A JIHAD FOR LOVE
Written by: Parvez Sharma
Directed by: Parvez Sharma
Distributor: First Run Features
As in Christianity, there is little in the sacred text of Islam that directly condemns homosexuality. Like the King James Bible, the Koran doesn’t have much to say on the subject. However, as in the traditional Christian world, there is little acceptance of homosexuality in most Islamic cultures. Parvez Sharma takes an exhaustive look into homosexuality in the Muslim world in his documentary, A Jihad For Love. A work spanning five years, 12 countries and a handful of stories from gay practicing Muslims, Sharma’s concise and engaging treatment cascades across the screen in less than 90 minutes.
A Jihad For Love explores the bewildering nature of Islamic morality in depth, with few pulled punches. Cameras catch a moment between two women openly embracing at an apparently progressive mosque, juxtaposed with people speaking calmly about traditional Islamic punishment for the perceived sin of homosexuality –stonings, cutting the hands off of offenders, throwing them from cliffs.
We see young Muslims debating exactly what it is the Koran does say about homosexuality and are shown that, as tenuous as the argument is against gay men in the holy texts, there’s even less of an argument against gay women. Throughout, the viciousness of human emotion contrasts with beautiful images from the many countries touched by one of the world’s most powerful religions.
And this is the film’s great strength: Sharma’s knack for capturing equally the beauty and brutality of the Muslim perspective on homosexuality.
Early in the film we meet Muhsin Hendricks, a homosexual Islamic scholar living in South Africa who was “practically born in a mosque.” Hendricks married and had kids in order to conform to the church. Now, having embraced his true sexuality, he is estranged from his wife and only sees his children occasionally. Sharma captures a moment between Hendricks and his children in a park filled with tiny penguins. The faces of his children are blurred. As they interact, one of the penguins rushes away from them. In a clever bit of Sharma humor, the penguin’s face is blurred as well. It’s scenes like this that exhibit the strength of the documentarian’s voice in letting moments speak for themselves. A Jihad for Love is thoughtfully edited documentary work that doesn’t shy away from the inherent complexity of living in a morally challenged world.
A Jihad For Love plays Tuesday, September 9 at the UWM Union Theatre. More information available online.
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One Bedroom. What the band had abandoned at that point is what makes Car Alarm kick in.
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