Why you should consider Peter Griffin for your next professor

Family Guy’s Peter Griffin has arguably become the most knowledgeable entity on this planet. 

Weeks ago, numerous Instagram accounts featuring Peter have emerged to teach or promote (or sometimes both) just about anything you can think of while Minecraft parkour videos play in the background. Among some of the accounts I found were Greek Orthodox Peter, Republican Peter, Maoist Peter, Anarchist Peter, Autism Peter — you name it.

The oldest account I found seems to be Imam Peter, where a prayer cap adorning Peter promotes what is mostly Sunni Islamic teachings. When I first glanced at it, I brushed it off as being stupid. But curiosity got the better of me. I watched one. Then swiped to the next. And the next. I ended up watching every reel on the channel. I then realized that Imam Peter is actually a really smart preaching method.

Each reel starts out with a conversation or a question from some of the other Family Guy characters, such as Stewie, Chris, or Brian. In one reel, Chris admits to Peter that he smoked weed. “Astaghfirullah, Chris!” Peter shouts. “You mean you smoked haram?” He then proceeds to explain why weed is forbidden in Islam (which is essentially because it’s harmful to the mind and body). 

The reels are designed to be engaging. By choosing characters from a well-known show and turning them into Muslims, the absurdity immediately grabbed my attention. The Minecraft parkour videos in the background also keep my eyes glued to the screen, just because it’s so satisfying to watch. Mostly though, I love hearing Peter scream ‘astaghfirullah’ every time Stewie or Brian do something they shouldn’t be doing. It’s uncharacteristic and he screams it with more emotion than any Muslim can.
Other Peter accounts create their reels similarly, with a character asking a question and Peter giving the answer (though sadly none of them scream ‘astaghfirullah’). Search some reels and give them a watch — then, when you brag to your friends about your newfound knowledge, simply say “I learned from the world’s most knowledgeable guy: Peter Griffin.”

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Graphic by Amanda Erickson