Ask Baba Ali, a video blog by Los Angeles web designer Ali Ardekani, seeks to change the perception of Muslims using comedy. Featured in an article in The New York Times, Ardenkani is part of a growing group of young Muslim video bloggers intent on uplifting the public image of their religion.

Baba Ali, a fictional character played by Ardekani, dispenses humorous advice on domestic matters on the blog. The act was created after Arkedani did a search for video blogs about Muslims on the internet and found either depictions of crazed, nihilistic extremists or defensive explanations as to why they weren’t that way. Ardekani sought out to reframe the entire discussion by, rather than letting the subject of Islam revolve around terrorism, instead taking an approach anyone can relate to - domestic, ordinary life. Typical topics range from family to matters of the heart to complaining as seen below:

Ardekani’s inspiration comes from none other than Bill Cosby, who helped change the image of African-Americans in the United States by focusing on universal themes in his comedy acts and film and television projects that people from all races and creeds could relate to.

You can toward promoting moderation and understanding between cultures by learning more about the American Islamic Conference, a 35 year old non-profit group seeking to build interfaith and interethnic understanding by promoting human rights & human justice as well as fighting extremism, terrorism and hate speech.