“if europe is to overcome islamist terror, it needs to fight for the values it holds dear” says paul mason. and what values would that be? colonial theft and genocide? look, i’m all for people power, democracy and showing the finger to global loan sharks but trying to make the greek-german dustup about europe being able to stand up to the islamic state (cuz greece is so close to turkey and the muslims might be coming any minute) is such base fear-mongering and racist tripe. i hope that one day we will be able to see the world thru a more evolved lens than the war on terror and its rancid corollaries.
Category: self-authored
my essay in post magazine
a while back i was approached by post magazine for an interview about my work (thx carlie fishgold), mostly my film “the muslims i know.” once they learned more about my entire body of work, which includes art, film, photography and writing, they decided to let me write my own story, in my own words. it was an incredibly empowering editorial decision. it moved me immensely. i sent them two essays: one based on what i thought they were looking for (being a filmmaker in rochester) and then another one which was more loosely autobiographical and tackled my “muslimness.” they chose the second essay. it was published in the july/august issue of post magazine, with some wonderful photography by betsy traub. here are some pictures. more about post magazine here.
ramzan vs ramadan
from my perspective, ramadan is the way ramzan is spelled in intl media. as a muslim living in america, i have no problem sticking with an internationally known and recognized spelling w/o getting into the indian-muslim/pakistani-muslim collective mindset or history. i am not one to arabicize every urdu word as some kind of reverent gesture but i like to feel a sense of solidarity with diverse muslim friends living all over the world. ramzan/ramadan, tomato/tamato, it’s all good as long as we understand the spirit of this islamic month.
i understand the arabization of south asian muslim culture and how it sets off alarm bells for many. particulalrly in pakistan, it indicates the influence saudi arabia has bought with its oil-money. but i am making a point about how that does not impact me as much, since i live in the west. muslims (all of them) are only 1.6-1.7% of the US population. my worry for the future is not losing the authenticity of pakistani culture (ramzan vs ramadan) but rather the increasingly islamophobic/racist nature of public discourse in america. in that worry, i stand together with all american muslims, irrespective of their ethnicities or cultural histories. also, ramadan mubarak is the standard greeting here, like merry xmas or l’shanah tovah. it’s what my christian, jewish and atheist friends wish me. i can live with that.
memories of belgium
with mrs zoeter in belgium. that’s me on the left, along with my sister and mom. the zoeters had this wonderful lake house where we spent many wonderfully languorous days. mr zoeter was the consul general for pakistan in ghent. his daughter karin now holds that post.
jeff beal at eastman theatre
April 20, 2015: yesterday we attended an evening of film and music at the eastman theatre. the ensemble was conducted by jeff beal, composer extraordinaire who scores films, most famously “house of cards,” and who had returned to his alma mater, the eastman school of music. we were accompanied by a group of artists from all over the world who use art for social intervention. they were musicians, artists and filmmakers from pakistan, bahrain, ethiopia, saudi arabia, poland, and uruguay. rochester rocks!
greentopia events at urban forest cinema
march 19, 2015: went to the urban forest cinema yesterday along with my friend sarita for a series of greentopia events. the discussion on THE INTERSECTION OF DOCUMENTARY FILM & JOURNALISM (something i know something about) would have been lackluster if it hadn’t been for carvin eisen who challenged mainstream media in the presence of mainstream media (yay chomsky!). “green drinks” was fun and provided an opportunity to connect with people. the MULTI-MEDIA MUSIC AND FILM EVENT “consigned to oblivion” was a great idea (live music accompanied by spoken word and film) but didn’t pan out for me. however, i loved all the locally produced short films which told the stories of wonderful activists and communities doing wonderful things in rochester. these included: Bread For All, The Sweet Bee, and Food For Thought: Seedfolk Stories. and let’s not forget the location – love high falls.
lia tarachansky in rochester
march 18, 2015: with the fabulous lia tarachansky here in rochester where her film “on the side of the road” was screened at the U of R last night and will be screened again today at school without walls and then at the islamic center of rochester at 7 pm (the event is open to the public). lia’s film was part of the witness palestine film series last year and she charmed everyone with her honesty and courage in a skype session with the audience afterwards. yesterday we checked out beale street cafe where we had po’ boys. then we almost froze to death when we walked around the high falls district. lia is studying film right now so she loved the george eastman house – excellent exhibits on the history of photography (one particular henri cartier-bresson photograph has to be seen to be believed) and on the advent of technicolor in film (those are the colors i want in my documentaries). always an honor and pleasure to finally connect with an activist friend in real life!
global citizenship conference
march 10, 2015: just taught a class at nazareth college on “religion in media and popular culture.” i chose to focus on islam as it’s particularly distorted by the use of selected images in mainstream media, which are then repeated ad nauseam. this was part of the global citizenship conference at naz which is meant for high school students. i introduced myself as an activist filmmaker and asked them the meaning of activism. they were more than familiar with the concept. one of the girls was involved with an anti-capitalist/pro-social justice group and another with indigenous peoples’ rights. they understood the meaning of media oligarchy and therefore the importance of independent filmmaking. we listened to edward said explaining orientalism, we looked at images of muslims as they appear mostly in the media and then i showed them images of the narcycist and shadia mansour. i showed them beautiful photographs from iraqi photojournalist tamara abdul hadi’s “picture an arab man” and stills from “the speed sisters.” we also discussed “american sniper” and the problematics of seeing the iraqi people (their villages and neighborhoods and streets and children) thru the scope of a loaded gun (what a perfect metaphor for racism). finally, we talked about the recent wave of killings in chapel hill, kansas city, kentucky and dallas. i wanted to end on a serious note, to show the students how the consequences of stereotyping are v real and tragic. we concluded the class with chimamanda adichie’s ted talk about “the danger of a single story.” i teach this class every year and every time i’m amazed by the responses i get from students – they’re bright, open-minded and up to any mental exercise i dare them to in order to declutter their minds. there’s hope for the future.
