His parents are from India. His father first came to the United States in the 1960s,[6] his mother came to the United States in the 1970s.[7] He has four brothers.[8][9]
Ali's father went to college in India, majoring in civil engineering intending to design bridges and roads. He came to America to find better opportunities. He moved to Chicago to pursue a degree in civil engineering. He would take classes during the day and work night shifts at the factory. After being offered a manager position and an opportunity to own doughnut stores, with being newly married and a child on the way, his father left school.[10]
Ali started his career as a multimedia producer and reporter in Washington, D.C., for The Hill in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and then worked for Gannett news in New York before writing for Reuters.[5]
He has travelled across the United States covering presidential races,[4]Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans, and hula festivals in Hawaii.
Ali has written articles for newspapers and magazines in the greater New York City area.[8] Ali has also made several appearances on CNN, NPR and many other news outlets.
Ali is a talented writer and his published work can be seen throughout this page.[15]
Ali was a Digital Products Specialist for the National Basketball Association.
In 2007, Ali moved to New York City. He has traveled all over the world and regularly performs shows at comedy clubs, colleges, and theaters all around the United States. He has opened for Dave Chappelle and other acclaimed comedians working in the industry today.[8]
In 2012, he performed in England,[16] Denmark, Belgium and Germany.[10]
Ali is also a storyteller who talks about his upbringing as a 20-something IndianMuslim born and raised in America. His storytelling draws heavily from his upbringing and travels.[14] His jokes cross age, cultural and religious barriers with the intention of bringing people together with his humor.[4]
In 2009, Ali and his friend, Bassam Tariq, a photographer and filmmaker, co-created 30 Mosques in 30 Days, a blog chronicling them visiting a different mosque every day of the 30 days.[14][17] recording his travels of two Ramadans during which he and his friend visited one mosque a day,[18][19] telling stories about Muslims in America.[14] In 2010, they changed it to mosques in 30 different states in 30 days.[17] They have been covered by CNN, BBC, PBS and Al Jazeera.[18] In 2011, they visited the other 20 states, including Alaska and Hawaii.[17] and they have travelled over 25,000 miles.[20] In 2012, they also released a series of short films on various facets of Muslim life[21] and spread the message on social media.[22]
