TV

Kumail Nanjiani Just Delivered A Biting Monologue About Islamophobia On ‘SNL’

"An informed racist is a better racist."

by Tom Clift  15 October 2017
Kumail Nanjiani Saturday Night Live

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Pakistani-American comedian and The Big Sick star Kumail Nanjiani has used his first ever hosting gig on Saturday Night Live to deliver a pointed monologue about racism and Islamophobia.

“Islamophobia is really on the rise right now,” Nanjiani remarked. “It never really went away, but it’s really having a moment right now.”

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“Islamophobia is kind of like Will & Grace,” he continued. “It was huge a while ago, and then we thought it was gone and done, but now it’s back and bigger than ever. Thursdays on NBC.”

“I saw a guy be like ‘of course all Muslims are sexist, the Quran says women can’t drive’. Yeah, pretty sure the Quran never said that. Because if the Quran had said women can’t drive cars 1400 years ago, I’d would be at the mosque right now. And so would all of you.”

But Nanjiani said his biggest problem with racists was the inaccuracy. “Do the research!” he suggested. “Put in the work! You will see the benefits.”

“If someone yells at me ‘go back to India’, I’m like, ‘that guy’s an idiot’. But if someone was like, ‘go back to Pakistan, which was part of India until 1947, and is now home to the world’s oldest salt mine’, I’d be like ‘that guy seems to know what he’s talking about. I’ll pack my bags.'”

“Just because you’re racist, doesn’t mean you have to be ignorant,” Nanjiani concluded. “An informed racist is a better racist.”