By: Khadija Sattar
In almost every South Asian gathering, one can expect to see a tray of samosa in the sea of dishes. This food is not only a common cultural snack, but now represents and unites a community of people with a shared identity and culture. Amer Nazar’s “No Samosa is Worth This,” a comedic collection of short stories, asks just how much this samosa is truly worth, when picking it up may prompt a hurtful comment from an elder, a difficult conversation, or a feeling of alienation among others.
In May 2026, “No Samosa is Worth This” made its debut at the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) convention in Baltimore, Maryland. This annual convention serves as a gathering space for Muslims all over America, both youth and elders alike. Nestled into the rows of vendors and Muslim organizations was a booth selling samosa keychains, Pakistani-style art prints, Desi inspired stickers, and “No Samosa is Worth This.”
For the duration of the convention, the booth run by Amer Nazar and his wife was bustling and full, with crowds drawn in by the colorful cover, beautiful booth setup, and promise of being seen by the words on the page. Nazar said that his wife, Alina, was “the backbone of the entire launch,” bringing marketing expertise to his endeavor and helping forge its success. ICNA allowed for the new author to “cast a wide net” into the community of Muslim youth and adults, laying the foundation for a community of readers to bond over shared experiences.
This fully published collection of short stories began as nothing more than a prompt in a Muslim Youth Musing (MYM) writing cohort. The prompt, “the house at the end of the street…” asked for writers to finish the story in a creative way. Nazar spoke about his take on the prompt. After seeing the various types of creative responses from the cohort, ranging from comedy to horror, he decided “you know what, I need to bring some levity to this.” In a few hundred words, Nazar wrote about a young boy going to a dinner party and being interrogated by a panel of aunties in the living room. A comment from a sister in the cohort, asking for more stories like it, sparked the idea for “No Samosa is Worth This.”
As Nazar’s book developed, four and a half versions came to be, the first being described by Nazar as “shorter and punchier” than the final. Nazar and the team at MYM decided not to publish this version of the book as its raw sarcasm created a more negative tone than he wanted.
Nazar commented on this, saying, “There is enough animosity across the different generations. We have become too beholden to different labels, and I did not want to contribute to that.”
With this in mind, the author aimed to create a funny, sometimes sarcastic, and thought-provoking book that could tackle difficult experiences without sparking anger in youth.
When further discussing the content and style of “No Samosa is Worth This,” Nazar explained the use of satire in the writing,
“The book is largely meant to be satirical, but underneath or all around that is really, a social commentary,” he said. “Tell the stories, but then let’s look beyond them, and really capture impact, emotion, and reality.”
Jawaad Khan, Muslim comedy writer and MYM member, further reflected on the use of comedy in the book.
“Whenever you have comedy and humor, it lets people[‘s] guard down. I think that lets them open their hearts to be able to receive the deeper and profound truths under what’s being conveyed,” said Khan.
He felt as though the comedy allows Muslim and South Asian youth to see a bit of themselves in the experiences being shared.
In the stories within the book, there is an overarching use of aunties when discussing experiences of South Asian youth. In fact, Nazar cited these stories as being the easiest to write, as they were fun, relatable for many, and reflected on the shenanigans of his childhood. In addition to their comedic value, Nazar attributes his choice to integrate elders so deeply into the book to acknowledge that the diaspora now includes multiple generations of South Asians.
In addition to the use of comedy and satire to reach his audience, Nazar’s writing style makes “No Samosa is Worth This” unique to readers in the world of Muslim literature.
“I think that it’s interesting how he approaches things in an almost fabled way of storytelling,” Khan said. In some of the stories, it’s almost like a voiceover laying out situations, and just kind of recontextualizing a normal situation under a more storied approach. I think that’s something that’s really funny.”
Fraaz Ahmed, who read “No Samosa is Worth This,” told Al-Hikmah about his experience reading the book, citing its contents as “a healthy sign of the South Asian Muslim community evolving.” He said “No Samosa is Worth This” addresses and tackles a collective pain and burden in our community, easing it and helping promote healing for the consumers and creator.
Ahmed said artists such as Nazar are “culture crafters,” who help us shape our identities more clearly. To him, the stories in “No Samosa is Worth This” helps reduce the inferiority complex many South Asians and Muslims struggle with in America, as well as to help people feel more comfortable with their culture and stories.
The release of “No Samosa is Worth This” represents a moment of growth for the South Asian and Muslim communities, giving us an unvarnished and honest look into the experience of youth in these cultures.
For Nazar, who sees himself as “just a regular guy,” it is time for us to “get out of our own way.”
“We owe it to ourselves to capture these stories, because no one else is going to,” he said.
Image credits: Cover photo courtesy of Amer Nazar in May 2026 at 51st Annual ICNA-MAS Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.
Al-Hikmah 
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