Filmography - Islam

This is a selective list of video holdings in the American University Library. Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible. 

For complete, up-to-date holdings please search the library catalog search box on the Media Services homepage. (http://www.american.edu/library/mediaservices/) Finding Aids on the same page includes other subject oriented content.

For more information take a look at the Streaming Video Guides and Browsing Collections. 

The battle for Islam. 2005.  1 streaming video file (63 min.). A far-reaching exploration of Islam after 9/11, this program follows renowned scholar Ziauddin Sardar on an eye-opening journey through Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Sardar interviews Muslims with widely varying political leanings-including Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, other government leaders, women's rights activists, and a cleric who promotes an extremely conservative form of Sharia. The program exposes the tension between pluralistic and hard-liner mentalities growing within the Muslim world, and concludes that moderation and tolerance, rather than zealotry and terror, will ensure the continued strength of the faith. A BBCW Production. Some interviews are in other languages with English subtitles. (63 minutes).  Streaming video

Islam and pluralism.  93.  1 streaming video file (30 min.). In this program, Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, explains his government's approach to multiculturalism within Islam. Although Malaysia is a multicultural and multireligious society, the official religion is Islam. Drawing examples from Islamic history, Anwar Ibrahim argues for a tolerant and pluralistic approach to Islam. He also explores issues of non-Muslim minorities, Islamic fundamentalism, and economic development, and its impact on Islamic values. (30 minutes).  Streaming video

Islam vs. Islam A special edition of NOW with Bill Moyers. 2002.  1 streaming video file (58 min.). In the West, Islam is often oversimplified-to the detriment of better understanding this complex religion and the diverse interpretations inspired by its tenets. The Aspen Institute and Bill Moyers brought together eight journalists and scholars from the U.S., Pakistan, France, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Britain to join in a conversation about the history and motives of the states too easily grouped under the heading Islamic nations.The panelists identify and explore the fulcrum of the conflict: increasing tension between the growth of religious expression in the region and the pressures of modernity from the West. (58 minutes).  Streaming video

A jihad for love. 2008.  1 videodisc (81 min.). First feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality.  The film travels a wide geographic arc, presenting lives from India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France.  Always filming in secret and as a Muslim, Parvez makes the film from within the faith, depicting Islam with the same respect that the film's characters show for it.  DVD 5640

Journeys into Islamic China. 2004.  1 streaming video file (52 min.). In addition to trade goods, religious beliefs also followed the ancient Silk Road into China. Today, a vibrant minority of more than 20 million Chinese Muslims of various ethnic groups live harmoniously among an overall population of more than a billion. This program traces the history of Islam in China while illustrating the Muslim way of life there, including prayer, religious education, and cultural activities. (52 minutes).  Streaming video

Journeys into Islamic India. 2004.  1 streaming video file (50 min.). Muslims arrived in India the same year they entered Spain-and by the end of the 13th century ruled nearly all of the country. This program travels across India by way of Iran, Pakistan, and Maldives to examine the rich Islamic heritage of the region. The program also observes the Muslim way of life on the subcontinent as it exists today. Sites of note include the Taj Mahal, the Golkonda Fort ruins, and the Charminar monument. (50 minutes).  Streaming video

Journeys into Islamic Southeast Asia. 2004.  1 streaming video file (47 min.). This program follows in the footsteps of the traders who introduced Islam into Southeast Asia. From the Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese mainland to the islands of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the program acquaints viewers with Islamic culture, representative architecture, historical monuments, and the Muslim way of life in the region. (47 minutes).  Streaming video

Looking for comedy in the Muslim world. 2006.  1 videodisc (98 min.). A mockumentary film in which actor Albert Brooks (playing himself) travels to India & Pakistan on behalf of the United States government, in hopes of discovering what "makes Muslims laugh".  HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 6737

Muslims. 2003.  1 videodisc (120 min.). Looks at what it means to be a Muslim in the 21st century. Filmed in Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria and the United States, this program explores the influence of culture and politics on religion, looks at the political forces at work among Muslims around the world, emphasizes Islam's kinship with Christianity and Judaism, and examines the diverse interpretations of Islam among the Muslim people.  DVD 1637

Prayers of a warlord. 2003.  Filmakers library online.  1 online resource (52 min.). For the first time a warlord opens his doors and takes us on an intimate tour to the heart of the Afghan feudal system. Mamour Hasan governs 50,000 people in Dash-Te-Qalah, in the north east corner of Afghanistan. They are largely Tajik and Pashtun. Gray bearded and mild mannered, with an army 10,000 strong, his authority is unchallenged. The film opens with the peaceful image of Hasan praying by the side of a river. Later he explains how he opposed the cruelty of the Taliban. Their version of Islam, he says, is not the true Islam, which is forgiving and tolerant. We follow him through the busy local market, friendly but firmly collecting taxes from the vendors. This revenue stays in his domain. With it, he pays the army, supports the schools, and his Council of Elders takes care of those in need. He mediates justice in a benevolent way. Hassan has enlightened views on women, although his three wives refuse to be filmed. This documentary takes one to a world far from urban Kabul and global politics, but representative of much of the countryside. Although the term "warlord" has been bandied about by journalists and commentators reporting on Afghanistan, this portrait of Mamour Hasan and his villagers illuminates a way of life, a social organization and indeed a mentality that needs to be understood by westerners considering the future of Afghanistan.  Streaming video

Ten days. 2005.  1 videodisc (65 min.). Capturing the rarely seen Ashura commemorations in Pakistan, the film follows two individuals whose lives reflect contrasting aspects of ritual, symbolism and devotion among Pakistan's Shi'a community. Through their actions and words we get meaningful and often dramatic glimpses of the background to the Passion of Imam Husayn (grandson of the Prophet Muhammad whose martyrdom fourteen centuries ago was a turning point in the history of Islam and which is still powerfully recalled annually).  HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 2530