For the besieged Palestinians and much of the world, the ceasefire was a small sigh of momentary relief, a temporary respite from the daily destruction. And yet, the difficulties have not ceased; by all accounts, they are still continuing as we ask how the Palestinian people can even begin to rebuild all that they have lost. 

Here at home, a sense of helplessness sometimes haunts us as we watch such unspeakable suffering. But we are not helpless, and there are simple but powerful things we can do right here in our communities to show our support.

On November 29th, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People will be globally observed. This day, established in 1977 by the United Nations General Assembly, commemorates the adoption of the United Nations Partition Plan (UN Resolution 181) on November 29, 1947, to advocate for the establishment of a two-state solution and for the Palestinians’ right to return to their homes. We can show our solidarity and support for our brothers and sisters on this day and even during the entire month of November. Here are some suggestions of what we can do:

1. Fly a Palestinian flag at every home and/or organization to show support for Gaza and Palestine. Another option is to wear a Palestinian flag pin on your lapel, jacket, hijab, bag, etc. 
2. Organizations and allies of the Palestinian people can screen documentaries/films on the oppression and systematic genocide that occurred, and in some cases, is still occurring in Gaza and in Palestine (a suggested list is included). Have multiple showings if possible.
3. Host talks and discussions on the situation in Gaza.
4. Wear Palestinian pins, bracelets, colors, and or the kaffiyeh during the month of November in support and remembrance of the Palestinian people and their fight for survival.
5. Take consistent and regular action, letting your elected officials know that you expect them to uphold justice for the Palestinian people (through phone calls, letters, emails, visits, etc.).
6. On Nov 29th, encourage fasting and extra prayers in solidarity with the Palestinian people (prayer is one of the most powerful things we can do).
7. Continue activism (in any form that works for you [eg, fasting, prayers, contacting elected officials, supporting the BDS movement, hosting talks, wearing Palestinian colors/kaffiyeh, etc.]) to protest the ongoing occupation and brutal genocide. Continue until the Palestinian people are free.

The following list of films, documentaries, and videos all showcase powerful stories of the Palestinian people. Their voices carry through loud and clear, asking us to hear what they are trying to share. Many of these films have won multiple awards and accolades:

1. • Gaza: Journalists Under Fire (www.bravenewfilms.org)
   • The Voice of Hind Rajab (official trailer on YouTube)*
   • Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (official trailer on YouTube. In theaters Nov 5)
   • Starving Gaza (Al Jazeera)
   • This is Gaza: Witnessing the Israel-Hamas war (YouTube, Channel4.com)
   • It’s Bisan from Gaza, and I’m still Alive (YouTube)
   • The Night Won’t End: Biden’s War on Gaza (Al Jazeera, YouTube)
   • Israel’s Reel Extremism (www.Zeteo.com, YouTube)
   • In Reel Life: Hidden War
   • 3000 Nights (Netflix)
   • Resistance, Why? (YouTube, Vimeo.com)
   • Ma’loul Celebrates its Destruction (Justwatch.com)
   • 5 Broken Cameras (Apple TV) 
   • The Wanted 18 (Amazon Prime, Justwatch.com)
   • Aida Returns
   • Farha (Netflix)
   • Ghost Hunting
   • Naila and the Uprising
   • Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege
   • Eleven Days in May (Al Jazeera)
   • Al-Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe (YouTube, Al Jazeera) 
   • The War in June 1967 (Al Jazeera, YouTube)
   • The War in October: What Happened in 1973? (YouTube, Al Jazeera)
   • The Price of Oslo (Al Jazeera, YouTube)
   • Jerusalem: Dividing Al-Aqsa (Al Jazeera, YouTube)
   • Palestine 1920: The Other Side of the Palestinian Story (Al Jazeera)
   • Gaza, Sinai, and the Wall (Al Jazeera, YouTube)
   • Israel’s Automated Occupation: Hebron (Al Jazeera, YouTube
   • Weaponising Water in Palestine (Al Jazeera, YouTube)
   • Rebel Architecture: The Architecture of Violence (Al Jazeera)
   • No Other Land (2025 Academy Award Winner! On Amazon, Apple TV, etc.)

This is only a partial list. There are many other films also documenting the plight of the Palestinian people. Please support these brave filmmakers as they share their stories. Together, we can show our solidarity with Palestine. This genocide is one that the whole world is watching in real time, and it is incumbent upon all of us to uphold justice in the face of such atrocities. There is much truth in the old adage “Together we stand, divided we fall”. Let us stand firm and united for Palestine. 

[*The film received a record-breaking 24-minute standing ovation after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize. Release date TBA. No USA distributor as of the date of this printing.]

Related:

– Watch, Learn, And Speak Out: Films And Documentaries About Palestine Made Available Online For Free

– From Algeria to Palestine: Commemorating Eighty Years Of Resistance And International Solidarity

The post November 29 Is The International Day Of Solidarity With The Palestinian People – What Will You Do? appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

A Warning I Didn’t Understand

This all started on a regular back-to-school trip to Target. I asked my mom if we could get some Korean skincare. Instead of answering me, she reminded me to never watch KPop Demon Hunters even if my friends are. She mentioned that our local imam had warned parents to keep their kids away from this show; apparently, he knew it was quite popular, and did not think the content was appropriate for children.

While I thought it was odd that my skincare request somehow made her think of that movie, I did what I do best: I nodded, but I honestly did not understand why she was being so serious. I thought it was just a cartoon and could not be that bad.

A few weeks later, I was at a small party with some of my mom’s Muslim friends. It was fun at first, but after a while my friends and I got bored and went inside to watch TV. Someone picked a movie, and suddenly KPop Demon Hunters was on the screen.

Right before I sat down, my younger sisters, who are now 5 and 8, told me very clearly that watching it was a bad idea. They said, “You should not watch that.” I thought they were just being dramatic and trying to act older than they are. But later on they came to watch too.

At the end of the movie that’s when we realized their advice was right.

What I Saw and Why It Mattered

Very quickly we realized this movie was not what I expected at all. Some of the characters wore clothing that did not feel appropriate. The songs, especially “How It’s Done” and “Your Idol,” had lyrics that did not seem right for kids to hear. There were also mixed-gender scenes that felt uncomfortable, and it just did not feel like something I should be watching.

What surprised me the most was that all the other girls acted like everything was perfectly normal. They had watched the movie so many times that nothing seemed strange to them anymore. That made me think. When you keep watching something again and again, you start to think it is fine, even when it is not.

Just because something is animated does not mean it is harmless. And just because everyone else thinks it is okay does not mean it actually is.

So in conclusion, KPop Demon Hunters is not a movie Muslim kids should watch. Not even once. It is better to listen to the people who care about you, even when you think you know better.

***

Amina Abdullah is a 5th grader from California’s SF Bay Area. When she’s not at school, she’s a part-time Hifz student, badminton player, and older sister.

Related:

Why I Walked Out Of The Film, Bilal

‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ Ends | The First Muslim Sitcom in Review

The post K-Pop Demon Hunters: Certainly Not for Kids appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Their aim is clear: to document history, amplify Palestinian voices, and shed light on the realities faced by those living under occupation. These films document history, preserve collective memory, and elevate Palestinian voices—stories of faith in Allah even under the most terrible hardships; and stories of resilience, grief, hope, and defiance of Israeli oppression. These stories deserve to be shared, inshaAllah.

Whether you are seeking historical context, personal narratives, or artistic portrayals of life in Palestine, the following films and documentaries provide a powerful entry point. By watching and sharing them, you can help spread awareness and keep the conversation alive.

It’s unknown how long some of these films will be up. Some have been taken down already, so watch them while you can.

