's a done deaI.
I'm here.
Leila, where is Mohammed?
I thought he was with you.
No, you were supposed to bring him here.
- What about Sabir?
- They were both gone when I got up.
Phone home, see if they're back
and try Salwah.
Okay.
You have to replace all these pipes.
They are no good.
Come on, Ya Ya.
Yo, Omar.
We were just talking about you.
Just saw your TV ad for your show.
I thought no more terrorists, man.
Hey, don't listen to him.
You're doing great.
You're gonna be a big star.
I have to run. We're shooting.
- How did we do?
- $750.
Omar, I know you're busy with acting.
That's great,
but I need a full-time driver, man.
I need the money.
You don't want me to drive for you now?
You focus on acting.
Let me take the cab off your hand.
I need... I need it, man.
Look, it's really a bad time for me.
Can we talk?
Listen, I've got some problem here.
Ya Ya's here fixing the thing.
I need to fix all this situation.
- Mustafa, you're okay.
- Hey, Sam, how you doing?
Have a seat. We'll get you a shisha.
All right. Won't say no to a shisha.
Look, Mustafa, it's very important,
something I didn't tell anybody.
Listen, thank you
for what you did yesterday.
Taking Salwah to Sam,
it made all the difference.
Leila, shisha for Sam.
Listen, listen.
Come back, we'll talk, okay?
Ya Ya, talk to me!
Oh, whoa, Sam.
Don't suck so hard.
You need to treat it like a nipple.
A nipple.
Sorry.
You see that?
Gentle.
You like?
I knew that you would like that. Me, too.
Yes, you like
big fat juicy nipples, just like me.
That's why I like Jewish women.
That's funny.
I got the idea
that you didn't like Jewish people at all.
No, man. What...
You're not feeling me, Sam.
I love Jewish women.
The best sex that I ever had
was with a Muslim woman
and a Jewish woman at the same time.
You know how Muslims and Jews
fight over Jerusalem?
That's how they fought over my dick.
And I ain't bullshitting you.
You need to hit that shit, Sammy.
Well, somehow I think it would be hard
for me to get a Muslim woman into bed.
No. No.
Just convince them
that you're doing it for peace.
That's how you get them.
Peace, my friend.
Everybody fucks everybody else for peace.
I guess you got a point there.
- You okay, Sam?
- Yeah.
Yeah, Murad was just giving me
some new insights
into smoking a shisha.
Thank you, my friend,
for yesterday.
Oh, no. I'm sorry it happened.
You okay? You seem...
I guess Angela told you
they froze my money.
Yeah, yeah.
Mustafa, listen.
Maybe the timing isn't right.
- Yeah?
- Sam, you put the deposit on the building,
I pay you my share
when I work my situation out.
- We'll have it in writing.
- No, yeah, yeah...
Look,
there are some complications
that we have to address.
Your circumstances have changed, right?
- This is only a cash flow problem.
- No.
No. No.
Okay, look,
this is hard for me.
You know I'm in business
with my family, right?
And my family is run
like a corporation, believe me.
So untiI your legaI situation is cleared up
they want to offer you a different deaI.
They put up the totaI investment,
you run the place.
You want me to run the place for you?
Like a manager?
- No. No.
- Sam, we are partners, you and me.
Mustafa, don't take this the wrong way.
I have to tell you what they're saying.
You want me to work for your family.
It's not what I want.
I'm getting outvoted here.
Do you understand?
What about our chance?
Let's just see what happens, okay?
Let's just see how it goes.
Okay?
Omar, you're late.
We've been trying to reach you.
- Yeah, look, I had a problem.
- What do you mean?
Omar, what's up? We're waiting.
Those lines, I can't say them.
You did them in rehearsaI
and you were cooI with it.
- No, I'm not cooI with it.
- Okay, but we're shooting, okay?
The show airs in a week.
They will seriously have your head
if you just walk out in the middle of this.
The scene has no sense.
The lines are stupid.
Character isn't reaI.
I don't understand what he's trying to do.
Okay, he's a terrorist. He's full of hate.
That's all you have to play.
No. That's what I'm saying.
That's exactly wrong.
Wait, what's happening?
Omar has problems with how his
character's being portrayed in the script.
It's a bit late for that, isn't it, Omar?
- Let's get on with it, bud.
- Don't call me bud.
- Read the lines and see how they sound.
- I have read the lines.
