Mideast Piece

“A Jihad for Love” is the world’s first documentary film on the role of homosexuality in Islam. Filmed in a dozen countries and nine languages, the film has started to make the rounds in the US.

Director Parvez Sharma (pictured here) has faced an uphill battle bringing the film to life. “About every two weeks I get an e-mail that berates me, condemns me to hell and, if they are nice, asks me to still seek forgiveness while there is still time,” said the Indian-American director.

Sharma has attempted to portray homosexuality without shame, all the while protecting the safety of his sources by filming them as silhouettes or with their faces covered. In one case, he said the family of an Afghan woman he interviewed “would undoubtedly kill her” if they found out she was a lesbian. Even one of the film’s associate producers, an Egyptian gay man, chose not to be listed in the credits for fear of possible consequences. (When was the last time you heard of someone in Hollywood not wanting credit?!)

Though filled with the trials and tribulation of being gay and Muslim, the film ultimately leaves viewers with a positive message about the potential to reclaim Islam in the name of tolerance and love. “The Islam that this film is seeking to reclaim is rich, it is pulsating, it’s welcoming, condemning sometimes, it’s loving, it’s erotic, it’s sensual, it’s poetic and it’s musical,” said Sharma.

Amen.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 11:41 am and is filed under Art, Events, Human Rights, GLBTQ, News, Movies, Gay, Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.