 – Documentary Collections

• Al Jazeera Documentary Collections – A wide range of well-produced documentaries covering different aspects of Palestinian life, history, and struggle:
   Collection 1 | Collection 2 | Collection 3
  

 – Historical and Biographical Documentaries

[All the films in this section are still available as of the publication date of this article]

• Keeper of Memory – Preserving the heritage and collective memory of Palestine.
  
• Empty Seat – A moving story of absence and loss.
  
• Resistance Pilot – Tracing the journey of a Palestinian fighter.
  
• Jenin – A poignant look at the events in Jenin.
  
• The Olive Tree – A symbol of Palestinian rootedness and resilience.
  
• Scenes from the Occupation in Gaza (1973) – A rare historical record from nearly five decades ago.
  
• Gaza Fights For Freedom – Centering Palestinian voices during the Great March of Return.
  
• Arna’s Children – Following the lives of young Palestinian actors in Jenin.
  

 – Short Films

• Strawberry – (Currently password protected). A touching short on hope and hardship.
  
• The Place – Capturing intimate moments in occupied life.
  
• Abnadam – (No longer available). A brief but impactful story on resistance and identity.
  

 – Profiles of Leaders and Communities

• The Mayor – (Not viewable in the USA). A look inside the life of a Palestinian mayor navigating occupation.
  
• The Creation and the Nakba 1948 – A historical exploration of the events of 1948.
  
• Occupation 101 – Breaking down the history and politics of the conflict.
  
• The Shadow of Absence – (Taken down). A poetic meditation on exile and longing.
  
• They Don’t Exist – Confronting denial and erasure.
  
• As The Poet Said – An artistic homage to Palestinian poets.
  
• Five Broken Cameras – (Taken down due to a copyright claim). This award-winning documentary interweaves personal and village narratives around the destruction of cameras—literal and symbolic. [Winner: World Cinema Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival; Golden Apricot (Yerevan International Film Festival); 2013 International Emmy Award; plus many others. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards.]
  A first-hand account of life in a West Bank village. Described as “vividly capturing injustice, hazard and hope in this defiant one‑man chronicle of life in an embattled Palestinian village.” — Philip French, The Guardian
  And:
  “A modest, rigorous and moving work of art.” — A.O. Scott, The New York Times, as quoted on Wikipedia.
  

 – Feature Films

• Paradise Now – (No longer available). A gripping drama about two friends facing impossible choices. [Winner: Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film; Winner: Amnesty International Film Prize, Blue Angel Award (Berlin International Film Festival); Best Screenplay (European Film Awards); Winner: Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film; Winner: National Board of Review Best Foreign Language Film]
• Wedding of Galilee – A wedding under occupation, full of symbolism and tension.
  
• Keffiyeh – A feature exploring identity and tradition.
  
• Salt of This Sea – A love story intertwined with themes of return and belonging. [Winner: FIPRESCI Critics Award; Randa Chahal Prize; Best First Film (Traverse City FF); Special Jury Prize (Oran FF); Audience Choice & Best Film (various festivals); plus selection at Cannes.]

 – Hip-Hop, Art, and Cultural Resistance

• Slingshot Hip Hop – (No longer available due to a copyright claim). Palestinian youth using rap as a form of resistance. [Official Selection at Sundance 2008; Winner: Documentary Competition (Sundance); Top‑3 Finalist at IDFA “DOC U”; Audience Awards at Films de Femmes (France) and DOX BOX (Syria); over 13 awards internationally.]
• Naji al-Ali: An Artist with Vision – The life of the legendary Palestinian cartoonist.
  

 – Wars, Sieges, and Survival

[All the films in this section are still available as of the publication date of this article]

• Tall al-Zaatar & Tall al-Zaatar – The Secrets of the Battle – Chronicling the infamous siege.
  
• In the Grip of the Resistance – The struggles and resilience of fighters.
• Swings – Life’s fleeting joys under siege.
  

 – Exploring Jerusalem and Beyond

[All the films in this section are still available as of the publication date of this article]

• The Upper Gate – A look into Jerusalem’s Old City.
  
• In Search of Palestine – A personal journey through memory and place.
  
• Speak, Bird – Preserving Palestinian oral traditions.
  

 – Series

• The Palestinian Exodus – Documenting the displacement of 1948 and beyond.
  
• I Am Jerusalem – A deep dive into the history and spirit of the Holy City.
  

Why This Matters

These works are more than films—they are records of a people’s endurance, creativity, and fight for justice. In times when voices are silenced and narratives distorted, sharing authentic stories becomes a form of resistance.

You can contribute by watching these films, sharing them widely, hosting community screenings, or simply discussing them with friends and family. Ask your local masjid to do a screening. Peace, interfaith, and indigenous rights organizations may also be interested.

Every view is a step toward amplifying the truth and ensuring that Palestinian stories are told—by Palestinians themselves.

Related:

Farha Film Review: Palestinian Stories Will Be Heard 

From Algeria to Palestine: Commemorating Eighty Years Of Resistance And International Solidarity

The post Watch, Learn, And Speak Out: Films And Documentaries About Palestine Made Available Online For Free appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The “Guantanamo Candidate”: A Politically Motivated Cancelation?

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to share parts of my story in the documentary, “The Guantanamo Candidate” produced by Vice News and scheduled to air on Showtime, owned by Paramount. The documentary aimed to shed light on one of Guantanamo’s darkest periods, the years surrounding the 2005/06 hunger strike, and the mysterious deaths of three prisoners. The producers tapped staff sergeant Joe Hickman, who was there during that time, myself, and several others to give our personal accounts and experiences of what happened.

During my time at Guantanamo, I witnessed and experienced unimaginable horrors. Many of the faces responsible for my and my fellow prisoner’s pain and torment are etched into my memory.  Ron DeSantis is one such face I will never forget. I distinctly remember him being among a group of observers, smiling and laughing while I was being brutally force-fed to end my hunger strike. Only a few former prisoners remember him well, but those of us who do cannot forget him.

Our memories are vivid, yet the truth about Guantanamo Bay remains suppressed, blocked by government classifications and redactions, and chilled by gatekeepers and executives concerned about the bottom line. Scheduled to air in May 2023, “The Guantanamo Candidate” was canceled indefinitely the week it was to air. Speculations suggest the cancellation was motivated by political considerations and the fear of naming a presidential candidate as a witness and possible participant in force-feedings of Guantanamo prisoners, something that has been categorized by the United Nations as torture. As someone who lived that experience and has worked hard to shed light on the secrets of Guantanamo, sharing my story with the public through this documentary made me feel heard.

Exposing Guantanamo: The Struggle

I’ve learned over the years that the media serves an important role in democracy as society’s watchdog. Covering Guantanamo has been a struggle since the opening days of the US War on Terror. Misinformation, classifications, secrecy, and the political value of fear combined with tough talk on terrorism have made covering Guantanamo difficult. Former prisoners, valuable sources for reporting, often feel threatened, vilified, stigmatized, or simply made to look suspicious. Other sources like former guards, staff, or attorneys have been gagged with non-disclosure agreements or with secret classifications that prevent them from speaking on the record. All of this has consolidated reporting on Guantanamo to a few gatekeepers who have come to define the Guantanamo we see in the media. When a documentary like “The Guantanamo Candidate,” comes along, it creates real potential to crack open the secrets of Guantanamo and bring about accountability. It also serves as a new medium to hear the untold stories that have been suppressed. Sure, I was disappointed to learn that “The Guantanamo Candidate” had been canceled for personal reasons. But more importantly, the cancellation showed me that it was just business as usual as those at the highest level who may be responsible for acts heinous acts of torture and human rights abuses escape scrutiny, again.

The truth was the first casualty of the War on Terror. Billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent to keep Guantanamo open and at the same time hide what really happened there. Reporting has been limited to what was revealed more than ten years ago with documented revelations of torture and enhanced interrogation. But those who were at Guantanamo, whether prisoner, staffer, or guard know those revelations are just the tip of the iceberg.

