Ramadan Reset #07 Fame Reset – Omar Regan

Lauren Booth

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Welcome to Ramadan reset with me Your host Lauren booth. This podcast series is sponsored by what standard org.uk delivering services to Syrians in need. Brothers and sisters. We're here tonight to talk a little bit about the fame perspective, trying to root it out and looking at those beautiful intentions. Rather Oh my travels the world. He is a top comedian. He plays the clubs, he makes movies, and he works to really inspire Muslims or to smile. And that's that's my overarching memory of brother Omar is you never leave his company without a smile. And that's a big sooner. So May Allah Allah bless you.

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Cassie welcome. Oh, man, I'm so grateful, ma'am. Lee, I always be fitting of these words that you're sharing with me? How many years if you've been on the road? 10 years? 10 straight years, every year? Like, I don't know what's gonna happen with my status at Delta. Now? I don't know. That's the worry. I'm

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worried about itself, not about whether you get a seat priority right now or they've got

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this might be this might qualify as a first world problem. I'm feeling first what you know. Yeah, I think yeah, this like, wow, we need to put that higher up. What is the status of my seating?

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I remember meeting Jermaine Jackson, nine years ago. And he was saying, Oh, you know, I've been all around the world. And I'm like, That's amazing. Where's your favorite place? He said, Oh, the Hilton. And I said what he said, Look,

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I just go from a limousine into a helpman to a big arena I've never seen anywhere. Now that is really sad. But I understand like, people like Jermaine Jackson, they have a whole different schedule. And there's so many people come mugging and like everybody wants to meet them. I'm really grateful for the fan base that I have. And then the way that Allah has blessed me to be among the people and to love the people. So

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I want to meet everyone, but I don't have millions of people at which I can't say that I'm, I'm looking forward to that. I like just being among people. And we can talk and we can go sightsee without it being like, Oh my god, it's over Reagan. Like, it'd be like guys, relax. I'm just a reflection of yourself, you know. So I've been living like that. So I've been seeing everywhere I go, I need a play day.

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I need a play day or two, I need to go to the, to the tourist sites. I also need to visit the National touristy sites I like because I come from, I know how they say in the UK, the slums of certain neighborhoods. But I come from the inner city myself, I grew up in the inner city of Detroit. So I want to go and see I connect with the inner city everywhere I go. And sometimes the organizers don't want to take me there because they never go there. So sometimes I might have to go on my own. I'll sneak off and go on my own and just get a feel of the neighborhood. Because coming out of Detroit I have, I feel like

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there's nothing worse than that.

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Especially if I go to a place where they don't have guns. I'm so grateful like Australia, like turkey or like the UK. It's like it's a whole different experience than where I am where I'm born and raised. I'm just what's your favorite place that your best place you've ever visited? And what's the place that is impacted you as a Muslim? Well, let me tell you, I've got a couple of them.

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This place called Zanzibar, it really blew me away. There's an island in Tanzania, and it's called Zanzibar and it is a tourist Island but oh my goodness, it really like the culture and the people and the history behind it. In any I walked through those roads, I loved it. I was like Wow, this is so gritty and grimy and righteous all at the same time. It just it was so beautiful. I loved it. But I loved I loved Malaysia because I used to say you would think that Prophet Muhammad came and visited Malaysia sallallahu Sallam because of the the character of the people in Malaysia they were they just so warm and so loving. And I was like why is all of these just Muslims just running live

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in that thing? I saw the sister on her scooter back you know, hey, got the heat jabs and I was like, they just they don't have to be that nice of or just their demeanor. It's like relax.

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Come on man. And of course they can get you they can get upset you push them, but just generally, it's not a, it's not a, it's who they really truly are. It's like it's in their culture. And it's just, I was it just blew me away, I really want you to give us an overview of what it's like to go on stage before Islam, and then since accepting Islam, was there any change? And what what changes do you bring in, to sort of to ground yourself because it's not an easy environment. And we're warned against public, you know, the public applauding us putting ourselves in the in that sphere, by the prophet peace be upon him because it's a quick path to hell, potentially, let's on so many

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levels, how to attend the instances when you struggle with that. And what you do.

