May 2, 2014

Today, the Muslim Public Affairs Council proudly released “American Muslims Get… Happy,” a music video set against the backdrop of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. The video features American Muslims from all across the United States.
 

 
The national endeavor was inspired by the wildly popular “Happy British Muslims” video that received more than one million views, and showcased a rainbow of Muslims, young and old, male and female, moving to the catchy universal tune. On the heels of other “Happy” videos which have focused on specific cities or schools, MPAC has created the first video that features Muslims from all over the country, highlighting the rich diversity of American Muslims.
 
The video includes Muslims from Washington, DC, Los Angeles, East Lansing, MI, and Tempe, AZ. Additionally, Congressmen Andre Carson (D-IN) makes a cameo in the video along with other notable American Muslim leaders.  
 
Last week, The Washington Post recently covered the filming of the video in Washington, DC, and quoted MPAC’s Director of the Washington, DC Office Haris Tarin as saying, “Since this song has gone viral, we thought, why not take advantage of it? It may be a little wacky, a little out of the ordinary. . . but it gives that idea of the American Muslims in the public square.”
 
Amidst stereotypes and misinterpretations of Islam and Muslims in the media, this video is a proactive way of helping change the narrative about American Muslims. Activists working for justice and equality for all with positivity are a reflection of the Quran’s message, which encourages doing good in order to attain a happy state of mind: “As for those who attained to faith and did righteous deeds, they shall be made happy in a garden of delight” (30:15).
 
“This is the first national American Muslim ‘Happy’ video and we’re proud to be part of a universal movement expressing happiness,” said MPAC’s National Policy Analyst Hoda Elshishtawy. “We’re having fun. For some, being part of this video is a way to change the national conversation; for others, it’s simply a creative expression of happiness to a catchy tune.”
 
MPAC would like to acknowledge David Hawa for directing the video and MakeSpace for their support.