The Girl Deep Down Below: A Web Series about Muslim Girls and Monsters

“[The Girl Deep Down Below] focuses on REAL Muslim women characters, black girl magic, and the horror of bigotry.” There is so much to unpack in this gem of a web series created by Ali Abbas. The Girl Deep Down Below uses sci-fi and fantasy tropes like time travel and witchcraft to delve into societal issues facing Muslim women, and women of color in general. While many of the problems T.G.D.D.B. addresses affect the greater Muslim and POC communities, the show places a deliberate focus on women which I truly appreciate.

To See The World Through Melanated Skin The Girl Deep Down Below presents a view of Muslim women never not often seen. The six main characters each represent a different part of the community. Maya (Sabeen Sadiq) is a bit flighty, but passionate. Her best friend, Rem, (Nada R. Abdelrahim) is smart and skeptical. Amira (Ragda Izar) is loud and in your face, ever the social media maven. Zee (Arij Mikati) is the ‘over it’ girl who has a heavy sigh for everything (basically me in high school). Mona (Iman Sahraoui) is a newcomer who keeps things close to her chest. Amel (Samira Baraki) is an outcast who has thrown herself into that role. None of them stand out (I mean, Amel does some weird dimension shifting…but apart from that) which is powerful in itself. They are not caricatures or forced identities. These are normal young women you could encounter anywhere — in any skin tone, of any religion. Their normality itself, is groundbreaking. Three of the protagon…