world premiere of “the muslims i know”

the 60 minute documentary called “the muslims i know” will be screened on sun jun 8th at 1pm at the dryden theatre, george eatsman house, rochester, ny. the screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker, mara ahmed, as well interviewees featured in the film. more details on how to buy tickets will be coming soon…

RIT reporter talks about “the muslims i know”

check out this article in the RIT (rochester institute of technology) reporter - issue dated 3/14/08, page 11. it’s based on an interview i did with andy rees a few days after we got back from belize. the article is thorough and well-written. here it is:

A clip from “The Muslims I Know”

October 15, 2007
Final Documentary Treatment: The Muslims I Know
Duration: 60 minutes
Directed and Produced by Mara Ahmed


Topic and background: If you were to yahoo the words “moderate Muslim” today you would get more than 8 million hits on the internet. This obsession with moderate Muslims is the result of a post-9/11 Western world trying to make sense of Islam and its followers. The need to identify “militant Jihadists” by distinguishing them from moderate Muslims has cast suspicion on all Muslims in America. Stereotypes are becoming well-entrenched. The purpose of this documentary is to break those stereotypes by showcasing first generation Pakistani American immigrants who can be classified as moderates and to ask them questions many non-Muslim Americans would love to ask, even if these are not always politically correct. A secondary goal is to educate people about the basic tenets of Islam in order to highlight similarities with the Judeo-Christian tradition. In short it is to address concerns such as those of my Jewish friend Susan who emailed to me: “I would love to talk about religion with you sometime. It’s so distressing to me that there is this huge schism between what we hear in the media (about Islamic extremists and the sacred writings that some say support Jihad) and such lovely and reasonable Muslims as yourselves”.


Approach: This will be a personal documentary which will focus on the Pakistani American community in Rochester, rather than presume to speak for all Muslims. Instead of contending with stereotypes by advancing religious postulates, the more audience-friendly approach of cultural exploration (including cultural norms and religious values) will be used. Islamic scholars will be interviewed to answer basic questions related to Islamic theology and history, but most issues will be dealt with by regular Pakistani Americans who would like to have a voice in America’s mainstream socio-political discourse. The filmmaker (Mara Ahmed) will act as narrator and interviewer.


Structure: The documentary will be a montage of several visual as well as thematic elements:
1) Transitions between different segments/topics will feature Mara and will provide an introduction to the issue at hand, an appropriate context for the discussion, some food for thought, and will also point out inconsistencies and help focus on certain issues. These will be shot in a variety of places in the greater Rochester area to give a sense of place. Voiceover will be cut with this local footage.
2) Vox pop will be used to interview non-Muslim Americans and frame some of the questions to be addressed in the film
3) Vignettes will be interspersed throughout the documentary. The purpose of these vignettes will be to break up various segments/topics and provide some relief from serious discussion. Another goal will be to show how mainstream and human American Muslims are and to deconstruct the virulent mind-set of “us versus them”. Vignettes will include the following:
(a) family scenes from the lives of American Muslims
(b) American Muslims in their place of work
(c) scenes from Lahore to provide a sense of where these American Muslims come from
(d) scenes from Rochester to give a sense of where the interviewees are based in America
(e) scenes from a wedding both in Lahore and Rochester to provide a sense of culture
(f) religious scenes showing Muslims praying or fasting in Ramadan, shots of the mosque in Brighton and an Eid dinner

4) Interviews with Pakistani American Muslims, Islamic scholars, the Imam at the Islamic Center of Rochester - sample questions include:
(a) When and why did you migrate to America?
(b) What did you think of America at the time?
(c) Have things changed since 9/11?
(d) Do you have an answer to “why do they hate us”?
(e) What do you think of how Muslims are portrayed by the Western media?
(f) What is Islam’s theology? What are its basic tenets?
(g) Are Islam, Christianity and Judaism very different?
(h) Is Islam, at its very core, a violent religion?
(i) How do you explain today’s “terrorism”? How can we combat it?
(j) What is the concept of jihad?
(k) What is the role of women in Muslim societies?
(l) What’s next? (Conclusion)


Outline:
Opening:
The documentary will begin with footage from Mara’s childhood in Brussels. The movement in time and place from the middle of Western Europe (in the 1970s), to Pakistan (in the 1980s), to America (in the 1990s), to 9/11 in 2001 will form a foundation from which to explain why it was important for her to make this documentary. Voiceover. Mara will talk about the term “moderate” Muslim and the dangers of defining yourself in language designed to reduce you to a stereotype. What is a “moderate Muslim”? There are 1.3 billion Muslims all over the world. Their cultures and socio-economic conditions are so diverse that sometimes, they hardly have anything in common. Clip of Dr Davila – ‘Whenever we talk about Islam in the abstract we are setting ourselves up for misunderstanding. Is there something generic we can call the West?’ Voiceover – ‘When you think of Muslim men and women in a post 9/11 world, THIS is what comes to mind’. Followed by a slew of images taken from American media, to the sound of a drum, showing gun toting bearded men, women sporting burkas, crowds burning American flags, etc. Voiceover – ‘This makes for electrifying journalism and explosive politics, but is this real? These are the Mulsims I know’.

