On screen, Muslims in a new light

Film fest takes on censorship

''Increasingly,'' says activist Nasser Weddady, ''I find myself answering the following question: Why should I care about this person whose name I cannot pronounce ... ?'' (Justine Hunt/Globe Staff)

When political activist Nasser Weddady moved from Florence, Ky., to Brookline in January 2007, he said he expected to find "the bluest corner of the bluest of states."

Instead, as he boarded a Green Line train at the Washington Square T stop, he saw black and white stickers printed with an offensive epithet about Muslims.

The 32-year-old Mauritanian quickly concluded that even in Massachusetts, there is a lack of understanding and acceptance of Islamic culture.

"We're two blocks from where JFK was born," Weddady said. "The obvious conclusion is that something has to be done, and you can do one of two things: complain and file lawsuits, or tackle the fundamental difference - the perception of Muslims in the US."

Weddady came to the United States seeking political asylum in 2000 as an antislavery activist and well-traveled son of a diplomat

Then 9/11 happened, and he experienced firsthand the effects of bigotry and ignorance. Days after the terrorist attacks, an FBI agent knocked on his Kentucky door and took him to a holding cell for five hours, he said.

"I was detained after 9/11 just because . . . I had the wrong looks," Weddady said.

Instead of filing lawsuits, Weddady started to work for the American Islamic Congress, a nonprofit civil rights organization that promotes tolerance and interfaith discussion.

As the AIC's civil rights outreach director, Weddady works to combat the stereotypes of Muslims that arose after 9/11.

"Increasingly, I find myself answering the following question: Why should I care about this person whose name I cannot pronounce and whose country I cannot locate on a map?" Weddady said.

He has worked with the AIC to launch programs and springboards for discussion to promote understanding.

So when Iraqi refugee Mohammed Harba approached Weddady and colleague Jesse Sage with an idea for a film series, the Muslim Film Festival was born.

Harba taught himself English by watching American films, and thought Americans could similarly profit by learning about Muslim culture, AIC program coordinator Lauren Murphy said.

The AIC held its first film festival in April - "Think-Different Women" - a series of movies focused on women's rights in the Muslim world.

The next festival, kicking off tomorrow evening at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, is entitled "Art Under Fire," and will spotlight artists throughout the Muslim world who face censorship and hostility.

Muslims, Jews, and Christians have worked together at the AIC to highlight the importance of basic human rights in this autumn's film festival.

"It's self-expression as a human right," said AIC volunteer and Boston University sophomore Sara Conklin, a 19-year-old from Jacksonville, Fla., who helped organize the festival. "People who just want to express themselves but can't."

Seven documentaries and features will be shown in Boston and Cambridge at sites including the Boston Public Library, BU, and Harvard. The schedule also includes belly dancing and a performance of "Ramadan Song" - Iranian-American comedian Tissa Hami's spoof of Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song."

Films range from "Democracy in Dakar," about Senegalese hip-hop artists who use music as a forum to discuss politics and religion, to "Operation Filmmaker," a documentary about the experiences of a young Iraqi film student in Hollywood who caught the eye of American actor and director Liev Schreiber.

The festival also will also feature "Dunia: Kiss me not on the eyes," whose plot revolves around an Egyptian belly-dancing poetry student victimized by female genital mutilation; "Stand Up," about Iranian-American comedians who broke down stereotypes after 9/11 with humor; and "Half Moon," about the struggles of a Kurdish musical group whose members want to perform in a community that won't let them.

As a Muslim, an Arab, a North African, and an "American by choice," Weddady said he is grateful for the freedoms of the United States compared with the censorship back home.

"Compared to where I come from, it's amazing how a country can have people from literally every culture on the earth and generally getting along," he said.

But there is still much work to be done, he said, stressing the need for forums and programs like "Art Under Fire."

"Poll after poll, Muslims were seen as chauvinistic, muzzling, and violent on top of it all," Weddady said. "This is a great opportunity to think of people in a different light."

For a schedule of films, visit muslimfilm.org.