A Refusal to Be Silenced

Since my transfer from Guantanamo Bay seven years ago, I have dedicated myself to exposing the truth of what happened to me and my fellow prisoners. My voice has joined the chorus of others who refuse to be silenced by fear or intimidation. I have spoken at conferences, given interviews to the media, and written extensively about my experiences in my memoir, Don’t Forget Us Here, Lost and Found at Guantanamo. The lack of transparency surrounding this detention facility and the conditions endured by its inmates is an affront to the principles of justice and human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Together with dedicated lawyers, we strive to bring those responsible for the torture and abuses to justice.

As a former prisoner who has endured unimaginable suffering, I call on Showtime to reconsider their decision to cancel “The Guantanamo Candidate.” The world deserves to know more about what happened at Guantanamo Bay during 2006, and this documentary sheds much- needed light on this dark chapter in its history to show us who was there, what they knew, how they acted, and how their stories align with the truth of what happened.

I am grateful to Vice for their courage in pursuing this story, and I hope they will find another way to bring it to the public. I also stand with my fellow former prisoners who bravely spoke out for this documentary. We refuse to be silenced; we will continue to speak out against torture in all its forms and demand accountability.

Only when we hold a mirror up to the truth of the United States government’s crimes can we genuinely understand the depths of the injustices committed in America’s name. I encourage Showtime to rise above political pressures and personal interests and to stand firm in their commitment to exploring truth. As I look back on my time at Guantanamo Bay and the suffering endured by countless others, I am reminded that the truth must be told, not just for me and former prisoners, but for the sake of human rights and to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.

Paramount’s slogan is “Popular is paramount.” Let’s make defending truth popular.

Related:

– The Many Eids Spent In Guantanamo: An Ex-Detainee Reflects – MuslimMatters.org

– Guantanamo Bay: Past And Present – MuslimMatters.org

The post Defending The Truth: Former Inmate Urges Paramount To Reconsider Cancelation Of “The Guantanamo Candidate” appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The Nakba, or catastrophe, of 1948 is a seminal event seared in the minds of every single Palestinian family across the globe. All 13 million of us have been personally impacted by the Nakba and its enduring effects until present day. Contrary to the Western media misframing of the Nakba as referring to the creation of the state of Israel, the Nakba actually refers to the systematic, meticulously planned, destruction of Palestinian society by a foreign colonizing power. It refers to the ethnic cleansing, genocide, land theft, expulsion, and murder of our people. Farha, the debut feature film by Jordanian director Darin Sallam, showing now on Netflix, is a remarkable, must-see movie because it is the first time a film on this scale has masterfully narrated this seminal event in Palestinian history. Although the events of the Nakba have been preserved through oral testimonies, written testimonies, books, poems, songs, articles, documentaries, and declassified Zionist archives, it has rarely been shown in film – which has the power to reach the masses.

A Land With A People 

Farha is a coming of age story about one young Palestinian girl whose life and dreams were upended when Zionist militias rampaged and destroyed her village. The film is set in an unnamed village, whose opening scene immediately struck me as reminiscent of the chilling remnants of the Palestinian village of Lifta; a visible testament to all who pass it today on the superhighway to Jerusalem. The story is told through the eyes of Farha, a spirited and bold young girl whose name means “joy.” Her name was intentional, Sallam explained in an interview with Time magazine, “I chose the name because of how they talked about their life before the Nakba — to me it was life before their joy was stolen.” In the opening scenes, we get to watch Farha playing with her friends, challenging authority, warding off a pesky boy, and attending a henna party. Sallam deliberately included these moments, stating in another interview, “I want them to see that it [Palestine] was a land with people and that they were living their lives, experiencing good and bad moments, until it was all interrupted.” Through its simplicity, Farha effortlessly dismantles the textbook Zionist talking point of Palestine being “a land without a people for a people without a land.”

The Complete Viewer Experience 

One particularly compelling aspect of the film is its pace. After Farha is confined to a cellar to hide from incoming Zionist militias, time passes excruciatingly slowly as you feel each moment of her stress, fear, and anxiety. You are invested in learning what will happen next, as you watch even the most mundane of actions become amplified in importance. You feel Farha’s thirst as she attempts to drink from a pickle jar, desperate for water. You feel the tension in her bladder as she desperately figures out a place to urinate. You feel her choking on the smell of the gas used by Zionist militias to clear out Palestinian homes. You feel her panic as she gets her period for the first time. Sallam says she wanted to include these scenes “because it’s natural and it’s what would happen to you or me if we were in her shoes.”

The slow pacing of the film, coupled with the deliberate inclusion of this narrative, creates more opportunity for the viewer to engage in Farha’s experience and contemplate the gravity of what she is exposed to and experiences. It also allows the audience to pay more attention to the details and carefully designed set and props that shows Palestinian life prior to the Nakba. It offers a feeling of realism, as the tension and uncertainty continuously heightens throughout the passage of time.

Sallam skillfully gives the viewer something to think about during the slower moments by sprinkling in harrowing events that Farha witnesses through the cracks in the cellar door. One particularly agonizing scene that broke me, was of a Palestinian family seeking shelter so that the pregnant mother could give birth, only to be discovered by the invading Zionist militias who, after mentally torturing them a bit, executes them at gunpoint, leaving the newborn baby to die. We are then brought back to Farha as she remains witness to the baby’s painfully slow death. We are Farha’s ears as she hears his cries unremittingly fill the air while she attempts to sing him a lullaby as he takes his last breaths.

Colonizer Fragility 

Farha has, unsurprisingly, come under attack from Israeli officials and Zionist sympathizers. This happens like clock work when any space is given to Palestinian stories. Western discourse on Palestine is heavily saturated by Zionist ideology, which theatrically espouses a false narrative of the past that denies and/or erases the existence of, and well-documented experience of, the indigenous Palestinians. Any other competing narrative, shown through a compelling film such as Farha that reaches the masses, is considered a threat and will naturally become a target of attacks. In any medium that the Palestinian voice manages to break through, whether it be literature, film, media, art, food, or fashion, Zionist sympathizers methodically get to work to try to drown out those voices or prevent them from being heard.

In response to the film’s screening on a major platform like Netflix, Israeli officials predictably went into a frenzy denouncing the film, and an orchestrated effort ensued to downvote its ratings online. Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s outgoing finance minister, issued a statement saying, “It’s crazy that Netflix decided to stream a movie whose whole purpose is to create a false pretense and incite against Israeli soldiers.” One doesn’t need a fictional representation on film, however, to see real Zionist soldiers violently assassinating Palestinian families. Unlike in the past, where the media heavily filtered what images we were exposed to, all you need to do now is open any social media platform and see an abundance of footage showing the atrocities committed by Zionists against Palestinians. In true supremacist fashion, their fragility centers themselves in the conversation, oblivious to the fact that it’s not the film that makes them look bad, it is their actual actions.

The Power Of Film For Marginalized Voices

I’ve always believed that education is the key to liberation, and education can take on many forms beyond talking or writing. Humans are visual creatures, and sometimes we just need to see it to believe it. I’m sure many Palestinians have probably told their friends, if you just went to Palestine you would understand. All you have to do is see it, no words would be necessary. That is what Farha offers the viewer. You, like Farha, are a witness to the Nakba. You are bearing witness to what is happening around her. No amount of context or spinning could explain away the atrocities or deny what she witnesses.

Film is a powerful medium capable of shifting narratives, raising important questions, and changing opinions. Because of the power that film holds to shift perspectives and evoke empathy, authenticity is of prime importance, particularly for marginalized voices. I think it is safe to say that Palestinians who watched this movie breathed a collective sigh of relief. Farha got it right. It is, in my opinion, one of the very few films about the Palestinian experience that does not perpetuate harmful stereotypes or cater to the Western gaze. It managed to include many facets of Palestinian society, not through an observer’s gaze, but with true cultural authenticity that can appropriately navigate the nuances and accurately capture cultural elements. It depicted various segments of, and issues within, Palestinian society without either orientalizing or over dramatizing them, but also showing how they all collectively experienced the Nakba. Accurately portraying these nuances of Palestinian society through an authentic lens cannot be understated for a historically excluded identity.