And since I'm producing this show,
you're either gonna do the lines
as they're written or I'll replace you.
I don't care how late in the day it is.
Are you stupid
or don't care if it's propaganda or not?
All right.
I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
No, you leave. I'm talking to her.
- Get security.
- Hey, over here.
- Believe this?
- I can't...
I mean, he's... I don't know what to do.
What's up?
Now, I'd advise you to go on your own
and not make them force you, okay?
All right, everybody, back to work.
This is over.
- No, no, it's not over. It's not over.
- Hey, hey. Get this maniac off of me.
- Listen to me. Wait a minute.
- Get off of me.
- Wait, wait, wait. I want to...
- Get off of me.
- Listen.
- Wait!
Freeze!
Get out!
Johnny, get out of here.
Down! Down!
Omar, chill out, man.
I was surprised
when you said you wanted to do this
Last time I saw you,
you practically sprinted away from me
I don't know what to say
Tell me about you.
I mean, you're a mystery to me.
- You're Egyptian, right?
- Yes.
Uh...
I was born there. That's all.
Okay, well, I came here when I was 12.
And I went to schooI and to college here.
So, really, you know, this is like my home.
Yeah, but still,
it must have been hard for you,
the transition from Egypt to America.
Uh...
No, not really, you know.
I wanted to fit in, so...
Well, you know, Egypt's right at the top
of my list. You okay?
I love Egyptian history.
I love Middle Eastern music,
Middle Eastern food.
Every time I'm on the Westside,
I go to that...
What's the name of it?
It's an Egyptian place.
- Habibi's?
- Habibi's, yeah. It's a great place.
- That's my brother's place.
- Come on.
- Really? That's amazing.
- Yes.
What does it mean, "habibi"?
"My love. "
Do you want to eat?
No.
We're at Coyote Film Studios
in East Los Angeles,
where a gunman has seized
a number of hostages
Eyewitnesses say that the man,
an actor, Omar JamaI AbduI Nasser,
attacked members of a film crew
and is holding the director, the producer
and others against their will
A security guard has been
reported to be shot
- Is this guy flying solo?
- He's a disgruntled employee.
He got picked up earlier for a similar thing.
I got a man
trying to penetrate from the roof up there
and another seeking
a vantage point from over here.
Why didn't you just listen?
Omar, please. It's just a TV show, okay?
It doesn't mean anything.
It means everything.
We're live at the studios
where the new TVseries
American Safety is filmed
An Egyptian-born Muslim actor
and part-time cab driver Omar Nasser
- is still holding
- I don't understand.
the film crew hostage at gunpoint
- How can this be?
- He didn't do it.
Change the channeI.
Put it on an Arab station.
- Hey, hey, hey!
- Leave it, Murad.
I just asked him to give up driving my cab.
That can't be it, Mustafa.
There has to be a problem, man.
The problem is this young generation.
They listen to their heart
and forget about their brain.
You just wait.
If there is another 9/11
it will be safer for all of us
to go back to Iraq with Fikry.
officers inspecting the roof of the studio
where Mr Nasser is holding the hostages
We don't know if police are preparing
any kind of assault on the studio,
but I've been assured
by the office authority
Anybody working here?
Leila, see what he wants.
No, no, no.
- No, no, no. I'm sorry.
- What's wrong?
Wait.
I won't hurt you.
No, stop.
Stop, please. I'm sorry, I...
- What did I do wrong?
- I thought...
I thought I could do this,
but I can't.
It's...
It's not you. It's me.
You wouldn't understand.
I can't even believe it.
I don't believe what I'm seeing.
You liked it with a lot of sauce, right?
You know what?
I come in here
and spend good money for service,
not to take a load of crap off you.
Sir, you're talking to my daughter.
I come in here all the time.
Your daughter is rude to me.
I don't have to put up with this shit.
Sir, I'm asking you
not to speak like that here.
Or you'll what? Come on.
Look at you people.
You're fucking pathetic.
- Who are you calling pathetic, bitch?
- You, and all of you,
sitting around
bitching and moaning all day
about how Arabs are treated,
fighting amongst yourselves.
If that's the best you can do,
you deserve to have your asses kicked.
You've got to let it go.
You can't win like this.
You'll just end up getting hurt.
I'm already hurt.
Hanging in there? Good.
You want some water?
Keep the pressure on your leg
and keep still.
- Kate?
- Omar, what are you doing?
His name
is still being withheld
- What did the doctor say?
