A few weeks back, I had to hear how one of my Muslim friends - a female, who always wears her hijab - was called a terrorist out in public. While I knew this kind of profiling and simpleminded discrimination was prevalent and certainly not nonexistent in America, it always strikes a chord with me when hearing something like this. You'd think for a first-world country, complete with some of the most cherishable freedoms in the world and some of the greatest blessings bestowed upon many of our citizens, we'd be more adult about accepting people different than us, religiously, ethnically, and racially.
The Education of Mohammad Hussein, a short documentary that debuted on HBO January 6, 2014, does the job of showing the kind of discrimination the Muslim community is met with, specifically in the Detroit, Michigan area, which is home to a large number of Muslims. We first get a brief look at Al-Ikhlas Academy, a safe-haven for Detroit-area Muslim kids, where students of the same religion can learn about the teachings of the Qur'an, the religious book of Muslims, among other key principles in the community. The film touches on the idea that many of these young children know no life before September 11, 2001, and have experienced sometimes severe instances of racial-profiling in the Detroit-area.
The other half of the film concerns Pastor Terry Jones, an anti-Islamic Christian who stirred up a whirlwind of controversy when a Youtube video showed him staging a mock trial of the Qur'an, ruling it responsible for numerous world tragedies, and concluded with him burning the book. The film shows a protest held by Jones in Detroit, preaching the gospel for Christianity to prevail and to excessively monitor or completely shun the teachings of Islam in America.
The title comes from a ten-year-old boy we're introduced to in the film, who attends Al-Ikhlas Academy. Unfortunately, we know depressingly little about him come time for the documentary to wrap up, only aware that he doesn't know life before September 11, 2001 and wishes that many Americans didn't see his religion as a hate-filled one. Not really an atypical view, from a child or an adult who follows the Muslim path. The main point of criticism I have with this short is that the plot of it is completely different from what the title alludes to. The documentary's title gives you the idea you'll be watching a film involved in the education Muslim students receive and the treatment the kids endure. Instead, the project steers away from what you would think is its subject matter, into the broader (but definitely more telling) aspect of how numerous Muslims handle the hurtful discrimination bestowed upon them.
The Education of Mohammad Hussein was directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. During this time last year, in fact, just ten days from today, I watched their film Detropia, a documentary examining the desolate, almost-entirely abandoned landscape that is Detroit and how its few residents cope with their once thriving city now gutted and left for dead. If Detroit has a cinematic voice, the voices are of Ewing and Grady, who will hopefully continue their line of films exploring the Detroit area and its current state following an economic downturn. However, this particular short doesn't concern any type of financial politics, but rather simpleminded discrimination and sheds light on a particular pastor who frequently seems to be contradicting his own views by not accepting "his neighbors," the Muslim people. One particular scene depicts this nicely, with Pastor Jones saying a prayer before attending his Detroit protest. Following the brief prayer, Jones puts a pistol in his pocket and heads off to lead a pointless rally spewing nothing but intolerance, ignorance, and impulsive hate.
The short documentary is, indeed, short, clocking in at thirty-eight minutes and only scratching the surface off a topic that is necessary to explore in a deeper light. Ewing and Grady do an efficient job at providing a starting place, but when the credits roll, you know that these fine women have more to say than what has already been said. Even little Mohammad Hussein doesn't seem to be given enough camera time.
However, I was waiting for the one comment I make when people try to say Islam is the religion of hate and intolerance. Knowing very little about Islam, I still can say with complete confidence that the radical "Islamofascists" we see in the media and in rallies are to the Islamic community what the Westboro Baptist Church is to the Christian community. Seriously think about that now.
NOTE: The Education of Mohammad Hussein will be airing all throughout January 2014 on the HBO network. Since late 2013, I have made an effort to watch HBO original documentaries, many of which have premiered on Monday night and have shown exceptional documentary filmmaking quality. This one, despite its minor setback of runtime and focus, is no exception.
Directed by: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady.
The Education of Mohammad Hussein, a short documentary that debuted on HBO January 6, 2014, does the job of showing the kind of discrimination the Muslim community is met with, specifically in the Detroit, Michigan area, which is home to a large number of Muslims. We first get a brief look at Al-Ikhlas Academy, a safe-haven for Detroit-area Muslim kids, where students of the same religion can learn about the teachings of the Qur'an, the religious book of Muslims, among other key principles in the community. The film touches on the idea that many of these young children know no life before September 11, 2001, and have experienced sometimes severe instances of racial-profiling in the Detroit-area.
The other half of the film concerns Pastor Terry Jones, an anti-Islamic Christian who stirred up a whirlwind of controversy when a Youtube video showed him staging a mock trial of the Qur'an, ruling it responsible for numerous world tragedies, and concluded with him burning the book. The film shows a protest held by Jones in Detroit, preaching the gospel for Christianity to prevail and to excessively monitor or completely shun the teachings of Islam in America.
The title comes from a ten-year-old boy we're introduced to in the film, who attends Al-Ikhlas Academy. Unfortunately, we know depressingly little about him come time for the documentary to wrap up, only aware that he doesn't know life before September 11, 2001 and wishes that many Americans didn't see his religion as a hate-filled one. Not really an atypical view, from a child or an adult who follows the Muslim path. The main point of criticism I have with this short is that the plot of it is completely different from what the title alludes to. The documentary's title gives you the idea you'll be watching a film involved in the education Muslim students receive and the treatment the kids endure. Instead, the project steers away from what you would think is its subject matter, into the broader (but definitely more telling) aspect of how numerous Muslims handle the hurtful discrimination bestowed upon them.
The Education of Mohammad Hussein was directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. During this time last year, in fact, just ten days from today, I watched their film Detropia, a documentary examining the desolate, almost-entirely abandoned landscape that is Detroit and how its few residents cope with their once thriving city now gutted and left for dead. If Detroit has a cinematic voice, the voices are of Ewing and Grady, who will hopefully continue their line of films exploring the Detroit area and its current state following an economic downturn. However, this particular short doesn't concern any type of financial politics, but rather simpleminded discrimination and sheds light on a particular pastor who frequently seems to be contradicting his own views by not accepting "his neighbors," the Muslim people. One particular scene depicts this nicely, with Pastor Jones saying a prayer before attending his Detroit protest. Following the brief prayer, Jones puts a pistol in his pocket and heads off to lead a pointless rally spewing nothing but intolerance, ignorance, and impulsive hate.
The short documentary is, indeed, short, clocking in at thirty-eight minutes and only scratching the surface off a topic that is necessary to explore in a deeper light. Ewing and Grady do an efficient job at providing a starting place, but when the credits roll, you know that these fine women have more to say than what has already been said. Even little Mohammad Hussein doesn't seem to be given enough camera time.
However, I was waiting for the one comment I make when people try to say Islam is the religion of hate and intolerance. Knowing very little about Islam, I still can say with complete confidence that the radical "Islamofascists" we see in the media and in rallies are to the Islamic community what the Westboro Baptist Church is to the Christian community. Seriously think about that now.
NOTE: The Education of Mohammad Hussein will be airing all throughout January 2014 on the HBO network. Since late 2013, I have made an effort to watch HBO original documentaries, many of which have premiered on Monday night and have shown exceptional documentary filmmaking quality. This one, despite its minor setback of runtime and focus, is no exception.
Directed by: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady.
