I am sure b/c this was produced by Public television channel much good resources & credible informations gathered presented in it ,IT CAN BE VIEWED REPEATEDLY by accesing the recorded program of archives of PBS & many libraries through out muslim countries.
Bottom line of the program is that zelous & strict interpretation of Islam is NOT conducive to global village concept of the world because if nothing else 1/6 to may be only 1/10 th of the world population could be counted as followers of islam as practiced in 7th century .
PBS is running a major documentary about Islam around the world will run
tonight. There is also an in-depth Web site, including teaching materials.
Details below, including a press release.
As SAJAer NA
TONIGHT
Thursday, May 9, 2002
9 pm-11 pm on PBS (check local listings)
“Muslims”
Produced by The Independent Production Fund
for FRONTLINE
ON THE WEB http://www.pbs.org/frontline/shows/muslims http://www.theislamproject.org
Executive Producers: Alvin Perlmutter and Anisa Mehdi
Executive Producer for FRONTLINE: David Fanning
Senior Producer: Martin Smith
Director: Graham Judd
Producers/Writers: Graham Judd and Elena Mannes
Field Producer: Dina Hossain
Associate Producers: Hassan Fattah and Lorne Lieb
Editor: Bernadine Colish
http://www.pbs.org/frontline/shows/muslims http://www.theislamproject.org
“MUSLIMS” PREMIERES THURSDAY, MAY 9 ON PBS’ FRONTLINE
Award-Winning PBS Franchise Explores The Fastest Growing Religion in the
United States and the World
NEW YORK, NY - March 28, 2002 – What is Islam? What does it mean to be a
Muslim? How do Muslims reconcile the pressures of modern life with their
Muslim tradition? And how does faith shape their lives, identities, and
politics?
FRONTLINE and the Independent Production Fund join forces to explore these
and other questions in “Muslims,” a special two-hour film examining the
fundamental tenets of Islam and the different faces of its worldwide
resurgence, premiering May 9 on FRONTLINE (9:00 PM ET/PT). Through the
lives of ordinary Muslims from such diverse countries as Egypt, Iran,
Malaysia, Nigeria, Turkey, and the United States, FRONTLINE illuminates
the differing perspectives, conflicts, and tensions shaping today’s Muslim
world.
“With tensions between Islam and the West at an all-time high, there is a
need for a new perspective on Muslims and Islam,” says Alvin H.
Perlmutter, executive producer and director of the Independent Production
Fund. “Through conversations with Muslims around the globe, we reveal the
many diverse interpretations of Islam as well as the struggles within the
religion to adapt to the modern world.”
“Muslims” traces the social, historical and political roots of the renewed
interest in Islam worldwide, beginning at Cairo’s Al Azhar Mosque - the
oldest university in the world It is here that viewers meet Sheik Abdul
Mauwith, an Islamic scholar who staffs the phones of Al Azhar’s Fatwa
committee, responding to Muslims wanting to know what is right and wrong
under Islamic or Shariah law. In a society increasingly shaped by Western
influence, he encourages Muslims to hold fast to the traditions of Islam.
“The only thing I know how to be is an American=85an American Muslim,” says
one Bridgeview resident. “When somebody questions my loyalty to this
country, it’s frustrating because I am an American-I was born and raised
here.”
In Malaysia, “Muslims” speaks with Zainah Anwar, a feminist Muslim
activist who is grappling with her religion’s views and treatment of
women. “It is hard for us as believers,” Anwar says, “to accept that God
is unjust to half the human race just based on the fact that we were born
women.” Anwar works with Muslim women in their battles with the
conservative Islamic family court system, which makes obtaining a divorce
more difficult for a woman than a man.
Despite the challenges, her work only strengthens her bond to her faith.
“It is unfathomable for me to leave Islam,” she says. “If you are born a
Muslim, you remain a Muslim. If there are conflicts between the realities
of the life today and the teachings of the religion, then you want to find
out=85is there something wrong with your life, or is there something wrong
in the interpretation of the religion?”
“Muslims” traces the social, historical and political roots of the renewed
interest in Islam, which some observers say has resulted from a quest for
cultural identity and pride.
“We have been defeated over and over-militarily, culturally,
emotionally-and that’s why there has been a Muslim revival,” says Ahmad
Deif. Deif, an Egyptian Muslim, says he was just eighteen when he
discovered his calling: to build a new face of Islam. “We left the real
nation, we left the real Islam,” he tells FRONTLINE. “The only solution
is to lead people back to the right path.”
Deif is typical of the young Islamic activists who are striving to build a
Muslim society that blends modernity with tradition. Yet FRONTLINE’s
“Muslims” illustrates that there is still widespread disagreement as to
what constitutes contemporary Islam. Is it a religion? Is it a political
movement? Or is it both?
“Muslims” is a FRONTLINE co-production with the Independent Production
Fund. Major funding for “Muslims” has been provided by The Pew Charitable
Trusts and The William & Mary Greve Foundation. Additional funding has
been provided by the Lilly Auchincloss foundation and The Fetzer
Institute.
Graham Judd and Elena Mannes are the writer/producers of “Muslims.”
Associate producers are Dina Hossain and Hassan Fattah. The editor is
Bernadine Colish.
Senior Producer for “FRONTLINE” is Martin Smith.
Alvin H. Perlmutter and Anisa Mehdi are the executive producers for the
Independent Production Fund. David Fanning is the executive producer for
FRONTLINE.
FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS.
Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers.
National sponsorship is provided by EarthLink=AE and NPR=AE.
FRONTLINE is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.
#
Contacts:
Goodman Media International
WGBH
(212) 576-2700
(617) 300-3500
Leslie [email protected]=09=09=09Erin
Martin Kane
Erin [email protected]=09=09=09=09Chris
Kelly
Doug [email protected]
Bik Gaya Jo Woh Kharidar Nahi Ho Sakta