Segments:
Introduction of Pakistani-American Muslims as they talk about their migration to America – why they migrated, what they identify with in American culture. A couple talks about their love for Lahore and how they met there. Cut to vignette about Lahore showing a colorful collage of historic forts, ancient bazaars, and Lahore’s old city.

The following segments will follow with appropriate transitions and comprising of vignettes:
(1) How things have changed since 9/11 (2) Why are Muslims portrayed a certain way by American media? (3) Islam 101 (4) Is Islam a violent religion? (5) Islam and today’s terrorism (6) What’s jihad all about? (7) Islam and women (8) What’s next?

Audio/Visual:
The documentary will address serious issues in an edgy, fast-paced, tightly edited modern format. Interviews will be shot handheld, in different locations. Short sections of interviews will be intercut with old photographs and footage to bring personal histories to life. Footage/images shot in Pakistan will be presented in super-saturated color to bring out cultural exuberance and will take the form of an explosive collage that captures the spirit of the city rather than being a real-life representation. It will be visual art, adding a different dimension to the film. Qawali music will be used to tie those images together into a dynamic collage. There will be abundant use of music to give the film a vibrant positive feel. The idea is to make the documentary thought provoking yet attractive. The gravity of its theme combined with the appeal of its format will make this documentary all the more palatable and effective in its reach.

november 28, 2006
first draft of documentary proposal: moderate muslims in america
objective: if you were to google the words “moderate muslim” today you would get about 6.7 million hits on the internet. this obsession with moderate muslims is the result of a post-9/11 western world trying to make sense of islam and its followers. the need to identify “militant jihadists” by distinguishing them from moderate muslims has cast suspicion on all muslims in america. stereotypes are becoming well-entrenched. the purpose of this documentary is to break those stereotypes by showcasing first generation pakistani american immigrants who can be classified as moderates. it is to address concerns such as those of my jewish friend susan baruch who emailed to me: “i would love to talk about religion with you sometime. it’s so distressing to me that there is this huge schism between what we hear in the media (about islamic extremists and the sacred writings that some say support jihad) and such lovely and reasonable muslims as yourselves”.


treatment: rather than speak on behalf of all muslims, the documentary will focus on the pakistani american community in rochester. instead of contending with stereotypes by advancing religious postulates, the more audience-friendly approach of cultural exploration (including socio-religious norms and values) will be used.


content: the documentary will begin with a discussion between susan and mara in order to establish a background to the film. as both the director of the documentary and one of its subjects, mara ahmed will act as narrator, interviewee and interviewer. we will start by getting to know mara – her life in belgium, pakistan and the u.s. she will explain why it was important for her to make this documentary. mara’s husband dr ahmed will be interviewed next. he will share his interpretation of current world events and what we can learn from history. photographs and brief family histories will be used to add a personal dimension.

footage and images from the streets of lahore will help explain the “pakistani” in pakistani-american.

the ahmeds will speak about their approach to islam and how it influences their lives. they will then introduce other pakistani americans. afshan will be profiled by providing a brief personal history (a divorcee with kids who fought her way through the legal/economic system and is now happily re-married) and by highlighting her work for women’s rights. she will be asked to elaborate on her views about women and islam. bilal will be asked to speak about islamic ideas and how they jibe with today’s world. he will be asked why he is considering changing his sons’ family name so that they are not automatically identified as muslims and harassed. tariq and his family will be asked to comment on the same subject. they will talk about their politics. their politically engaged teenage son will also be interviewed, along with other young, second generation pakistani americans. in addition to individual interviews, group discussions will enable a more dynamic exchange of ideas. some of the questions asked will be collected via vox pop and snippets of questions will be cut with respective answers from interviewees.


sample questions:

1. when, why and how did you migrate to america?
2. could you give us a summary of your personal history?
3. what is a pakistani american?
4. How and where do pakistani americans fit in american society?
5. how do you describe yourself in terms of religion?
6. what is the definition of a “moderate” muslim?
7. how did 9/11 and its aftermath affect you and your family?
8. how do you define the word “terrorism”? how do you explain it?
9. is islam, at its very core, a violent religion? is it supremacist?
10. how can we combat terrorism?
11. what do you think of how muslims are portrayed by the western media?
12. does that affect mainstream perceptions about muslims? can you illustrate with examples from your life?


the final look: the documentary will address serious issues in an edgy, fast-paced, tightly edited modern format. interviews will be shot handheld, in different locations. short sections of interviews will be intercut with old photographs and footage to bring personal histories to life. stories of migration to the u.s. will be intercut with images of american cultural icons. footage/images shot in pakistan will be presented in super-saturated color to bring out cultural exuberance and will take the form of an explosive collage that captures the spirit of the place rather than being a real-life representation. it will be visual art, adding a different dimension to the film. fast bhangra music will be used to tie those images together into a dynamic collage.

the pakistani american community in rochester will be introduced with photographs and footage showing social, cultural and religious events. afshan’s interview will be on the go to give a sense of her busy life and the role activism plays in it. some of the doctors will be shown in their place of work to introduce people to a different muslim image. there will be abundant use of music to give the film a vibrant positive feel. the idea is to make the documentary thought provoking yet attractive. the gravity of its theme combined with the appeal of its format will make this documentary all the more palatable and effective in its reach.