Palestinian Stories Will Be Heard 

If there is one takeaway from a film like Farha, it is that you can never kill the message of truth. Representation matters, particularly in the fictional world, as the absence of it was coined by the late George Gerbner, professor of communications and pioneer researcher into the influence of television on viewer perception, as “symbolic annihilation.” Film is a particularly powerful medium to symbolically speak this truth, as Sallam explains, “We need to do this because films live and we die.”

Farha is a slap in the face of Zionist propaganda, a loud and clear message that the old will not die, and the young will not forget. We exist beyond the false narratives created about us, and we will continue to persist in spite of them. We had lives. We have lives. These things did happen to us. Thanks to a film like Farha, it is time that the world bears witness to it.

Related reading:

– The Importance Of Palestinian Stories [Interview]

The Importance Of Palestinian Stories [Interview]

– Huda’s Salon Film Review: Exploiting Palestinian Trauma For Western Audiences

Huda’s Salon Film Review: Exploiting Palestinian Trauma For Western Audiences

The post Farha Film Review: Palestinian Stories Will Be Heard  appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

I have just finished a 3-part series on sectarianism; this post needs to be understand in light of that khutbah (if you haven’t listened to these khuṭbahs, please do).

One point I mentioned is that sectarianism is potentially dangerous, and that clerics who insist on fanning the fuels of hatred against ‘the other’ need to be marginalized by their own communities. When one group points out the mistakes and excesses of such clerics, that in itself has the potential to turn sectarian, hence why it is important that each group keeps its own radicals in check. There is a time, place, language and context to bring up such differences.

And one such time and context is when a public episode, like the release of this movie, occurs. Here, there is no choice but to point out legitimate concerns, in a manner that seeks to correct the wrong without exacerbating communal tensions. And I do believe the entire drama caused by the release of this latest movie deserves for us to point out why we view this movie as unacceptable.

For those who are not aware, recently in the UK a movie has been released entitled ‘The Lady of Heaven’ which is meant to be a biography of Fatima , daughter of the Prophet . It is set in the context of an ISIS fanatical group’s killing of a lady named Fatimah, and her son being told by his grandmother the story of the lady Fatimah .

There are numerous issues with respect to this movie.

– The main producer and writer is a cleric whose extremism is so well-known that he has been expelled from Muslim lands, criticized by many senior Shi’ite Ayatollahs, and carved out a name for himself as the most fire-brand modern cleric of Twelver Shi’ism. It is factually correct to state that there is no cleric who has drawn more controversy in our era than this figure. I mean here Yasser al-Habib, a Kuwaiti cleric who has been banned from Kuwait and taken refuge in England. Therefore even before the release of this movie, his reputation precedes him and there was no reason to expect any positive outcome.

– To call the movie ‘blasphemous’ is actually an understatement. The purpose of the movie is to provoke a reaction from Sunnis. It is intended to cause sectarian hatred and foment division – there is no other way to understand it. The vulgarity of the story line and the ‘shock-and-awe’ factor of the movie is undeniable. The movie presents an alternative reality of history that does not have a shred of historical evidence to support it.  Amongst its themes is the ludicrous claim that Aishah and Hafsa poisoned the Prophet and caused his death (shown in the movie!); that Umar burnt down the house of Fatima is actually shown in the movie – something that no mainstream movie has ever dared to do. While the producers claim that the image shown is computer generated, the fact is that a person is presented and an image is shown that is supposed to be the Prophet himself. Yet, for some bizarre reason, they didn’t show the image and figure of Fatimah herself, even though the movie is supposed to be about her.

– There is clearly a strong element of racism that runs throughout the movie. When presenting Ali or anyone whom the Twelvers would admire, actors who are fair skinned and aesthetically pleasing are used. And when showing Abu Bakr , Umar , Aishah or any of the Companions whom the Twelvers don’t respect, for some strange reason the producer has chosen extremely dark skinned actors who would not, by mainstream standards, be judged aesthetically pleasing. Clearly, the producers feel that a darker skin indicates evil characteristics; in the process they have demonstrated nothing other than their own blatant racism.

– It is people like Yasser al-Habib, and movies like this that truly bring out the worst elements of sectarianism. We cannot allow the more radical elements of either side to dictate how mainstream Sunnis and Shi’ites interact with one another. Hence my appeal to mainstream Shi’ite clergy to dissociate from this movie and to make it clear that Al-Habib is a fringe figure who does not represent their stances. (It has been brought to my attention that more than one mainstream cleric has spoken out against this figure and the movie, and I appreciate this stance).

– On a final note, and in light of my recent khutbahs on sectarianism and this post, I do need to call out my critics from within Sunnism who can’t seem to understand my very clear stances, and who wish to misrepresent me and my views to the point of outright slander. Claims that I have become Shi’a (!!), or pro-Shi’a, or accept Shi’ism as valid, are so ludicrous in light of my numerous lectures and khutbahs, that I’ve never felt the need to respond (listen to my series on the Companions, or my talk on Karbala, or my Library Chat on Mukhtār, or any other talk on this issue!). The problem of fanaticism and hatred (of all stripes) is that it needs more and more targets, and starts seeing things in black and white. So my rhetoric of wise preaching, and seeking to unite for the greater good externally even while correcting mistakes internally, and pragmatic tolerance, simply doesn’t cut it for the fire-brand Sunnī fanatics who see nothing but their version of sectarian hatred. To try to preach Sunnī theology and correct Shi’ite misunderstandings with wisdom, while not exacerbating tensions and potentially bringing about violence, is not good enough for these firebrands. They wish to use the harshest adjectives and the most vile language, and to cherry-pick some ideas and some radical clerics (like al-Habib) and stereotype all Shi’ites with them. But the philosophy of “You’re either with us or against us” is from George Bush, and guilt by association is a tactic used by McCarthy and the Madkhalis, not our religion. Contrast this with the Quran, “O you who believe! Stand firm with justice, testifying to Allah. And let not the hatred of a people cause you to act unjustly. Be just, for that is the essence of piety!”

If preaching with wisdom, and correcting while trying to minimize hatred, constitutes being ‘pro-Shi’ite’, I would argue this is the Quranic and Prophetic methodology. But if they imply that I agree with a theology that disrespects the Companions or believes in an infallible person after the Prophet , this is an egregious lie and, as with all those who intentionally slander me, I will get my dues from these critics on Judgment Day.

Also, the awkward reality needs to be pointed out: the type of rhetoric that these critics employs is exactly the same that radical groups who promote violence also employ; hence on social media it is not surprising that these critics are followed by actual radicals and terrorist-prone individuals, as a simple search will reveal.

Enough is enough, and I hope my stance is crystal clear: there is a way to navigate sectarian differences without getting radical or fomenting hatred that leads to violence. Neither is Yasser al-Habib and his movie, nor the fringe Sunnī response from the radical right on our side, the solution.

May Allah guide us to wisdom, and the best of manners, and the truth. Ameen!

[This post was originally published here]

Related reading:

Huda’s Salon Film Review: Exploiting Palestinian Trauma For Western Audiences

The Bilal Movie: Why It Still Reinforces The Slave-Narrative Of Black People

The post Sectarianism And ‘The Lady Of Heaven’ Film I Yasir Qadhi appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Now that Ramadan is over, Downton Abbey fans like me are desperately trying to spare some time to rematch the show or the first film. But why? To prepare for the upcoming film release of Downton Abbey: A New Era, of course! So, in celebration of the upcoming film release, I present you with: 7 reasons Downton Abbey felt like it was a dramatization of the lives of my Muslim girlfriends.

