'Degrassi: Next Class' Producer Talks the Portrayal of Muslim Characters in Season 4

The fourth season of Degrassi: Next Class delves into many issues the show hasn’t grappled with before, from gender fluidity to the Syrian refugee crisis to terrorism.

In a new interview, executive producer Stephen Stohn opens up about how Degrassi portrays the Muslim refugee characters, Saad Al’Maliki (Parham Rownaghi) and Goldi Nahir (Soma Bhatia). In the new season, Goldi has her hijab ripped off by people on the street, and Saad is accused of being a terrorist by his peers.

“We felt it was very important that we at least try to tackle [the Syrian refugee crisis],” Stephen told Entertainment Weekly, “in as open a way as possible and not sugarcoat it, but to show characters themselves going through conflicting times and those around them reacting in different ways.”

He also talks about the need to show storylines of Muslim characters right now.

“We’ve seen it in Canada and the U.S. and Britain where people are attacking people it’s easy to be afraid of because of their color or their religion,” he said, “That’s not right.”

The new season definitely covers important and timely topics. It is available to stream on Netflix now.