GUBI NADIR PORTRAYED BY: IQBAL THEDA REASON FOR VISIT: TO SEE HIS SON FAMILY: ABED NADIR (SON), UNNAMED EX-WIFE, ABRA (NIECE) OCCUPATION: FALAFEL RESTAURANT OWNER FIRST APPEARANCE: Introduction to Film QUOTE: "He was difficult to talk to before. NOW WE HAVE THIS BETWEEN US!" - Gubi Nadir, "Introduction to Film"

Abed's father is a falafel restaurant owner named Gubi Nadir. He sent Abed to Greendale Community College, so he could take courses which would help him to eventually take over the family business. He makes his debut in the Season One episode "Introduction to Film" and makes a return appearance in "Basic Genealogy". He is portrayed by actor Iqbal Theba.

Character historyEdit

Abed's father is first mentioned in the Pilot episode by Abed as he's telling Jeff his life story. He is described by Abed as possessing an "angry energy" that puts off people who meet him. Abed attributes that anger to his wife (and Abed's mother) leaving him and not anger at America, although she was American and Gubi was angry about that. He makes his first onscreen appearance in the episode "Introduction to Film". When he learns that Abed has taken a film class because Britta gave him money, he goes to Greendale to confront her about it. After finding Abed, Jeff, and Britta, he demands that she stop interfering in Abed's life and insists that he drop the course immediately. He is only willing to pay for the classes that will help Abed to help him run his falafel restaurant; he considers everything else unnecessary. He and Britta get into an argument about Abed's future as she believes he should be able to follow his dreams. Gubi says that it was hard talking to Abed before, and now his interest in filmmaking is an additional barrier between them. He then tries to physically take his son away with him, but Jeff intervenes, separating him from Abed and Britta. Jeff makes the point that Abed is an adult and should be allowed to make his own decisions. Frustrated at their interference, he gives up and leaves, telling them that they can raise Abed because he's done.

Over the next few days, Britta tries to do her best to look after Abed but is upset to find out how he's been spending his time and her money; it turns out the money she lent him was being used on luxuries like a brand new film camera and lunch for the study group. He has also become obsessed with finishing his film project, casting Britta and Jeff in the roles of his mother and father respectively. On top of that, he's been skipping the very class she insisted he take. Jeff takes it upon himself to try to resolve the matter by getting Gubi to return to campus under the pretense that Weezer was showing up in the study room. He also gets Britta and Abed to show up as well; however, things between Gubi and Britta become heated again, and another argument breaks out. Abed, who had been working on a computer the entire time, interrupts and tells everyone that he has just finished his movie. He gets the three of them to sit down and watch it. Although Britta and Jeff are uncertain of what they are watching, Gubi immediately understands the message behind the confusing short film. Moved to tears, he tells Abed that he doesn't blame him for what happened with his mother. Gubi admits he was wrong and agrees to pay for the film class if it helps his son to express himself.

He appears later in the episode "Basic Genealogy" with Abed's cousin Abra for the Family Day event at Greendale. In the Spanish classroom, he meets Shirley and her kids and introduces himself and Abed's cousin Abra. He is over protective of his brothers daughter and refuses to let her interact much with anyone. At one of the days events, a BBQ is held outside on the quad and the Nadir's join Shirley and her kids for lunch. Abra asks her uncle if she could play with Elijah and Jordan in a bouncy house that had been set up but Gubi won't allow it worried for her safety. They get into an angry argument in their native tongue and she calls him a pigs anus. When Gubi leaves to change shirts after Elijah and Jordan accidentally spills a drink on it, the kids don her burqa in order to impersonate Abra so she can sneak away to plays inside the bouncy house. The kids later distract Gubi to let her change back and he is none the wiser.

Gubi makes an appearance in several flashbacks to Abed's time before Greendale in 2008 in the episode "Heroic Origins'. It's shown that Abed harasses Shirley's children at the Greendale Mall when they try to go to the movie theater to see a reshowing of "The Phantom Menace". He gets a restraining order put on him, and Gubi forces his son to see a therapist for his actions. Later, he takes Abed back to the Greendale Mall and while eating yogurt at Yougurtburgh, he tries to get Abed to apologize to the theater manager. Abed refuses due to his hatred of the film and Gubi tells him he won't allow him to go film school to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker.

QuotesEdit

“I'm Mister Britta. That's right. I'm a woman, and you can see my whole face.”— Britta

“Oh, I get it. Because I'm Arab, I must hate women. Let me tell you something: I love women. But I'm getting a major B-word vibe from you.”— Gobi

“You and your pillow lipped girlfriend got all up in my stuff because you wanted to be cowboys, and then you turned chicken when you found out it will take more than speeches and guided missiles!”— Gobi

“Interesting. I didn't see any Iraq metaphor but...”— Jeff

“What Iraq metaphor? I'm talking about your speeches and her [gestures at Britta's chest] guided missles!”— Gobi