(Note: Some of the observations are based on lived social realities that young Muslim women like me face and are not indicative of the values and teachings of Islam practiced and implemented in its purest form.)

1. The Idea of the Perfect Suitor

In a society highly stratified by class and wealth, the ideal suitor or rishta is comically familiar in Muslim circles. Wealth, class, education, family background, upbringing, heritage, looks, and charm–these factors are all considered in Downton Abbey and in real-life for Muslims. However, Islam begs us also to consider faith and good character. Although this isn’t much of a concern in the show, Muslims have created their own gold standards: a hafiz of the Quran, someone who gives khutbahs, the president of the MSA, etc. Finding a man who possesses all of these in their most exemplary manifestations makes for an elite class of ideal rishtas. These are the rishtas you would be a fool to walk away from, or so they say. Just look at the differences in how the family treats Matthew Crawley and Tom Branson as prospective spouses for the Crawley sisters. We can all think of a few Matthews and Toms in our own communities. 

2. A Woman Who Cannot Get Married is a Failure

Being a failure if you’re an unmarried woman is a judgment against women in Downton Abbey and a sentiment that my friends and I are also up against. Edith is the main character experiencing this problem throughout most of the show. She’s turning into the “spinster aunt” as she stays single from season to season. How many women do we know who are getting “too old” to get married?  Besides, who would they marry, with all the “good guys” already taken? And we all know of the escalating panic for this poor, unmarried woman as the months and years slowly drudge on.

Edith is criticized for not being as good of a catch as her sisters for vague reasons. That’s also a label that handfuls of single Muslim women are up against. Nearly anything can be an objection: not skinny enough or too skinny, not educated enough or too educated, not ambitious enough or too ambitious, not religious enough or too religious, etc. The list goes on as people try to assess what’s “wrong” with a specific woman who hasn’t managed to get married yet.  

3. The Star-Crossed Couple Without Family Support

As a true “angel” compared to her sisters, Sibyl gives us an oh-so-stereotypical storyline in Muslim circles. Girl falls in love with Boy. Unfortunately, boy is deemed unworthy by the family for marriage, and now Girl has a tough decision to make. How often have we heard or experienced families are not on board with who someone has fallen for and chosen to marry? In our Muslim circles, the fates of these star-crossed couples are a mixed bag, similar to the different mutations of Sibyl and Tom’s romance seen in Downton Abbey. 

Luckily for Sibyl and Tom, the family eventually accepts the couple and even grows to value and love Tom more than they would have believed possible. We can only hope that all these star-crossed Muslim couples are actually as good as Tom and Sibyl and that they both grow old happily together.

4. Being “Damaged Goods” on the Marriage Market

Mary and Edith are examples of “damaged goods” in Downton Abbey. The major faults which mark them as pariahs or morally questionable and therefore undesirable for marriage are their mistakes in not staying chaste within the confines of marriage. Of course, as Muslims, we all understand the high stakes that Islam places on chastity and modesty, for women and men, and so this feels so relatable. Likewise, the social blowouts following such behaviors, which is mostly what the show focuses on, are also genuinely relatable for Muslims. 

A bad decision or a sin of the past is something Allah forgives Muslim women for if they repent, make amends, and change themselves. However, a previous relationship or a moment of carnal weakness are damning mistakes many Muslim communities won’t overlook or ignore. Thus, many Muslim women with less than a spotless record are marked as “damaged goods” on the marriage market. If you or even someone in your family has had a slip-up that goes public, you’re likely to be red-flagged in the community.  Expect labels like “not a good girl,” “with a history,” or “from a bad family” to be attached alongside your name permanently. Yes, just like Lydia eloping with Wickham in Pride and Prejudice or Sybil running off with the chauffeur, for some reason, the socially questionable choices and sins of a Muslim woman’s family members can ruin her chances of being happily settled. Remember Rose and her divorced parents being a huge issue for her fiancé’s family? That’s a death sentence for many potential spouses and proposals out there, even though divorce is entirely permissible in Islam. Again, this lack of grace from people is nothing new to my Muslim girlfriends and me.

The issue of a woman’s sexual and marital history as a barrier to marriage cannot be discussed without tackling the most dumbfounding bias in many Muslim communities: the prejudice against previously married women. It is as if they are sullied or worth less after broken engagements or previous marriages. Maybe the concern comes from problems the previous relationship had and any “faults” in the woman for its failure. But if we’re blunt here, we know that a woman’s virginity is much more critical socially than a man’s. Let’s also throw in the expectation that women should stay and make a marriage work, no matter the problems. How many single women have hidden their divorces from their suitors out of fear of being rejected outright? Fortunately for Mary, she is saved from this predicament once she’s back on the marriage market after Matthew dies. Even though she’s a widow with a child, the suitors keep piling in for her, probably due to her wealth, title, and supposed beauty.

The show does point out the intersectionality of classism and wealth and its impact on a woman’s reputation. The storyline of Ethel, a housemaid, and her unplanned pregnancy exposes an ugly double standard. Mary and Edith get away with behavior of the same magnitude due to their wealth, class, and family protection, whereas Ethel, poor and working-class, suffers to the fullest extent from society’s dismay at her troubled past. Lucky for the Crawley girls, isn’t it? Single Muslim women also know how wealth and notions of class buffer individuals with questionable reputations.

A woman may be considered “damaged goods” due to entering a marriage without a “virgin” status, having a secret pregnancy outside of marriage, or being divorced. Whatever the reason, the show taps into the shame, judgment, and hysteria that some “damaged goods” friends and acquaintances of mine face when looking to get married.  

5. The Value of a Woman Based on Her Ability to Have Children

The opinions about a woman’s value and judgments about her simply roll from one thing to another as we move through different stages in our lives. Another issue that many of my Muslim friends and I relate to once we finally get married is that a woman’s value is based on whether or not she is able to have kids. Mary’s struggle with infertility and the heartbreaking story of Anna struggling with repeated miscarriages are  important aspects of the show. In the last handful of years, so many friends and I have been on our own roller coasters with fertility struggles and felt the impacts it has had in our lives on multiple levels.

The show exposes the emphasis on childbearing as an essential requirement for a wife and the shame women experience when they have fertility issues–and we find the same is still true today. Both Mary and Anna keep their pregnancies, miscarriages, and fertility treatments private–not even informing their spouses until after successful treatments. After having a pregnancy loss a few years ago, I experienced some of the emotions we see Anna experiencing–self-doubt, frustration, disappointment, shame, guilt, and worthlessness. 

After talking to many friends about my pregnancy loss, I realized how secretive women tend to be about this ubiquitous experience. But why are women so furtive and private about something so commonplace? The taboo around the subject is still stifling today, although some progress has been made. For example, Anna becomes so disheartened at disappointing her husband with her infertility–a feeling that so many women experience. Anna feels less worthy of love and being married to a good, kind husband because, as a society, people are so obsessed with a woman’s ability to have children as a keystone of her value. 

Lastly, there is so much pressure on Mary to have a son. Yes, this will help her secure the inheritance of Downton Abbey for future generations–but how many of us relate to the absurd, unIslamic pressure of having a son as your first-born child, or at least just one son out of all of your children? The value of a woman is distilled into being a vessel that produces children and specifically male children. 

6. Healthcare Access and Fertility

Within the realm of infertility, the show also alludes to access to healthcare–which is a difficulty many of us face today. Mary struggles with her infertility but overcomes it easily due to her access to resources. Coming from so much privilege and wealth, she has access to the best healthcare and can afford costly innovative procedures and even travel for them. Unfortunately, so many women who struggle with fertility have the additional burden of a lack of resources for the treatments they need. Most, if not all, aren’t able to afford expensive treatments due to a lack of healthcare coverage. 

