A new documentary, So You Want To Be A Muslim, directed by Hoda Elatawi, premiered on documentary Channel, with streaming available on CBC Gem starting October 23.

The film highlights the spiritual journeys of five North Americans who have converted to Islam, exploring the challenges and rewards of their transitions in a Western society that often views their decisions with skepticism.

Elatawi’s feature-length documentary chronicles the diverse experiences of these converts—three Canadians and an American couple—over a span of eight years.

Delayed in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, the film presents an intimate exploration of how adopting Islam has reshaped the lives, identities, and relationships of its subjects.

A Journey of Faith & Identity

One of the featured individuals, Barbara, was a promising musician and aspiring Anglican minister in her early 20s when she converted to Islam after marrying a Muslim man.

Despite the eventual breakdown of her marriage, her faith journey took her in unexpected directions, ultimately leading her to a fulfilling new role as a chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Stephanie, a Millennial and francophone Acadian from New Brunswick now living in Ottawa, embraced Islam and adopted the hijab.

However, she continues to embrace parts of her pre-conversion life, including occasional social drinking and LGBTQ+ activism, particularly in support of her two gay fathers.

Rima, born in South Africa and raised in a culturally Jewish family, found her new Islamic identity in sharp contrast with the prejudice and Islamophobia she faced from her own relatives.

Her conversion to Islam brought her face to face with the biases within her family, complicating her rich sense of identity.

Johnae and her husband Eli, an African American couple from Puerto Rico now residing in the Bronx, also converted to Islam.

The pair live more conservatively than they did in their younger years, but their reversion to Islam has deepened their relationship with each other and their faith.

Breaking Stereotypes

The documentary reveals the complexities of living as a Muslim convert in the West. The individuals often feel torn between two worlds, struggling to find acceptance within their communities while also facing Islamophobia and misconceptions from the broader society.

Through their diverse stories, the film underscores the universal quest for meaning and belonging.

Director Hoda Elatawi hopes So You Want To Be A Muslim will serve as a tool to challenge widespread stereotypes about Islam.

“With words like ‘extremist’, ‘jihadist’, and ‘terrorist’ plaguing mainstream dialogue when the subject of Islam and Muslims come up,” Elatawi explains, “I hope the deeply personal stories revealed by the diverse group of people in my film will help break stereotypes and challenge preconceived notions about Islam.”

Produced by GAPC Entertainment, So You Want To Be A Muslim is supported by the Canada Media Fund, Ontario Creates, and several other cultural institutions. Elatawi aims to bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims by focusing on the shared humanity and struggles revealed through the lens of these personal, transformative journeys.

Source: About Islam

The UK government on Saturday dismissed a Muslim cleric from his role as an official adviser, accusing him of fomenting protests against a new film about the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Alleging “The Lady of Heaven” is blasphemous, Muslim groups protested outside UK movie houses this week, forcing the world’s second-largest cinema chain to cancel all screenings.

Cineworld’s announcement came after Qari Asim, an imam and lawyer in the northern English city of Leeds, posted on Facebook Monday that the film had “caused much pain and hurt to Muslims.”

While noting that his own group had not taken part in protests, and expressing support for freedom of speech, Asim publicized details of one protest in Leeds coming up that evening.

In a letter to Asim, the government said the Facebook post was incompatible with his status as deputy chair of an official working group on anti-Muslim hatred.

Terminating the appointment “with immediate effect,” the government said the campaign against the film “has led to street protests which have fomented religious hatred.

“This clear involvement in a campaign to limit free expression is incompatible with the role of a government adviser,” it added, alleging the campaign had incited anti-Shiite hatred by Sunnis.

There was no immediate comment from Asim, who also served as an independent adviser to the government on Islamophobia until his dismissal.

The drama is billed as the first film on the life of the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah, and draws links between the Daesh group in the 21st century and historical figures in Sunni Islam.

Malik Shlibak, executive producer of the film, complained to The Guardian newspaper that cinema chains were “crumbling to the pressure.”

Source: Arab News

In this survey of the expanding Islamic entertainment industry, The Balance presumably refers to the line faith-based artists must walk with respect to religious strictures. As one interviewee puts it: “You have to push the boundaries, but at the same time you fall victim to potential sins, because sometimes that’s what a sin is.” British film-maker Abrar Hussain’s documentary becomes notably more involving when, three-quarters of the way in, it starts to delve into such spiritual predicaments. Prior to this, it’s a cheerleading whistles top tour through Islamic music, film, social media and comedy that only fitfully engages with the deeper issues.

Often referring to the “we” of the ummah, Hussain makes the curious choice to mostly preach to the converted, while choosing reference points that must be a bit obvious to them. The Balance opens with eulogies to self-taught popular missionary Ahmed Deedat and Muhammad Ali; OK, they were entertaining, but the film is vague on how they relate to a wider industry. Moustapha Akkad’s 1977 epic The Message, which told the Prophet’s story without depicting him directly, leads the section on cinema. But once again, this representative example – interesting enough in isolation – fails to convey the scope of all that is going on in the field. The Balance slips too easily into montage and generalities; the section on social media, packed with filler about self-obsession and trolling, is weak.