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For me, it was kind of, I had a different experience, because my mother converted to Islam, I was five years old. So I grew up Muslim. So my experience of jumping on stage was at first, like it, everything was hot.

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But I'm grateful, like what gave me an end was the poet. Like, it was just all of our understanding. And the poet would take the stage and they would defend. So now, after learning and researching the history with the story of Prophet Muhammad,

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about what do you do with the art and the talent? What is your intentions? This is what helps me and guide me along, like what do I really want to do? Is it Am I telling myself am i doing it for fame? Or am I doing it because, you know, it's, it's within me, and it's a gift to me? And now I just need to how do I use this gift? So I had my challenge as far as being in Hollywood.

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On stage like, this is the road to I wanted to get to success is this do i do what they tell me to do so that I can get to where I want to go? Or do I hold on to my integrity, my morals and my self discipline that Islam teaches me and then I take this longer road, and I'm grateful that I took the longer road Allah bless me to take the long road and so now now I love what Allah blessed me to be able to do because now I'm comfortable with inside of myself.

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I love the challenge of making Muslims laugh because I believe that they were indoctrinated with me like it's haram to laugh. So I love to find the balance and so when you know how they teach us they scare you like, Oh, you know if you know this hotties if you would deal with Chrome laugh little and weep more. And I tell him I was like, Yeah, but brother You have not laughed and yours well, and this is I'm only here for 20 minutes. So I think we're doing a really good balance.

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So how many law go within for all of our viewers my whole thing is check your intentions keep your intentions in check. Even when I go into Hollywood last week I was with I don't know if you guys know Craig Robinson.

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And I was live to her on some really good funny comedians and Hollywood actors and we were at the world famous Laugh Factory with Jamie Masada is doing good work as far as bringing smiles back to people. And so I was there. And it just felt good to be in my to connect with fellow artists who love connecting with people, not for the fame. But just to make people smile because we were doing stand up comedy and there was no audience. So the intention was to share some smiles to share good in the pandemic there were in so teaming up with people like that they're all around they may not be Muslim, but they're all around the world that want to spread good energy positive energy and uplift

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other people's spirits and so Alhamdulillah I'm grateful to attract back Mashallah, it is very much what you give out you get back Don't you find that? Yes.

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To the Lord says whatever you put forth, come back to you. So yeah, I love that verse where he says, I don't wrong man, man wronged sin itself by his own hands. And so it made me really look into Wow, the things is happening to me. This is because of me and I'm taking accountability for it. So

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I want to share a quick comment with you dhania says, Laura and one Ramadan A few years ago I saw you and your daughter on stage on TV on TV and you were talking about Palestinians but you were not Muslim and I really

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Blake baked Allah for you and your daughter to become a Muslim that Ramadan and I found out that you became Muslim Allahu Akbar. May Allah bless you for that for that, do I? I you know, listen, I like what you're saying. And I was

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trying to take responsibility for this. Okay? No.

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That's

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good. Tony is also saying I just want to say I met you Oh my god, the American cheriya film in my city and loved it. Listen to do I but I was making the movie and then he was able to come because hey,

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you know,

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Mila answer all of your prayers. I was just messing with you like having fun. But May Allah answer all of your prayers, this ROM above and beyond? That's my thing that I've been doing for Toy Story, this Ramadan and beyond. Tell us more about the temptations, career wise, when when you have a fork in the road, because there'll be people watching this and they're like, wow, if I got to Hollywood, I do the lot. What is it? Like because I woke up 42 years old as a Muslim. And the whole last 30 years has Well, you know, most of all, my adult life anyway, had been really big time. Dunya and really big time, you know, that celebrity world and it's dark.