If a person doesn’t have the money outright like Mary, they may be lucky to have great healthcare through work–just like Anna. Lady Mary, her boss, swoops in and covers all costs to have the expensive fertility treatment she could have never afforded without her job’s benefits. How many women do we know who would be interested in trying various fertility treatments if only their jobs had better healthcare benefits? How many people do we know are plagued with exorbitant medical bills? 

Mary’s life also presents her with the luxury of focusing on herself and her own health needs. For example, she can easily leave her home for a few days without worrying about who will manage the affairs of the home or taking time off from work. However, so many women face burnout from daily life due to lack of support and the rising cost of living. Just having the time, energy, and opportunity to step away to prioritize their health and self-care is becoming harder and harder.

7. The Woman’s Place is in the Home…or is it?

A woman’s place, both inside and outside of the home, is one the show explores in many ways. At the turn of the 20th century, women began venturing into professional lives that expanded beyond their domestic duties and family obligations. At the turn of the 21st century? Same. Women are still torn between working or being homemakers/stay-at-home mothers. Women have made great strides within the workplace, but women are still battling for pay equity.

Edith is in a predicament that many single women find themselves in as they start creeping into their mid-to-late 20s and beyond. Should I just sit around here, brewing in my depression, as I wait to get married? Or should I move on with my life and cultivate independence as a single person? Growing independence generally involves establishing a career for oneself to promote economic self-sufficiency.

There’s a mix of opinions about this in the show, just like in real-life. Lord Grantham, Edith’s father, is highly opposed to Edith having a (professional) life of her own. He’d rather she just be “wife” or “mother.” But, like Edith’s brothers-in-law, others support her in establishing a career and independent life for herself (once it seems as if marriage may not pan out in the short term, that is). She runs into a conundrum that many “older” single Muslim women face: being more independent or established in a career is threatening to some Muslim men and their families. This prejudice makes it even harder for some highly accomplished Muslim women to marry. 

It’s not just the single women waiting around while there’s no one to marry who wonder if there’s more to life than being a wife and mother. (No shade on either of those parts of a woman’s life!) Lady Grantham, Mary, and Cousin Isobel are married women finding their footing in roles outside of wife and mother.

There’s an example here for women of all ages. Lady Grantham’s situation mimics many of my friends’ mothers: living comfortable lives where they don’t need to work to make ends meet but are looking for more purpose and meaning in their lives. When Lord Grantham prefers she doesn’t work, this ambition causes friction in Cora in her marriage, as it does for many women. Many younger women are battling Mary’s situation: breaking through the glass ceiling of patriarchy and transitioning into a career traditionally reserved for men. Cousin Isobel, a widow whose only other occupation is keeping tabs on her adult son, exposes the pernicious dislike of industrious women as busybodies or bossy. Their examples show us the struggles of work-life-family balance and the judgments of others.

Downton Abbey: A Modern Muslim Story

So there you have it! Don’t you agree that it wouldn’t be too hard to reimagine Downton Abbey as a Muslim romantic drama? Tell me which one of these 7 points, or another, you relate to the most! Let’s hope the final (?!) movie doesn’t disappoint! 

Love, love, love what you just read? Share this reel on your Instagram!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by MuslimMatters (@muslimmatters)

Related Reading:

An Open Letter to Moms with Daughters Looking to Get Married

My Miscarriage And Healing Afterwards

One Critical Mistake A Single Muslimah Makes
 When Finding Her Mr. Right For Marriage

Loving Muslim Marriage Episode #7: Islamic Modesty vs. Muslim Shame

The Muslim Marriage Crisis

The post 7 Reasons Why Downton Abbey Feels Totally Muslim appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

“Too long, too preachy,” he says of his first take. The second is a softer, kinder version. He says there was only a tiny minority who mistreated him during his imprisonment, which lasted from 2002 to 2016. This time when he invites them to share tea, he raises a glass.

That scene heralds the documentary’s theme – directed by John Goetz and set to be released on Vimeo and on DVD on March 29. It’s sort of a follow-up to Slahi’s book, Guantanamo Diary, which details the torture, cruelty, and injustice he experienced at the hands of his captors there.

The baseline premise is that Slahi wishes to show forgiveness to some of his former captors. At first, it feels hokey and a little too earnest, but taking the high road, digging deep, and choosing compassion evolves into a portrait of people who were all scarred by their experience at Guantanamo, no matter what their role was there. And Slahi eventually reveals his motive for forgiving.

Intelligence Officer, Sydney

Among the military staff working at Guantanamo during Slahi’s confinement, is an intelligence analyst referred to as Sydney (the film abounds with aliases, most pointless because of how easy it would be to identify any of the people in the film). “When an opportunity came to go to Gitmo, I jumped on it,” she says. She says she was an analyst – a brilliant one, according to her. “I miss intel a lot.”

She describes Slahi as a very charismatic, smooth-talking monster who is an enemy of the United States.

“He’s a genius. He really is,” she says. “But he’s exactly what Bin Laden wanted and he did exactly what Bin Laden needed him to.”

She asserts that he recruited three of the four 9/11 conspirators to Al Qaeda.

Slahi freely states that he went  to Afghanistan in the 90s to join the mujahideen (at the time backed by the U.S. government) in their fight against the Soviet-backed Afghan government. He acknowledges that he was affiliated with Al Qaeda during that time. However, he denies fighting militarily.

“I never killed anyone,” he says. “I never participated in action in Afghanistan.”

That leaves open the question: if he didn’t go there for “action,” why did he go? In his voice-over narration, Goetz leaves it open to interpretation.

“He signed up with Al Qaeda,” he says. “Does that make him a terrorist?”

Most Americans would scream yes.

Watching her body language as she speaks about Slahi “getting away with” her accusations, you know that she’s furious – and heartbroken. She gave so much of her life to the cause of preventing another terrorist attack that she was fractured by the loss. She left the agency.

“I said I needed to move on,” she says.

When she talks to Slahi by iPad she is smiling and laughing, but the conversation descends into something that ruins his good cheer. She becomes more emboldened to say what she thinks. It feels like the conversation is about to spiral out of control. Her animosity is becoming more and more evident, and his well-rehearsed statement of forgiveness is not going to work under this barrage of emotion.

Finally he says “My dog has to take a piss,” and walks away.

“He ended the interview on purpose,” she says.

According to Goetz, it was a source of satisfaction to Slahi that he was the one who ended the conversation in Guantanamo Diary Revisited, that he was in charge.

“After he hung up the phone and wouldn’t continue to talk to Sydney, we got into a taxi afterwards and he was just giggling like I had never heard giggling,” says Goetz.

The fact that he is alive and well, enjoying the public spotlight, publishing books, while she dedicated her life to fighting him and the ideology she associates with him, seems to have wounded her spirit.

Slahi re-wrote his story and she had to end hers.

After September 11, she and thousands like her saw it as a sacred duty to win the Global War on Terror on behalf of the U.S.  Slahi’s success was like a battlefield surrender. To make it worse, she feels that the U.S. had surrendered to a psychological demon.

“He’s a narcissistic, manipulative individual,” she says of Slahi. “And they fell for it,” she says of those who believe Slahi guilty of no crime except knowing some people, some of whom know people – which is not a crime, even though Sydney insists she “put together the dots” in a way multiple government agencies did not when they found no evidence that Slahi had committed a crime.

Eventually, Sydney retired from the military.

“I had to step away,” she says. “I had given up so much of my life.”

So much – but not enough to keep Slahi from moving forward, living his life.

The Guard, Master Jedi

It was not the same for a guard nicknamed Master Jedi, who describes his impression on first meeting Slahi as a “skinny little tan man.”

“I’ve been a strong Christian for years now and for me to know that weighs on my shoulders; let me reach out to him and extend my apologies to him.”

