Sunday, February 7, 2010

Article from Melbourne


I will try and get a legible digital file soon so we can read the article but I am told it is a positive one.

I am also told where the article headline reads "Man of Peace in the Land of War" it does not refer to me going to Melbourne. :)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Screening Melbourne @ Parliament of the World's Religions


There were so many events going at the Parliament of the World's Religions that I wondered whether the turnout would be good...but all was fine with the room almost completely filled.

It was a mostly non-Ismaili crowd and they asked some good and insightful questions. There seemed to a large number of questions around succession. I think the questioners were concerned that this good leader the Aga Khan must be followed by an equally good or better leader to continue helping the Ismailis play a positive force in the world. I agree.




Me (in the middle) and Hussein Rashid (on my immediate left) with Ismailis from the local Melbourne community.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

2-year anniversary and an Australian Premiere

I am packing to head off to Australia for a screening in Melbourne and I just realized that today is the two-year anniversary of the Aga Khan Film's launch. Time has flown by quickly and I feel a sense of gratitude that the film is still being requested to be shown. But there is also a sense of concern that Islam is increasingly being juxtaposed against peace and tolerance, such as the Swiss ban on the building of new minarets. Within the Ummah and externally, there is a lot more work to be done...

Australia Screening Details:

Parliament of the World's Religions
http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

AN ISLAMIC CONSCIENCE: the Aga Khan and the Ismailis (61 mins)

Sun 6 Dec 4:30 - 6:00pm
Room 107
Followed by a Q+A

I will also be on a panel discussion 2 days later:

Changing the Conversation about Islam and Muslims Through Film: Shia, Puerto Rican-American and Australian Voices
With: Shamir Allibhai, Dr Pamela Ryan, Macky Alston, Hussein Rashid (Chair)
Tue 8 Dec 2:30 - 4:00pm
Room 106



About the Parliament:
(from their website)
The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.
To accomplish this, we invite individuals and communities who are equally invested in attaining this goal.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Old photo of the Aga Khan



Photo sent to me by Abdul Hamid of Lebanon:


His Highness the Aga Khan while in Syria dated 31st July 1959 wearing the Arabic "EGAL".

Monday, May 11, 2009

Thoughts from a Toronto-screening audience member

Thoughts on the Film:
When I first watched the documentary on VisionTV (Canada's multifaith TV Channel), my first reaction was alarming and thought that this would create a lot of stir among people who are against the thoughts of Ismailis. Especially since the commentator states a lot about how Ismailis pray privately and without veils and divides of men & women. The reality is that this documentary is meant to educate everyone out there about a sect of Islam that has and is a sample of true Islam.

The movie also takes away the misconceptions (if any) regarding the sect that Aga Khan leads as the spiritual leader. There is a logical-systematic flow in the movie which also opens the minds of Ismailis themselves. I have been discussing the movie (piece by piece with my family, Ismaili friends, and Muslim and non-Muslim friends) and sharing my learnings that were triggered after watching this movie.


The Journey since its first release:
I then bought the DVDs and watched it with an 'outside-the-box' mindset and taking my being as an Ismaili identity out of my thoughts. I then realized that this documentary was made with intent to create dialogue and discussions. It tries to show how one of the sects of Islam is and how it has positioned itself. The facts are shared and stated. It is up to the viewers to delve deep, engage with it, and search for more knowledge.

My Wish & Hope:
Is that we have more of such documentaries with similar format and maybe a 'series' or chapter-by-chapter take on the Ismaili history. I take this current documentary as a synopsis and it gives way to future elaborated versions (era by era) to bring a dialogue of what Islam was and is.


-Salim Nensi

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

FILM, MUSIC AND MEDIA: Mediums for Political Expression in the Middle East Region


For those who live in Boston:



FILM, MUSIC AND MEDIA:
Mediums for Political Expression in the Middle East Region


Thursday, May 7th
4:00 – 6:30 PM


This public event will feature two documentary film makers, Shamir Allibhai and Jackie Salloum, and a screening of SLING SHOT HIP HOP (www.slingshothiphop.com), a documentary on Palestinian Hip Hop artists in the Occupied Territories and Israel. The documentary will serve as a platform for discussion on the role of Hip Hop and film in fostering artistic and social agency, and creating a meaningful bridge between communities in different cultural and political situations. The film offers a window into the role music and media can play to create social networks, address political struggles, and harness technology in the formation of purpose driven cultures of social inquiry.