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You know, how did you come from the darkness to the light, and that, again, did come from a little bit of darkness. But no,

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not a lot. It was just that learning, I was fresh and new to the environment because I had been around Muslims my whole life. So just being in the environment was was was dark, and I had to get used to that. What seemed normal for others was not normal for me. And so I'm grateful that I didn't have an issue with, you know, with, you know, getting pulled in. I my challenge was

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I mean, I had to say no, and people were offended, because I was like, oh, man, like they asked me they really loved me. They was like, Oh, my We love you. We love your personality, we got to make you a star. So we have this role for you. And you're going to be on nice three shows back to back with this reoccurring character. And I was like, okay, what's the character and he was like, he's, he's a download brother, which at that turn, that time download brother meant he was gay, but nobody knew he was he was a homosexual, or no one knew it. And he was just, you know, going through and then his lines would be, my boyfriend would love to meet you. And so I was like, I don't want to

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start. I don't want to do that. And I didn't blame it on being Muslim. I just stuck with it. I don't want to do that. You know, and then they offered me another role to put on the dress. And I was like, I don't want to do that. And I had some listeners that was like, what's wrong with the dress? You wear a phone? Right? If you put the thumb bonus to saying what's what's the difference between a job and a dress? And I was like, Well, here the print, the print is different. I don't know if you know that. Usually it has a little floral in there, you know?

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So

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can I just ask you something? Because who was it was that Dave Chappelle? Who all who said the same? He's like, the Hollywood sees a black man, and they want to feminize him? And they want to, you know, make him ridicule himself, you know, is that? Why is that the first thing that seems to be offered? I honestly believe that that part of it is coming from shaytaan. a whisper of suggestion, because they all put on dresses, they don't mind. And even I see some Muslims, they were they put on he jabs and they put on the bias Minh, and so then they, it took them, they're only viewing the funny, but I believe that the root of it is a whisper. And so it is in the sense of using you as a

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control. If I can control you to put your trust in this is what's going to make you successful, then I can control you to do many other things. And I can take you off of this path that you're on to be an inspiration and to someone and I believe that, you know, is where the root of the issue comes from. So it may i don't disagree with Dave were there some execs would be like if we can stick our forks in them, then we got one and we can we can use him and make him a star. He's gonna be happy. You know, I'm sure that that may happen in some circles, but generally what I truly believe is that they're just so free spirit, right? Come on, let's do it, man. Hey, because they live by different

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standards. They you know, and so they don't they they're, they're offended that you got offended by

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Like, what are you talking about?

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Yeah, because it's because it because it's so normal. And those, the thing is that those are, that's when you're putting your ethics and ethics is not necessarily a popular word. It's, it's not the humility, these are not popular words. Right.

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So, so talk talk to me about about humility. You know, there was a time when I first came to Islam just 10 years ago, right when you go on stage, I remember when I first started speaking at Muslim gatherings, okay, so I come, I come from the mainstream. I've been an actor for seven years. And then I, you know, done a lot of TV shows with my dad.

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And then you walk out, and it's like, you can hear the crickets, great, great, great craic.

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And I was like, wow, tough crowd, tough crowd. And the entertainers voice is gonna hold Tough crowd gonna warm up, and

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nobody clapped. And then you walk off the silence, you're like, I have no idea what just happened.

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Right.

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And it's, it's tough. But after a while, I got to love that. I got to really appreciate the silence. I don't think that works in comedy. No, not really, you know, I did that. And it's like pulling teeth. And I was like, working extra hard. And that's the reason why when I was at the Laugh Factory we did the show was no crowd. I was like, Oh, I'm used to this.