- He said...
- Put down the gun, Omar!
- No!
Put it down, Omar.
You're going to get hurt.
- Omar?
- The SWAT guys are on their way.
They will not hesitate to kill you.
You have my word on that.
I was gonna let them go. It's an accident.
I believe you. I believe you.
I'm gonna put down my gun.
Now...
You step away from them.
You put your gun down now.
You can't arrest me.
I was gonna let them go.
Nobody's gonna do anything.
We're just gonna talk.
I'll listen.
Omar?
My fiance, she's...
I've just heard a single shot
that sounded like a discharge
from a high-powered rifle,
possibly one of the sniper rifles
You deserve
to have your asses kicked.
I'll kick your ass, you sand nigger.
Me, sand nigger?
trying to look like a black man.
You think people in this country
think you're cooI?
Damn right they think I'm cooI.
You understand?
They don't think you're cooI, asshole.
Sir, I told you, watch your language!
Excuse me,
I'm looking for Mustafa Marzoke.
I am Mustafa Marzoke.
What is your reaction
to your employee, Omar Nasser,
being killed by police tonight?
What?
EMS are coming out
with someone on a stretcher
Yes, we're getting reports
that the gunman, Omar Nasser,
has been shot and killed by police,
and that all the hostages are alive
In fact, I am seeing the hostages now
No, no, no!
- They fucking murdered him!
- Stay.
Get the fuck out of my face!
Get the fuck out.
You people, you fucking murder us.
You fucking film our suffering
for your entertainment! Fuck you!
Murad, Murad, Omar is dead. He's dead.
What murder?
He takes people hostage with a gun.
- What do you expect to happen?
- Fuck you!
- And fuck your American media!
- No, fuck the Arab media!
Tell me about your employee,
Mr. Marzoke.
Did he have extremist politicaI
or religious views?
What? No.
Do you
know if he has any connection
to any of the other Middle Eastern men
being arrested tonight by police?
He was our friend. Go away, please.
- Fucking cameI cocksucker.
- Go away! Go away!
- Out! We're closed!
- Okay. Okay. All right.
Please.
We're closed!
Out!
It's all right. It's okay.
Mustafa, I heard about Omar...
Oh, my God.
Oh, my...
Who did this?
I did it. I did it all.
What?
Mustafa...
You don't need to worry about me
or the land.
Do you understand?
You're released from all of that.
You've done your duty.
You've done more than enough.
You've made a new life for all of us.
Sam, I've always respected
your decisions
and let you run the family business,
but this time,
the family thinks you're mistaken.
So I hear.
Then you're prepared
to get us out of this arrangement?
Ben.
I've always believed in our purpose.
I've always tried
to keep that foremost in my mind,
but if anyone asked me
to apply that belief,
or even money for that matter,
to the destruction of other people's lives,
I would draw the line.
Well, I know Mustafa.
And I know that he is
the same kind of man.
We are tied together
by the same forefather.
More importantly,
I believe we are tied together now, here.
We're Americans.
We can make a difference.
We can change things,
maybe show that catastrophe
isn't a foregone conclusion.
The everyday act
of breaking bread together
is more powerfuI than all the hate.
Let's do it!
What's this? Wait. It's supposed to say,
"American Middle East. "
Ya Ya, what happened?
I write the way you tell me on the phone.
- What?
- I write the way you tell me on the phone.
I don't know what he said
or what you wrote,
but it's "American Middle East. "
What's the difference?
He gave us a great price.
I can't argue with that.
Our investors.
Here come Fikry and
Murad and the four Mohammeds.
What are they doing here?
Murad, I thought no SUV.
- It's a hybrid, bitch.
- Mother bitch.
- Mustafa, look, we talked about this.
- You know, good luck for us.
No, no, no, no, no, no,
we talked about this, right?
This place is gonna be different.
It's a business, not a sociaI club.
- Sure, Sam. Sure.
- Let's just get them in.
- Whoa, we were here first.
- No, we come before you.
- No, you didn't.
- David, David, it's okay.
No, it's not okay.
Mr. Bloom is an investor.
He was here first.
Yo, March of the Penguins,
step off, boy, all right?
- Murad...
- Just because you spend...
Hello, young man. Who are you?
I'm Mustafa's son
and my name is Mohammed.
Good. Let's go inside, shall we?
- Are you hungry?
- Yeah, looks good.
Don't pay attention to them.
They don't know what they're doing.