This event is sponsored by the Outreach Center, Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University & The Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Co-sponsors: the Society for Arab Students at Harvard, the Pluralism Project, and the Harvard Islamic Society.

Location:
CGIS South Building
1730 Cambridge Street
Ground Floor, Belfer Case Study Room (Room #S020)
Cambridge, MA 02138

Schedule:

4:00 – 4:35 pm Welcome and introduction to film, music and media and forums of political expression
  • Ben Williams (moderator), lecture series manager of the Islam in the West program at Harvard, MTS candidate at Harvard Divinity School.
  • Shamir Allibhai, producer of An Islamic Conscience: The Aga Khan and the Ismailis, founding member and Commercial Director of the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation.
  • Jackie Salloum, director of Sling Shot Hip Hop, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival-Documentary Competition.

4:35 – 6:00 pm Screening of SLING SHOT HIP HOP

6:00 – 6:30 pm Discussion of the film

*Refreshments will be served

** This event is sponsored by the Outreach Center, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Middle East Initiative and the Initiative on Contemporary State and Society in the Islamic World at the Harvard Kennedy School

Cosponsored by The Pluralism Project, Harvard Islamic Society and the Society for Arab Students, Harvard University.

Comments from the Toronto Screening Organizer

Posted as received from Tanya Panjwani, organizer of the Apr 30th, 2009 screening at York University, Toronto, Canada:

I still remember the day I heard about The Aga Khan Film, one of only two official documentaries made about His Highness in fifty years of his Imamat. I recall my friends excitedly ordering dvds for their families and friends, watching the film and discussing it amongst themselves, and even hearing about screenings happening all over the world, from Boston to Beirut, Atlanta to Africa. I also remember organizing a gathering of students about a year ago to watch both the 1961 and the recent film, to discuss the progress that has been made in the past fifty years, and to shed light on the Imam’s international recognition, especially in the context of the globalization phenomenon. It was incredible to see the amount of discussion and dialogue that the film sparked, because not only were we bouncing off ideas that were brought up in the film by various academics and members of the Ismaili community, but these ideas branched off into even more interesting discussions. It was then that I realized how powerful a medium film could be in creating awareness about a unique Muslim leader and his community, something that has not been tapped into until this documentary was made.

Little did I know that a year after our powerful discussion, Shamir Allibhai himself would grace us with his presence at York University. When I heard that Shamir was interested in premiering the film in Toronto at York University, I leaped at the chance to host the event. I knew that I wanted to share this film with the York community, and Toronto at large. Shamir and I kept in contact for a few weeks to prepare and organize the event, and finally the day arrived. I was surprised at what a great turnout we had, certainly a good mix of age groups, religious communities, and people of a variety of different ethnic backgrounds. Clearly news had spread amongst Ismailis too, because they occupied the majority of the audience, many commuting from all over Toronto to attend the event.

Watching the film was an exciting experience to share with such a large crowd, and brought to life many of the lived experiences of the Ismaili community and most of all, the Aga Khan. The best part of the event, though, was the Question and Answer session. I was overwhelmed with the amount of hands that went up when the session began. Professor Zulfikar Hirji, a professor of Anthropology and Islamic Studies here at York University, moderated the questions. People asked a variety of different questions, some thought-provoking and based on His Highness and the Ismaili community, and others about Shamir’s experiences and his personal journey in creating the film.

Overall, I believe the event accomplished its goal, which was not to create an all-encompassing idea of who the Aga Khan is or who the Ismailis are. Rather, it scratched the surface of the question, and posed even more questions that caused excitement, positive energy, and interest, sure to be spread even beyond the halls of York University. I remember one non-Muslim student approaching me at the end of the event, who claimed that though she had been studying Islamic studies for some time, she never knew that an Islam such as this existed. She was in awe of how little she was made aware of the Ismaili communities that exist all over the world, and while she knew about it in name, she felt that the film gave her a perspective that was beyond what she had learned in the classroom. This awareness that was being created seemed like only the beginning. While it has been over a year since the film was premiered, its impact is still echoed by countless voices, both Muslim and non-Muslim, in houses, theaters, and school halls all over the world.