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To the beginning, right. And they come to Apple, oh, my God, they watched the show, like they're watching television, because comedy is new in the Muslim market. But it's surprisingly, I'm literally going on my third passport, and my within my fan base of traveling, doing comedy, with Muslims for Muslims. So it's, it's been really interesting, but I agree with you 1,000%. A lot of them don't know what to do with this feeling that they have of law, but and then judgment, they feel from others, like, Oh, you know, so I love the comedy in the sense that I believe we're getting people back to being their authentic self, and not just a representative in public. So it's like be

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who you really truly are, when you're not just in a circle of your friends, or more comfortable, just be you. And of course, we do have a different standard. When we go out and about, we're not just as relaxed as I am on my communication. But

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we there is some authenticity inside of you that you do not allow people to get to know. And so I'm grateful for that with comedy and doing these crowds and been in it, like what you said 10 years. And it also helped me know, because making films, as she was doing shows, telling those stories, and allowing people to speak. So when we when we did the story, and we screened the movie, and we did the movie tour. People were amazed, like, oh, but I had the question. How would you make a movie and keep it Hello. Everyone knows that all of the good movies.

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So I was like, Hey, man, don't be telling your business. Right?

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very telling, very telling.

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To know that when you say things, your people we see you and you see us. So it was a revealing thing, you know, and

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I guess that somebody who is struggling with their face and is being pulled towards the harroun kind of wants you oh my Reagan to go with them to sanctify that. And that's kind of a dangerous place to be as well.

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It is dangerous because misery loves company, you know and so then nobody but then also on the other side, nobody wants to be alone by themselves. So you know, it is that pool like Come with me Come with me. But then on the other side, we I stopped that though. Let me just be honest, because I think Muslims was also indoctrinated with that idea.

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We got to make them Muslim. We got to give them Shahada, we got to come with me Come with me, we had that too. I stopped doing that because even when we read what earnest says that it's a law that makes Muslims we don't make Muslims Our job is to be the example. So with your from living, right, and if I'm holding myself to the things that Allah told me to do, at the standards that Allah told me to do, then people would be like, Hey, man, you look good. What do you do? Oh, I pray five times a day, oh, I get up or I think God, I think five times a day, I'm getting some charity, I'm looking to see how I could uplift someone spirit. And I want to do that. Okay, as opposed to, I need to use

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such a good person, I need to give you Shahada. Like, I think I stopped doing that thing. But

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I'm wasting means I can't I come at that from from a slightly different position, which is that

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I was waiting for Muslims around me to speak to me about Islam. And everybody was so super polite and sensitive about me, the white woman from a Christian background, that they didn't tell me now what obviously heat is from Allah to Allah. And it came at the right time in the right way in the right places he'd written. But I don't want to be the person who sat back when somebody's in spiritual pain, and not said, hey, I've got this amazing thing to share. I mean, we're, you know, we're so willing to like, you know what, there's an amazing boxset on next flip flicks, you've got to watch this. But you know what, I just prayed, and it washed all my sins away. I'm feeling amazing

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right now. If you love people, then then I like to be an access point to that. But but but I think I like that though. That method is bringing it on yourself and allowing them to be interested to walk in you say, when you say things like, I just prayed, and I feel good. What are you doing? You prayed? What did you pray for? So I love the I love your method. I agree with this method. 1,000% because now if you open up what you're doing, and I hope everybody else can learn to do this, too. You open up doors and you're welcoming people to come in. As opposed to I need to come here, come here, come here. You need to do this and you need to do that. And it just gives the people who you

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think you are as a fellow human being. But when you're sharing what prayer made you feel like what fasting made you feel like what really made you feel like and you're holding it in with inside of yourself and it brightens your day. This is the life

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may

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I be speaking spiritually this month with Omar Akin, but of course it's Ramadan. We are we are By the way, we just spent most of our time when we've met before doing different voices most I have now been doing my husband, for obvious reasons has banned me from doing half of the voices I used to do probably rightly would you don't mind? He's

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he didn't know he was like I never seen a report that could scare a man.

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How do you know how to sound like that? Maybe like

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So hey, let's keep the work going. I hope you guys have a beautiful Ramadan. Thank you all for having me. At Omar Regan is my social media handles all the Facebook Omar Regan fan page.

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Come say hey, you know make your comments as I saw you on the Lord booth show and reset for Ramadan or Ramadan reset, Ramadan reset, and hamdulillah sukhram Thank you for having me. And I pray you all continue to elevate and do good and get closer to the creative shukra Oh, Regan's.

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