A little later in the film we see Master Jedi showing Goetz the 15 medications he takes regularly, which include mood stabilizers and anti-depressants. Once again the narrative is destroyed by the reality. The “magnanimous forgiveness” melts away into the miasma of PTSD.

Goetz sets up a FaceTime call for Slahi and Master Jedi.

“Man, I like your beard!” says Slahi.

“I like that haircut,” Master Jedi laughs back, pointing at Slahi’s bald head. Then he gets serious.

“We’ve been talking in church about if you’ve ever hurt anybody you want to seek forgiveness, and I really wanted to ask forgiveness,” he says.

Special Team Member: Mr X

Perhaps the most compelling character in the film is known only by his alias, Mr. X, who tells Goetz that Slahi was “Terrified – he was absolutely terrified.” Mr. X goes on.

“I guess I’ve been doing this a lot,” he says. “I’ve done this in Iraq, I’ve done this in Afghanistan multiple times, and he’s probably the person I would say that I ever saw the most terrified in my entire career – that moment when or those moments when we did the rendition.”

When Goetz shows Slahi a photo of Mr. X dressed in a Viking-style get-up and tells him that this was Mr. X, Slahi smiles. He seems transfixed by the photo, then after a minute says, “He broke my ribs. He almost killed me.”

He goes on to describe the mental and physical torture Mr. X inflicted on him, including blasting strobe lights and blaring music for hours.

Slahi says Mr. X blasted the national anthem all night, so often that Slahi memorized it. But when he sings the words “Oh say you can see” he gets the melody wrong.

Mr. X was a torturer, and he tortured Slahi. He describes it in the language the military uses.

“You came to the Special Projects Team with exactly the message that was given to Mr. Slahi – the message that was things are going to be different now,” he says. “That’s it – you came were selected and the team was set up to do enhanced techniques, harsh interrogation techniques that today are outlawed.”

“So, did you torture?” asks Goetz.

Mr. X stares ahead as he drives, pursing his lips a couple of times as though about to say something, then changing his mind. Finally he answers.

“Yes, it’s torture,” he says, succumbing to tears.

Guantanamo Diary Revisited: Forgiveness is the best revenge

So how does a human – any human, guilty or not – respond to torture? Slahi has a special take on this, one that emphasizes his reclaiming independence and dignity.

“I really want revenge,” says Slahi. “When I know that justice was not coming anytime soon…then what remains is revenge – but revenge is very tricky. Do I want to kill him? Do I want to apply the same pain on him?

“But I found this is ridiculous, so the best revenge was to forgive. It gives me back control. Then I said wow, this is good. I don’t need him to approve my forgiveness. I don’t need a lawyer for it. I don’t need anything; it’s completely my own decision. So forgiveness is an act of revenge – absolutely the best.”

Although Guantanamo Diary Revisited starts with a noble expression of forgiveness, but that is a fairy tale. Everyone involved was traumatized, but some were responsible for their own trauma. The blood on their hands is mingled with their own.

Acknowledging their struggles does not exonerate those who caused pain and terror, who violated the Constitution to torture Guantanamo prisoners. The people Goetz found, who were willing to talk on camera, did so because there was some chink in their armor, some moment of compassion or rage or both, that motivated them to talk. Whether they sought absolution or offered an apology or still seethed at the fact that he is free, they all talked – to Goetz, to Slahi, and to us.

The documentary film “Guantanamo Diary Revisited” premieres on Vimeo and DVD on March 29, 2022. Watch the trailer here.

Related reading:

 – Podcast: Lost & Found At Guantanamo Bay With Mansoor Adayfi

Podcast: Lost & Found At Guantanamo Bay With Mansoor Adayfi

The post Guantanamo Diary Revisited Film Review: Forgiveness Is The Best Revenge appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Hearing Palestinian stories told directly by Palestinians is not only important, it is necessary. But Huda’s Salon, the newly released film written, directed, and produced by acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker, Hany Abu Assad, fell short of expectations or hope. On the surface, the film attempts to address the multiple layers that impact the lives of Palestinian women, but these layers felt overshadowed by orientalist characterizations of Arab societies as hotbeds for patriarchy and misogyny. The severe impact of the Zionist occupation of Palestine on Palestinian women takes a backseat and is rendered essentially invisible.

Film Summary

Huda’s Salon is a suspenseful thriller about a young Palestinian mother, Reem, whose seemingly benign trip to the hair salon suddenly takes a dreadful turn. Huda, the salon owner, secretly drugs Reem and takes her into a back room where we find a strange man anxiously waiting next to a bed. The audience is then forced to witness Huda fully undress Reem, baring her completely naked body, while the man, also shown fully naked, lays next to Reem in a series of provocative poses. Huda snaps some Polaroid shots to blackmail Reem into becoming an informant for the Zionist occupation. The rest of the film follows Reem as she operates in a daze, all while trying to deal with her daily responsibilities, young infant, and jealous husband and family. Huda, the salon owner, is “caught” and interrogated by unidentified Palestinian men from an assumed resistance group.

Furthering Stereotypes of Palestinians

Hearing directly from indigenous voices is important because it can offer the viewer a sense of authenticity in the experience being depicted. In this film, though, it felt like the only truly authentic representations were seen in minor details in the props, sounds, and surroundings. The film’s overall messaging, however, quickly eviscerated any sense of authenticity through its heavy reliance on assumptions and stereotypes of Palestinian society.

Image Credit : IndieWire

Abu Assad explains his motivation for the film as wanting it “to begin a conversation about why we punish the weak and not the strong.” Yet, in a scathing line from the film, one of the characters says, “It’s easier to occupy a society that is repressing itself.” This message, to me, sounds a lot like punishing the weak, or victim blaming. Social issues, like gender inequality or patriarchy, cannot be addressed in the absence of the Zionist occupation. They are intertwined. If the single most reality that impacts every facet of Palestinian life is rendered invisible, what is the intent of the film? What message does it aim to spread about the Palestinian experience? The impact that the occupation has on women’s rights – from poverty and economic dependency, to political violence and instability – is a key factor in determining how to dismantle patriarchal structures and empower women. Without highlighting this reality, Abu Assad completely misses a necessary component of the very discussion he seeks to have on women’s rights.

A closer look at Abu Assad’s film history reveals that he tends to tell Palestinian stories for a Western market, centering his narratives around suicide bombing, collaborators, illicit romantic affairs, or gender inequality. In Huda’s Salon, specifically, the storyline does not offer much beyond superficial and predictable dialogue. Abu Assad tries to weave in too many individual stories, alternating back and forth between each character, not allowing time for the viewer to establish a connection to any particular storyline. Although he asserts that he made this movie for his “home audience,” this film was not made for Palestinians. The storyline is neither new nor insightful, and only serves to further emphasize Palestinian pain with no end in sight. It felt, quite simply, like predictable trauma porn made for a Western audience.

The Issue of Nudity in the Film 

The inclusion of full nudity in the film also raises questions about his intent and motivation. In reference to the nude scene, Abu Assad says, “I will most probably cut that scene when I show it to a Palestinian audience. For the simple reason that it will deviate the discussion away from sexual exploitation to why did I show her naked, and it’s not the issue.” If the intention of the film was to start a discussion inside Palestinian society about female exploitation, why censor the very scene that he characterizes as “brave” and a witness to his time?

Art is often viewed as an interpretation of social conditions and current events. The role art has historically played in impacting society’s values cannot be understated. How does Abu Assad’s film reflect Palestinian culture when he himself feels the need to censor it from his own people because he knows it will offend their sensibilities? The vast majority of Palestinian society is Muslim and will find this scene outrageously offensive. Palestinian society as a whole, both Muslims and Christians, holds moral value in high regard. Whose culture, then, does Abu Assad’s art reflect? What values are Abu Assad trying to promote? The artistic choice in the film seems more about catering to a non-Arab audience and challenging moral limits, rather than genuinely addressing social issues affecting Palestinian society. It masks concern for women in a veiled attempt at eroding the morals and values of the very society which it claims to depict.

