A Jihad for Love
Thursday, January 22
6:00 PM, Lecture Hall 5
Parvez Sharma / 2007 / India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, France and more / 80 min
Co-sponsored by Evergreen Queer Alliance (EQA), TESC Amnesty International, Gender and Sexuality: History, Culture, and Politics Academic Program
Fourteen centuries after the revelation of the holy Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Islam today is the world’s second largest and fastest growing religion. Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma travels the many worlds of this dynamic faith discovering the stories of its most unlikely storytellers: lesbian and gay Muslims.
Filmed over 5 1/2 years, in 12 countries and 9 languages, “A Jihad for Love” comes from the heart of Islam. Looking beyond a hostile and war-torn present, this film seeks to reclaim the Islamic concept of a greater Jihad, which can mean ‘an inner struggle’ or ‘to strive in the path of God’. In doing so the film and its remarkable subjects move beyond the narrow concept of ‘Jihad’ as holy war.
A Jihad for Love’s characters each have vastly different personal takes on Islam, some observing a rigorously orthodox regimen, others leading highly secular lifestyles while remaining spiritually devout. As the camera attentively captures their stories, the film’s gay and lesbian characters emerge in all their human complexity, giving the viewer an honest
rendering of their lives while complicating our assumptions about a monolithic Muslim community. Crucially, this film speaks with a Muslim voice, unlike other documentaries about sexual politics in Islam made by Western directors. In the hope of opening a dialogue that has been mostly non-existent in Islam’s recent history, and defining jihad as a “struggle” rather than a “war,” the film presents the struggle for love.
Filmmaker Parvez Sharma to speak following film
Parvez Sharma is a Muslim gay filmmaker born and raised in India. In 2005, he was a Producer at Democracy Now! He has three masters degreees and teaches communications. As an activist he was instrumental in setting up the first organized LGBT effort in the eastern state of West Bengal, setting benchmarks for many other LGBT organizing efforts around the sub-continent. A Jihad of Love is his directoral debut.
Awards:
MIX BRASIL, Sao Paulo Brasil - Best Documentary
The Image + Nation Film Festival, Montreal
Canada Best Documentary
The Tri-Continental Film Festival, India - Jury Award for Best Documentary
One World International Human Rights Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic Rudolf Vrba Jury Special Mention
Torino Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Italy Best Documentary