The Toppling: How the Media Created the Iconic Fall of Saddam’s Statue
with another video about the destruction of iraqi relics making the rounds right now on my fb newsfeed, i cannot help but remember this video. something equally theatrical, except that now we have the benefit of much more editing and a weird cultish musical score.
oscar speeches
yes, patricia arquette’s speech was non-inclusive, non-intersectional in a bizarre sort of way. she probably meant well but she could have broadened the idea of equality. she was good in “boyhood” tho. there’s something direct and uncompromising about her which i like. i have a question about common’s speech. here’s the transcript:
First off, I’d like to thank God that lives in us all. Recently, John and I got to go to Selma and perform “Glory” on the same bridge that Dr. King and the people of the civil rights movement marched on 50 years ago. This bridge was once a landmark of a divided nation, but now is a symbol for change. The spirit of this bridge transcends race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and social status. The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the South side of Chicago, dreaming of a better life to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression to the people in Hong Kong protesting for democracy. This bridge was built on hope. Welded with compassion. And elevated by love for all human beings.
when he talks about “those in france standing up for their freedom of expression” does he mean the “circus of hypocrisy ” led mostly by privileged white war criminals or does he mean those who were charged, arrested or detained right afterwards for “not being charlie”? the racist and imperial implications of the CH debacle don’t quite fit the parameters of the civil rights struggle. just saying.
Thoughts on Aruba
Feb 17, 2015: The Ayo and Casibari rock formations here in Aruba are stunning, monolithic boulders and rocks which time and the elements have molded into smooth unusual shapes. However, what fascinated me most were 1500 year old native Arawak rock paintings. The Caquetio people of the Arawak tribe from the South American mainland were Aruba’s first inhabitants. Later we drove uphill to see the Alto Vista Chapel. The chapel was built in 1952, designed by Dutch engineer J.A. Hille, on the site of the first Catholic church built in Aruba in 1750 by a Spanish missionary, Domingo Antonio Silvestre. The chapel is beautifully simple and its location, on top of a hill, perfect for quiet contemplation. Yet i could not help but think of how the business of conversion took place here, a long time ago. I’ve just finished reading Laila Lalami’s “The Moor’s Account” a gem of a book for it tells the story of the Spanish colonization of the Americas but from the intriguing perspective of a conquistador’s Moroccan slave. One of the book’s tremendous achievements is a vivid description of and familiarization with the Americas’ native populations, in all their glorious diversity and complexity. I know that Aruba is a Dutch colony. How does that happen…
22 years of marriage and life in rochester
feb 12, 2015: this morning i had a wonderful meeting with carlie from post magazine – we talked about collaborating in multi-media ways. what i didn’t know was that carlie has worked closely with the native american community in upstate ny. she offered to get me connected to local activists, which is what i’ve always wanted. as i came back from java’s, i got a call from my friend heather who gave me heartwarming feedback on my participation yesterday in tino sehgal’s “this situation,” a live-work (at the hartnett gallery) in which 6 “interpreters” compose a series of tableaux while discussing philosophy, economics, aesthetics and the difference between desire and passion (those were some of the topics that came up during our 4-hour performance). the piece is so inspiring that one cannot help but come up with other versions of it. later in the afternoon, i met chuck, the owner of NXT media and a dear friend. i handed over “a thin wall” for post production. the last time chuck polished up a film of mine was in 2011, when i saw the final version of “pakistan one on one” and almost wept with joy. on my way back i got a call from my friend michael who’s trying to figure out a date to visit the one and only jalil muntaqim. this evening we are going out for dinner to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary. it seriously doesn’t seem that long. i have so much to be grateful for – my family, my friends, my work, my community, and last but not least, rochester. i’ve lived here for more than a decade now and i’m still stunned daily by the awesome people who call rochester home. who cares about the snow.
Tino Sehgal’s This situation
first rehearsal today at the sage art center for “this situation,” a live work by contemporary artist, tino sehgal. each performance involves 6 “interpreters” or participants who produce a series of collective tableaux. the piece is meticulously choreographed yet supple in how it revolves around extemporaneous conversations between the 6 interpreters and interactions with visitors. trying to get a hang of all the quotes we are supposed to know by heart and all the positions we have to fall back into and all the rules of how this live piece works. fascinating. more here.
michelle obama in saudi arabia
so emblematic of western media to focus on michelle obama’s uncovered hair as some sort of feminist statement, while completely ignoring the milieu in which all of this is happening – she and her husband (the most powerful defenders of everyone’s “freedoms”) are gallivanting with saudi royalty, the most misogynistic dictatorial regime in the world. sigh.
#JeSuisGrecque
jan 26, 2015: it’s exhilarating to see the will of the greek people expressed electorally with such unequivocal force and clarity. on the same day, social media were plastered with harrowing photographs of a young egyptian activist, shaimaa al-sabbagh, a member of the socialist popular alliance party, who was shot dead by police as she was carrying a wreath of flowers to tahrir square. she was 32 years old. she was killed in cold blood, on the eve of the anniversary of egypt’s 2011 uprising, by the military dictatorship which crushed the hopes and dreams of the egyptian people. it’s heartbreaking and terrifying. naomi klein: may greece learn the hard lessons of every previous left victory: stay mobilized! mass pressure more important now than ever #syriza