Hussain says that there was no Islamic entertainment industry until 20 years ago – but this overlooks the Egyptian, Afghan, Iranian, Lebanese and Turkish cinema and music industries (though it’s debatable how “Islamic” they are). Only in a segment on South African nasheed singer Zain Bhikha performing to thousands in Sierra Leone does The Balance step out of a western perspective and begin to convey the full diversity of the audience.

The section on Muslim standup comedy – pioneered by the US’s Preacher Moss, and which became a vital outlet for cultural self-assertion post-9/11 – is the sharpest. Possibly because this kind of comedy feeds most directly off the intersection of the sacred and the secular that is the nub for every entertainer featured here.

The Balance is released in cinemas on 1 July.

Source: The Guardian

Date: September 09, 2017

Venue: Winspear Centre, Edmonton, AB T5J 4X8, Canada

Submissions Deadline: August 7, 2017

The Mosquers Film Festival is North America’s leading film competition with a focus on promoting awareness and education of current issues related to Muslims and the Islamic faith. We are calling for submissions for the 2017 season. The Mosquers is open to all filmmakers in North America and across the globe. Film entries from any genre are accepted.

This year, the award categories include: Best Picture ($2000), Best in Cinematography and Sound ($1000), Best Performance ($1000), and People’s Choice Award ($1000). A new category highlighting Albertan filmmakers has also been introduced – The Larry Shaben Award ($500). The Award Show will be taking place at the Winspear Centre on September 9th, 2017 with featured comedian Jeremy McLellan. Shortlisted films will be screened in front of over 1000 guests in attendance.

The Mosquers Film Festival is a short film competition that aims to educate, entertain and build bridges through showcasing the diverse Muslim experience. The Mosquers Film Festival Foundation (The Mosquers) was formed in 2006 to create a long-term proactive plan to counter the media stereotypes of Muslims and the Islamic faith. Since then The Mosquers has become a recognizable organization in Canada and continues to attract increasing interest internationally. The evening comprises a red carpet ceremony, screening of the short film finalists, a feature entertainment portion, and the awards presentation. The evening ends off with a mixer where attendees and participants have a chance to network in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

The film submission deadline is August 7, 2017. More detailed information about the submission guidelines are available on our website here

Source: The Muslim Link

14 Rohingya refugee youth living in Ontario got together to save their people through theatre. Violencem. Murder. Crisis. Stateless. Refugee. Genocide. The most oppressed people on Earth. This is what you will find when you Google search ‘Rohingya’.  In the summer of 2015, a group of Rohingya refugee youth (ages 8-22) from Kitchener, Ontario decided enough was enough. No longer would the plight of their people be ignored by the media and the international community. Together, they opted to share the stories of their families’ harrowing escape from Burma, chronicling what life is like living in a refugee camp and portraying the struggles of resettling in a new country.

At that moment, I Am Rohingya was born.

The film documents the lives of these young performers as they embark on a mission to tell their story through theatre. Featured on CBC and Rohingya Vision TV, the play sought to preserve the cultural identity and legacy of the Rohingya people, a powerful and emotional drama about life, loss, violence, and hope that chronicles the lives of ‘the most oppressed people on Earth.’ With no prior acting experience, the decision to reenact the stories of their people becomes a courageous act of resistance, demonstrating to the world that they will not be erased, and they will not be forgotten.

At this point in time, over 140,000 Rohingya Muslims have been forced from their homes and are living in concentration camps. Alternatively, over 100,000 Rohingyas have fled Burma by boat since 2012. Burma itself is considered the #1 country most susceptible to state-led mass killings. However, if you turn on the news, you won’t hear any of this.

This documentary represents a form of protest against those who seek to erase the Rohingyas and their culture from existence. The brave youth at the center of the film view theatre and storytelling as a vehicle for keeping their heritage alive, and accordingly, this film stands as a symbol of hope and resilience. If this film is seen at film festivals around the world, it will send a message to the oppressive Burmese government: we see what you are doing, and we refuse to be silent.

Currently, we are in the middle of principal production for the documentary. This includes interviews, filming the play in a theatre space, and capturing b-roll shots. Our goal is to wrap production by the end of November and go into post-production until the New Year, but there is much work to be done. With over hundreds of hours of footage recorded by the end of production, telling this story right will be no simple task!

Once the film is completed, our goal is have it seen by as many people as possible all around the world. That means submitting it to multiple international festivals, such as TIFF, Sundance, Tribeca, Hot Docs, SXSW, and more. We also plan to organize screenings in cities who request them, bringing along some of the cast for an in-depth Q&A! The final film will be a feature-length documentary with a run time of approx. 120 min.

More information at: LaunchGood.com

The (Negative) film is the first in depth documentary following the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and investigating the lives of young women and men in Britain who face threats, ostracization, discrimination and even violence for leaving Islam.

It also highlights the heinous violence faced by ex-Muslims in countries under Islamic rules (including the death penalty in 13 countries); draws attention to the role respected “community leaders” play in encouraging discrimination and violence; and makes important links between the transnational Islamist movement in Britain and internationally. Moreover, the film reveals the extent of non-believers amongst Muslims and the international nature of the ex-Muslim resistance movement.

Within this documentary there has been a trend of born Muslims from South-Asian backgrounds who have left the Faith due to mainly emotional and cultural reasons and feel a sense of loneliness since they are seen as outcasts; not being viewed the same by the very parents that raised them.

Source: ITV Hub