If you’re like us, you’ve spent the last several days binging Mike Flanagan‘s latest terror tale for Netflix, Midnight Mass. And, while this new series features several noteworthy performances, we want to take a moment to applaud Rahul Kohli for his portrayal of Sheriff Hassan.
In Midnight Mass, Kohli’s character is the only police presence on Crockett Island. Despite being good at his job, having been a big city detective previously, he’s met with suspicion by the Catholic residents simply for being Muslim.
Thus, as the horror and intrigue begins to grow thanks to Monsignor Pruitt’s seemingly heavenly acts, Sheriff Hassan is wary to insert himself into the situation. What comes next is a raw and moving monologue about what it is like to be not just Muslim, but a Brown person in a post–9/11 world.
In the sheriff’s speech, he details being elevated among the police ranks, only to then be asked to unethically target Arab-American communities. Hassan reveals he questioned this protocol, resulting in a demotion and mistrust from his peers.
