A
Different Face of Islam
Aasha
Mehreen Amin
Interest
in Islam has certainly intensified after September 11th
, often in a negative way. Paranoia about Islam as a terror-mongering
religion has been perpetuated by western media bias. Seldom
has Islam been portrayed in a positive light in film. Which
makes 'Connecting Faith' such an important endeavour. Shot
and directed by Sanchita Islam, a young Bangali filmmaker
based in London, the documentary records the thoughts of
three young Muslims from three major cities -- a Bangladeshi
from Dhaka, a Sylheti from London and a Malaysian from Kuala
Lumpur.
The
film first takes us to Dhaka with contrasting images of
the stylised village scenario and the fast-paced hustle
and bustle of the city. Aveen Ali, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi
and a student of North South University comes from a fairly
liberal-minded, middle-class family -- her mother works
and she is allowed to go out in mixed company. She can wear
western clothes as long as they are not too revealing. At
the same time she is strong in her faith and sees no contradiction
between being modern and being a Muslim. According to Aveen
"real Muslims who are educated have an open mind".
Aveen represents a new breed of young Bangladeshi women
who are determined to be educated and pursue careers of
their choice without having to sacrifice their faith."
I want to change the way of thinking", says Aveen,
"I want to make that difference"
The
next stop is London with shots of Bangladeshi immigrants
in Brick Lane and other areas. The streets where Bangladeshis
freely assert their Muslim identity through their clothes
could be some busy area in Bangladesh. Nurul Islam, a 25-year-old
Sylheti photographer living in London is more categorical
about asserting his religious affiliation. "Religion
is the most strongest thing in my life," says Nurul
although he admits that he has not been able to muster enough
will power to say his prayers. "Islam is a complete
way of life…Islam is a very peaceful religion. Some people
portray a very extreme image of Islam". Nurul adds
that now that more and more Muslims are being educated they
can accept religion with knowledge instead of learning verses
without understanding anything as is the usual practice.
The
final destination the film takes us to is glamorous, glittering
Kuala Lumpur bursting with modernisation, prosperity and
multiculturalism. Molati Abdul Hamid, a 21 year old Malaysian
law student is perhaps the most interesting interviewee
in the film. Like most Malaysians she wears a hijab and
practices her religion seriously but this does not stop
her from studying law and speaking her mind. Molati comes
from a fairly affluent family that takes religion very seriously
yet encourages discussion on religious viewpoints among
family members. Molati in her poetic way says "you
can teach a person to appreciate it (Islam) but cannot compel
someone to say it is beautiful". Molati is also very
proud of being Malaysian. "It is wrong that to be Muslim
you have to look like an Arab. We are proud to be Malay"
Molati also points out the misconceptions about Muslim women
as advocated by western media. "The West thinks that
Muslim women are weak and oppressed because that is what
they see in the western media, so it works". She makes
a very important observation in the film. She says that
the reason why women in many Southeast Asian countries are
mistreated is because of the existing patriarchal culture
and not religion. "Men tend to justify oppression with
religion by quoting some verse and not the other".
Molati in this statement has hit the nail on its head. It
is culture that predominates and includes existing partriarchial
values that often insidiously creep into practices claimed
to be religious.
At the
same time Molati says that that Muslims have to be open-minded
as they cannot be isolated in a globalised world. "We
must have respect for one another" she says.
The
film's cinematography is fairly simple with emphasis on
the monologues of the three individuals. But there is also
clever juxtaposing of contrasting imagery showing the simultaneous
movement of modernisation and a growing need to believe
in a faith. The photography is symbolic and tends to focus
on varied images to recreate the environments of the three
cities and in particular those that relate to the interviewers.
Connecting
Faith was commissioned by the British Council Dhaka, which
showed the film at its auditorium on April 15. Later says
Sanchita, BC may help to get the film, (which targets 18
to 25 year-olds), screened at the London Film Festival and
at universities in Dhaka.
For
Sanchita, who has a handful of experimental films to her
credit, this latest venture to give a different perspective
of Islam, has been a spontaneous reaction to events around
her. "After 9/11 Muslims have been shown as pariahs
and potential terrorists" says Sanchita whose film
emphasises a much more moderate image of Islam, one that
is seldom projected.
The
biggest challenge for Sanchita was doing the film single-handedly
and included shooting, editing and directing with some help
in the post-production. With the use of various techniques
such as varying speeds and filters to create different moods
and textures, the overall effect is quite dramatic and avant-garde,
reflecting the filmmaker's multifaceted talents. Sanchita
is an artist, writer and photographer with many awards in
her repertoire of achievements. She has studied art and
designing at the London Institute, has an MA in Screen Writing
and Directing and an MSC in Comparative Politics from the
London School of Economics.
Being
a young woman, filming in the villages and streets of Dhaka
was not all smooth sailing. Sanchita describes being mobbed
or followed every time she started shooting. But this has
not discouraged her from coming back to Bangladesh. "I
think Bangladesh is one of the most exciting places on the
planet. Every street corner has a story. I always come back
again and again, as I believe my roots are here "says
the young filmmaker who has hopes of doing a feature film
in Bangladesh, provided she has the funds and crew to make
that possible.
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