Nudity in film is a product of a patriarchal system, regardless of the intent of the nudity. The irony of this film is that it aims to challenge exploitation in Palestinian society, yet also takes part in that same exploitation. Asking the female lead in a film to be fully nude is a form of exploitation itself. Intent does not erase impact. Abu Assad asserts that “nudity is often used in cinema as flirtation, here it’s a crime. It’s the opposite of arousing.” The crime depicted in this film is problematic, however, because it is deployed as a narrative device that exploits women for shock value to elicit audience attention and curiosity. The audience is forced to watch a Palestinian woman being victimized for the sake of a plot point.

Lack of Real Impact for Palestinian Audiences

Self-introspection, criticism, and discussions about societal ills are all necessary components of affecting change within a society. Those who take on that challenge must tread cautiously, taking into account the enormous role the existential threat facing the population they are criticizing plays in impacting their capacity to change. For any Palestinian creative engaging in trauma porn and deeming it “necessary,” they must ask themselves: necessary for whom and why? Is Huda’s Salon necessary for Palestinian society? What did it do to truly help Palestinian women, other than to exploit their trauma for the sake of the Western gaze and higher ratings? Patriarchal cultures, gender inequality, and other social liberation issues cannot be discussed in the absence of highlighting the Zionist occupation and its suffocation and destruction of the Palestinian social fabric.

Coming from a filmmaker who has been lauded as the “premier cinematic spokesperson for his people’s plight,” I was hoping for something more, something beyond the standard depictions seen today in film, literature, and media about Palestinians. We deserve better stories that center our resiliency, agency, and steadfastness in the face of one of the most brutal regimes in the world. Huda’s Salon sorely missed the mark.

Related reading:

 – 200 Years Of Orientalism: From Mary Shelley To Khaled Hosseini

200 Years Of Orientalism: From Mary Shelley To Khaled Hosseini

 – Palestine And The Muslim Millennial Consciousness

Palestine And The Millennial Muslim Consciousness

The post Huda’s Salon Film Review: Exploiting Palestinian Trauma For Western Audiences appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

A colossal comet is hurtling towards the earth with a 99.78% chance of causing an “extinction-style event” in approximately six months. What would you do?

As a Muslim, watching director Adam McKay’s Netflix release Don’t Look Up was an unexpected call for introspection into the current state of my faith. I hit ‘watch’ with the assumption that I was getting into a refreshing take on the climate conversation, expecting melting glaciers and emaciated wildlife to feature heavily in the film. What I did not expect was a cinematic lampooning of our distracted society, seemingly almost in deference to morality and faith.

The Plot of Bizarre Proportions

Don’t Look Up opens with astronomers Randall Mindy (Leonardo di Caprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) making an apocalyptic discovery, and then deciding that the most prudent thing to do would be to alert the White House.

Only, leading the ranks of the most powerful nation on earth is a narcissistic head of state (Meryl Streep) currently running for mid-terms, flanked by an overly-smug chief-of-staff (Jonah Hill) – who also happens to be her son. Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, to ratings-obsessed President Orlean, the optics of a doomsday’esque announcement doesn’t look good for polling amidst the current back-and-forthery with her political rival. In spite of indisputable evidence, the two scientists are advised to just “sit-tight and assess.”

Mindy and Dibiasky then decide to take their findings to daytime TV, in the hope that the warning will be heeded with the seriousness an impending crisis deserves. They’re offered a quickie science segment, only to be completely eclipsed by the news that an empty celebrity musician (Ariana Grande) is getting back together with her equally famous beau.

From there the film pretty much follows the duo’s ill-fated attempts to spare the world from a catastrophic end, facing plenty of hubristic personalities and exposing human fallibility along the way.

A Film of Many, Many Themes

At the forefront of Don’t Look Up is helplessness: making us starkly aware of our fragility as mortals and our lack of metaphysical control, represented by the various failed attempts to alter the course/limit the impact of the comet.

The comet is a metaphor for the climate emergency of course, but though the stage is set, the men and women certainly are not merely players. While the actors play their exaggerated roles with allegorical largesse, in between appreciative ‘heh’s, we’re forced to confront the familiarity of it all: that ‘the objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.’ Depraved Pentagon officials, willfully blind talk show hosts, and an eerie tech billionaire looking to monetize off an earth-decimating event, makes for a depressing collage of real life as it stands.

Don’t Look Up is a bleak parable of our times. It’s slapstick criticism of all of contemporary society’s failings: consumer culture, climate/science denialism, government beaurocracy, media biases, celebrity obsession, gender and race prejudices, campaign politics, hedonism, and the sinister machinations of big-tech. That’s a LOT for a single film to take on.

The Religion Conversation

But just as you’ve managed to catch up with the tempo, enter Yule (Timothée Chalamet): an unassuming street-punk, not bearing the onus of many expectations for being introduced so late into the film.

“My parents raised me Evangelical. I hate them, but I found my own way to it. My own relationship,” he says when first professing his stance on the end of times in the film’s first outward conversation on faith.

And while that could have been the close of the ‘religion conversation’ for the film, pleasantly enough, it isn’t.

Yule’s character progresses with a quiet force – far greater in my opinion, than a giant destructive ball of cosmic gas – pinnacling at the movie’s tragic close. In fact, in the midst of the despondency shrouding the film’s climax sequence, it is Yule who plays the most crucial role, literally holding everyone together – with a prayer.

“Dearest Father and Almighty Creator, we ask you for your grace tonight, despite our pride. Your forgiveness despite our doubt. Most of all Lord, we ask you for Your Love to soothe us through these dark times. May we face whatever it is to come in Your Divine Will with courage and open hearts of acceptance. Amen.”

Critical reception to Don’t Look Up has been polarizing, with some of the most popular media outlets slamming the film for either being downright unfunny, or not achieving what it had set out to –i.e. bring the conversation on planetary heating to the fore.  However, even the most scathing of critiques have hailed Chalamet’s character as the movie’s saving grace – one that is representative of a gentle, anchored faith; assured in one’s own beliefs and the mercy of his Creator, and at the same time unflinching at the choices of those around him.

This comes as a surprising elevation of monotheism in a largely secular and rationalist society, where the consumerist quest to achieve utopia on earth – through technological progress and material accumulation- acts as the biggest roadblock to worship.

While Don’t Look Up is largely loud, fast-paced, and militant-almost in getting its many themes across, it also noticeably posits religion as a non-dividing force among the progressive dislocation of faith.

The movie addresses infidelity and relationships too. Professor Mindy –a faithful husband and father- is lured by his newfound fame and influence into a self-gratifying tryst with Brie (Cate Blanchett). Once more, the wholesome family unit is uplifted as he eventually chooses to return to the stability of home and family.

What is interesting is that while the entire film feels like it’s smothered with sardonicism, it slows down to make space for introspection. It feels as though the movie is sending the message that there are some things you just don’t laugh about. Political motivations, social media fanaticism, and misogyny, sure; but hands off faith, family, and well, transience of life.

Arguably, the most powerful takeaway from Don’t Look Up for me, was the emphasis on our priorities in relation to the end of times (read: Day of Judgement). Are they self-serving, or revolving around our belief system as they should? If we know that our time on earth is coming to a close (which we do, really), are we ready? Are we heeding the warning signs as seriously as we should, or allowing ourselves to be distracted by a market-driven culture that likens neoliberalism to religion?

“I’m grateful that we tried,” says a tearful Dibiasky as the explosion theatrically ravages its way towards their intimate gathering. Will we be able to say that we did too?

Related article: Film reviews on MuslimMatters

The post Don’t Look Up – A Faith-Centred Parable Of Our Times appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.