A Jihad for Love is the world's first documentary film on the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality.^[2] The film is directed by Parvez Sharma, and produced by Parvez Sharma and Trembling Before G-d director Sandi DuBowski. Parvez Sharma speaks at a panel entitled Queer and Present Danger. ... Sandi Simcha DuBowski is an American director and producer. ... Parvez Sharma speaks at a panel entitled Queer and Present Danger. ... Parvez Sharma speaks at a panel entitled Queer and Present Danger. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Arabic redirects here. ... Farsi redirects here. ... Urdu ( , , trans. ... Hindi (DevanāgarÄ«: or , IAST: , IPA:  ), an Indo-European language spoken all over India in varying degrees and extensively in northern and central India, is one of the 22 official languages of India and is used, along with English, for central government administrative purposes. ... Islam presumes that a man will be drawn to beautiful youths, and admonishes the believer not to yield to temptation. ... Parvez Sharma speaks at a panel entitled Queer and Present Danger. ... Parvez Sharma speaks at a panel entitled Queer and Present Danger. ... Trembling Before G-d is a 2001 documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews. ... Sandi Simcha DuBowski, director of Trembling Before G-d. ...

The film has also been known under the working title In the Name of Allah.

Production

A Jihad for Love is produced by Halal Films, in association with Channel 4 Television (UK), ZDF (Germany), Arte (France-Germany), Logo (US) and SBS (Australia). This article is about the British television station. ... Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (Second German Television), ZDF, is a public service German television channel based in Mainz. ... The Arte building in Strasbourg Arte (Association Relative à la Télévision Européenne) is a Franco-German TV network, which aims to promote quality programming related to the world of arts and culture. ... Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacoms MTV Networks division. ... The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is one of two government funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television networks, the other being the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). ...

The documentary was filmed in 12 different countries and in nine languages.^[1][3] Sharma conducted interviews throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Countries included Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Turkey, France, India, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom.^[3] He found many of his interviewees online, and received thousands of emails. ^[4] North American redirects here. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007, and has been screened to great acclaim at several film festivals around the world. The U.S. theatrical release will be on May 21, 2008, at the IFC Center in New York City. Poster for the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival Box office at the Manulife Centre The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), held in Toronto, Canada, is widely considered to be one of the top film festivals in the world. ... IFC Center in New York Formerly The Waverly Theater, IFC Center is a brand new haven for fans of independent film in New York. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Significance of the title

The title A Jihad for Love refers to the Islamic concept of jihad, as a religious struggle. The film seeks to reclaim this concept of personal struggle, as it is used in the Western media almost exclusively to mean "holy war" and to refer to violent acts perpetrated by extremist Muslims. For other uses, see Jihad (disambiguation). ...

The film has gone by several titles, beginning with the official working title, In the Name of Allah.^[5]

Among Muslims, the phrase (bismillah in Arabic) may be used before beginning actions, speech, or writing. Its most notable use in Al-Fatiha, the opening passage of the Qur'an, which begins "Bismillah ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim." All following surat of the Qur'an, with the exception of the ninth, begin with these words. Surat Al-Fatiha (The Opening or The Exordium) is the opening chapter of the Quran; it consists of a short 7-verse prayer which Muslims repeat at the beginning of every rakah of salat. ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... For other uses, see Surat (disambiguation). ... Surat at-Tawba (Arabic: سورة التوبة ) (the Repentance) is the 9th sura of the Quran, with 129 ayat according to mainstream Islam and 127 ayat according to Quran Alone Muslims. ...

Producer DuBowski's previous film, Trembling Before G-d, on Orthodox and Hasidic Jews, also included the name of God, written with a hyphen as in Jewish tradition. Allah is Arabic for God, and the Arabic word is often used among English-speaking Muslims. This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... At the bottom of the hands, the two letters on each hand combine to form יהוה (YHWH), the name of God. ... Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ... Arabic redirects here. ... This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ...

Controversy and problems

Sharma's making of the film has not been without criticism.

Sharma refuses to associate homosexuality with shame, but recognizes the need to protect the safety and privacy of his sources, by filming them in silhouette or with their faces blurred. In one case, the family of an Afghan woman he interviewed "would undoubtedly kill her" if they found out she was lesbian. In another example, one of the associate producers, an Egyptian gay man, chose not to be listed in the credits for fear of possible consequences.^[4]

The film was banned from screening at the 2008 Singapore International Film Festival "in view of the sensitive nature of the subject that features Muslim homosexuals in various countries and their struggle to reconcile religion and their lifestyle," Amy Chua, Singapore Board of Film Censors chairwoman was quoted as saying by The Straits Times.^[6] The Singapore International Film Festival (Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) was launched in 1987. ... The Straits Times is an English-language broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore, currently owned by the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). ...

See also

• Trembling Before G-d
• Islam and homosexuality
• Homosexuality and religion

Trembling Before G-d is a 2001 documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews. ... Islam presumes that a man will be drawn to beautiful youths, and admonishes the believer not to yield to temptation. ... The relationship between homosexuality and religion varies greatly across time and place, within and between different religions and sects, and regarding different forms of homosexuality and bisexuality. ...

External links

• Official site
• Director of Film on Muslim Homosexuals Frets over His Subjects' Safety
• Film of Muslim gays stirs up sentiments
• In the Name of Allah, Hartley Film Foundation
• Hearts and Minds, article in The Guardian

For other uses, see Guardian. ...

References