====

Shamir's comments: Thank you very much, humbling and with gratitude. A lovely write-up.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Aga Khan Film on TV in British Columbia, Canada




The Aga Khan Film, under the title "The Aga Khan: A Voice of Reason" will be airing on the Knowledge Network in British Columbia, Canada in May:

May 12 8:00 PM The Aga Khan: A Voice of Reason Reveals how this shy and studious young man became one of the world’s most respected spiritual leaders.
May 13 12:00 AM The Aga Khan: A Voice of Reason Reveals how this shy and studious young man became one of the world’s most respected spiritual leaders.


http://tvschedule.knowledgenetwork.ca/knsch/KNSeriesPage.jsp?seriesID=14743003&seriesTitle=theagakhan:avoiceofreason

Trailer: http://tvschedule.knowledgenetwork.ca/knsch/KNSeriesPage.jsp?seriesID=14743003&seriesTitle=theagakhan:avoiceofreason


Spread the word please.

Toronto Screening

I landed to a cloudy and rainy Toronto on Thursday, the day of the screening. My ride navigated the MapQuest printout in the midst of the chaos of traffic. We arrived 20 minutes late to the screening at York University but once the event got started, all went really well. The film is one hour long and I spent the four hours following answering questions. Yes, FOUR hours. And I write "four" in caps not because it was too much or too long but because it was a pleasant and unexpected surprise of how much enthusiasm, I interpreted, there still is for the film/my journey.

It was nice to see quite a few Torontonians who have been key supporters of the film from the outset. Akber Kassim-Lakha came to see the film (he featured in the film as the boy who was being advised by the Aga Khan in 1961). Akber was trying to make it to the world premiere at Harvard in Dec 2007 but an ice storm in Montreal prevented a timely arrival and thus he missed the first screening. This time, he weathered the weather to make it.

Some friends from college were also in the audience. It is always nice to have friends from a previous period in your life still standing by you. Distance and age can diminsh a friendship but hopefully not with your closest of closest friends.

The crowd was mainly Ismaili students from York but there was still a sizeable number of adults who must have commuted to see the film/Q+A. Dr Zukfikar Hirji, author of the Institute of Ismaili Studies' book the Illustrated History of the Ismailis moderated the Q+A and he fielded many questions such as 'what was the toughest part of my journey', 'how was it to interview the Aga Khan' and 'when is part 2 and part 3 coming out?!' A novel question I got was 'why did we have a Western voice narrate the film?' The answer I gave was because VisionTV, a funding broadcaster and the first channel to play the film on its networks, asked us to but also because the citizens of Western countries were my primary target audience with my premise try to to offer a counterbalance when so many documentaries are coming out in the West showing only violent elements in the Muslim World. This film is also for many other peoples, I said, and that is why we translated the film into 10 languages: so we could reach the widest audience possible.

After that moderated Q+A, many people came up to me afterwards to ask new questions or to follow-up on previous ones.

I hope the audience enjoyed the event as much as I did!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Reminder: Aga Khan Film - Toronto Screening - Apr 30th

Dear All
At a time when Islam is seen by many as a monolith and often associated with extremism, this is the film that offers a counterbalance showing a pluralistic and tolerant side of the Muslim World through the story and life journey of His Highness the Aga Khan, a descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
AN ISLAMIC CONSCIENCE is the first documentary to look at answering who are the Ismailis Muslims? Who is their Imam Aga Khan IV? And how can we bridge the Muslim World - non-Muslim World divide? Are we facing a Clash of Civilizations or are we facing a Clash of Ignorance?
With exclusive access to the Aga Khan and a rare interview with him, AN ISLAMIC CONSCIENCE: the Aga Khan and the Ismailis is the film that needed to be made.
Join us at 7PM, Apr 30th at York University (Location: Vari Hall A, York University, Toronto - See Map Here.) There will also be a post-screening discussion with Producer/Co-Director Shamir Allibhai.
Best wishes
Aga Khan Film team
Watch the trailer: http://www.agakhanfilm.org
Join us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/theShamir
Follow the blog: http://agakhanfilm.blogspot.com

AN ISLAMIC CONSCIENCE: the Aga Khan and the Ismailis
Directors: Jane Chablani & Bill Cran
Producer/Co-Director: Shamir Allibhai
Born into a world of wealth and privilege, the Aga Khan devotes his life to eliminating poverty and inequality. A religious leader who traces his ancestry back to the Prophet Muhammad, he struggles to balance the traditional with the modern.

