Co-creator, writer and star Osamah Sami, says he had confidence when he pitched to the show that it could be special.how confident

"The reality is, after the success of Ali's Wedding, and reactions and messages I received from around the world, especially from Muslims, I felt I had a duty to continue telling these stories. A drama set inside a mosque, about an Iraqi family - a Sopranos or Succession inside a mosque - wasn't something we've ever seen before, and I always felt that was a strong hook.

"Stories that transport us into new worlds, yet hit us with familiar themes are always exciting and in that sense, I was confident we could make a special show."

Despite his familiarity with the subject matter, it took Sami seven years to write House of Gods.

"Ali's Wedding was the same. The magnificent seven," he says. "We went through multiple story rooms and multiple drafts, especially for the pilot."

Sami's father was a lead cleric, but he says the drama is a mix of real life experience and fiction.

"The drama is fictionalised events of a real community I was a part of. The stories and characters are based on the hundreds of family, friends, and community members I had the privilege of living with.

"And yes, my father was a head cleric for over two decades and I was by his side for a majority of that time, so you do get to witness some extraordinary stories and have access to what would be a foreign world for some on a deep, tangible level."

Another reason why Sami wanted to tell this story is because of the suspicion with which Muslims are regarded.

"We're always having to justify our Australian-ness, even though our passports clearly indicate Australian under nationality. Please, this is not a whinge. I love it here. This is simply how it is. We dominate headlines for the wrong reasons.

"The majority of the incredible, hardworking Muslim and Arab-Australians have to pick up the pieces to prove a sick minority don't represent our beautiful religion and our beautiful culture.

"In House Of Gods we don't set out to show Arab-Australians as being awesome humans. We just wanted to show them as humans. Australians, like any other, who when they fight or love or cry, don't fight and love and cry in a particular religion, but do so like everyone else - as ordinary people."

The following are other question posed to Sami, along with his answers.

"Absolutely. I also studied Islamic jurisprudence. But reality was, my heart was in the arts and storytelling and I knew I could serve my faith and culture in different ways. My dad once told me, as doctors heal bodies, storytellers heal the soul. That was enough for me to make the switch and pursue my dreams as a storyteller."

"At a young age. Some of it I've mentioned in the question above. But the passion for stories started at a young age; as a boy in fact growing up during the war, when stories of Kalila w Dimna and 1001 Nights gave us an escape from the bombardments. There's a magic in stories that trapped me long ago. Good luck breaking that spell!"

"Allison Meadows our casting director did a terrific job assembling our exceptional cast. Kamel El Basha was an early target. I'd watched him in the Oscar nominated The Insult (where he also won Venice Film Festival Best actor) and as soon as Fadia and I had our first Zoom meeting with him, I was like 'that's my Dad!'. To bring him over from Palestine, and for him to deliver such an extraordinary performance was a godsend.

"I've been in the industry for a while and have also been lucky enough to know and work with some of my fellow cast members. The thing about the Middle Eastern communities is that there is an ocean of talent out there - they just need to be given a chance.

"Our shared experiences of migration, resettlement, and assimilation makes for a perfect breeding ground for those who could portray and express the human condition, and I believe that's why there's an ocean of unearthed talent in Middle Eastern communities."

"I hope they're shocked and delighted. I hope viewers are wowed and moved. I hope people recognise parts of themselves in our characters whilst also getting an insight into our world.

"Remember, a son wanting to do what's best for his father and doing whatever it takes to see it happen, or a daughter wanting to get her father's attention and proving her worth aren't exclusive feelings to Arabs! We're not aliens, you know. Even if some of our practices seem alien.

"My word. I love, LOVE our female characters and it's about time women in hijab kicked some serious ass."

"Sooo many highlights. I feel there's an answer to this question somewhere in all the answers above."