Among the Believers (film)

Among the Believers is a 2015 documentary film directed by Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Naqvi, and produced by Jonathan Goodman Levitt and Hemal Trivedi. The executive producer was Whitney Burton Dow and co-producers were Naziha Ali and Syed Musharaf Shah. The film had its US premiere at Tribeca Film Festival on April 17, 2015.

Contents

• Among the believers trailer
• Afi docs 2015 interview among the believers
• Peshawar School Massacre
• Film Synopsis
• Music
• References

The documentary examines the increasing political and religious turmoil in Pakistan since the War on Terror, with specific attention to the Red Mosque (Lal Masjid) and its network of madrasas. The Red Mosque's madrasas are live-in Islamic seminaries which admit youths. The struggle between militant Islamist forces and secular forces are seen to play out in the country's educational system. The Soviet-Afghan War and the Siege of the Red Mosque are depicted as well.

The main focus of the film is the head of the Red Mosque, Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi. Abdul Aziz takes the filmmakers on a tour of his madrasas in Islamabad and the countryside. He explains his point of view, and why he advocates jihad in favor of instituting Sharia law as Pakistan's main law. Abdul Aziz also explains key events in his life and the history of his organization.

As a counterpoint, the film features noted nuclear physicist and civil activist Dr. Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy, who provides broader context on the history presented by Abdul Aziz. The film also tracks the lives of two adolescent students in madrasas run by the Red Mosque (named Talha and Zarina), and a village chief (Tariq) who creates a school centered around academics rather than religious education.

The film’s two directors Hemal and Mohammed, one Indian and one Pakistan, were drawn to this film for very personal reasons. “Upon losing a lifelong friend in the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008, I sought to understand the root cause of these attacks that were carried out by Pakistanis. After careful study, I realized that these extremist elements are actually terrorizing their own people on a daily basis and the country’s very survival is at stake. And that’s why I wanted to make a film about the ideological conflict in Pakistan that has led the country to implode”, Producer/Director Hemal Trivedi.

“Growing up as a religious minority in Pakistan, I witnessed clerics like Aziz spread religious intolerance in our society - I even lost family to sectarian hate crimes. Aziz had espoused militancy against my own religious sect and supported the systematic killing of minorities. Filming Aziz and following him for five years was entering the lion's den. I took these immense risks to effect change in my country with the hope that Pakistan will become a more tolerant country that respects human rights”, Director Mohammed Ali Naqvi.

The filmmakers spent five years building relationships with their interview subjects, allowing them to gain what Variety called “unprecedented access” to the Red Mosque and Cleric Aziz. Time Out New York concurred that the film was “defined by its jaw-dropping access.”

While such intimate access did not compromise the filmmaker’s objectivity, it did involve significant risk. As Zainab Salbi, the Iraqi author and founder of Women for Women International wrote in the New York Times, "Making this film involved sacrifices by all those who participated. They received death threats, their friends were murdered, and the crew were left fearing for their lives and for their families’ safety. What they produced is a stirring message that will ask viewers to progress beyond fear, hatred, and knee-jerk assumptions about Pakistan and Islam." Ultimately, the film was banned in Pakistan as a film about religious extremism.

Two distinctive scenes in the film that leave the viewer startled are: Zarina, a young 12 year old girl describing her escape from the Red Mosque. She explains in depth how she climbed the walls of the Red Mosque, avoided the armed guards as she ran to save her life. Another powerful scene, is Abdul Aziz talking about the death of his son when the Red Mosque came under siege. Aziz’z lack of empathy over the loss of his son’s death, his cold stern expression, all show how cruel this man is and what he is capable of.

With extremism on the rise, and global political figures demonizing all Muslims as terrorists, Among the Believers counters the misconceptions with stories of moderate Muslims fighting against extremist radicals to reclaim their own faith. Seldom do people realize that Muslims are the biggest victims of terror. The film educates viewers about the social conditions in Pakistan that lead to widespread enrollment in Red Mosque madrassas at the same time that it gives voice to empowered mainstream Muslims working on grassroots solutions that counter militancy.

Among the Believers is banned in Pakistan because it is a film about moderate muslims struggle against religious extremism. Several international organizations, for instance, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have appealed to the Pakistani government to repeal the ban. In spite of, world over success and recognition, the film is still banned in its home country.

The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, screened at the US Department of State, the United Nations has screened and in over 50 film festivals in 25 countries. Nominee for the Independent Spirit Award, Cinema Eye Award, Asia Pacific Screen Awards and UNESCO-Fellini Award, “Among the Believers” won 27 awards including LIST 4 TOP AWARDS. The film is on the list of top 20 documentaries to see on iTunes and Amazon Prime. Among the Believers will soon be shown on Netflix and will be seen on TV stations in Australia, Finland, Italy and Spain. In 2016 “Among the Believers” was broadcast nationally on World Channel, the public media network for news and documentary programming.