For the past five decades, the Aga Khan has been the spiritual leader and Imam of the 15 million Ismaili Muslims in a world that has changed dramatically. From the end of colonialism and the expulsion of the Asians in Uganda to the fall of the Iron Curtain and 9/11, the Aga Khan has struggled for a common humanity in a divided world.

At a time when Islam is at odds with itself and with the West, the Aga Khan represents a voice of moderation, speaking out for pluralism and diversity, and promoting dialogue between civilizations.

But will he be heard?

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Constantine's Sword: a focus on Christian Antisemitism

I was presenting at a Harvard board meeting a few weeks ago and found out about this film, Constantine's Sword, a story on James Carroll, a former Catholic priest on a journey to confront his past and uncover the roots of religiously-inspired violence and war. His search also reveals a growing scandal involving religious infiltration of the U.S. military and the terrible consequences of religion’s influence on America’s foreign policy. http://constantinessword.com

I watched it last night and thought it was great. The film looks at antisemitism in Carroll's own tradition, Christianity. A thoughtful, balanced piece that does not shy away from the tragic past and asking the tough questions of the day on this issue.

Some memorable quotes:

"What planet are you on? If you want to make religion a constructive force in society, religions must begin with a honest admission of those moments when they haven't been a constructive force; when they have been a deconstructive force."
Priest John Pawlikowski, President of the International Council of Christians & Jews

"What frustrates me to no end is when religious leaders get up and give the impression that religion has always been on the side of good and virtue. It hasn't. Let's be honest."
Priest John Pawlikowski, President of the International Council of Christians & Jews

"Every religious person has to take responsibility for the way in which their tradition encourages intolerance, suspicion, hatred of the other..."
James Carroll, Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at Suffolk University. Carroll’s new book, Practicing Catholic, will be published in the Spring of 2009.

These quotes really hit home for me as I thought about my own religion and my own tradition. Not just the past but what is going on today, right now. I also thought how the "other", as Carroll refers to above, is not just people of other religions but often times those within the same religious community but who have "other" views or "other" ways of seeing the same scenario.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Toronto Screening - Apr 30, 2009!

Dear All

We are excited to announce that the acclaimed documentary AN ISLAMIC CONSCIENCE will be screening in Toronto on April 30, 2009. Please see the details below:
Date: Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 7PM - 10PM
Location: Vari Hall, York University, Toronto - See Map Here.

Host: York University Ismaili Students Association
The film is 1 hour long and there will a post-screening discussion with Filmmaker/Producer Shamir Allibhai.
We hope to see you there!
Aga Khan Film team
AN ISLAMIC CONSCIENCE
Born into a world of wealth and privilege, the Aga Khan devotes his life to eliminating poverty and inequality. A religious leader who traces his ancestry back to the Prophet Muhammad, he struggles to balance the traditional with the modern.

For the past five decades, the Aga Khan has been the spiritual leader and Imam of the 15 million Ismaili Muslims in a world that has changed dramatically. From the end of colonialism and the expulsion of the Asians in Uganda to the fall of the Iron Curtain and 9/11, the Aga Khan has struggled for a common humanity in a divided world.

Securing a rare and exclusive interview with the Aga Khan in the year of his Golden Jubilee, Bill Cran (multiple Emmy-award winning Director) and Shamir Allibhai have completed a two-year passion project to make the first documentary on the Aga Khan in over forty-five years.

At a time when Islam is at odds with itself and with the West, the Aga Khan represents a voice of moderation, speaking out for pluralism and diversity, and promoting dialogue between civilizations.

But will he be heard?