A Jihad for Love (2007)

Directed by

Parvez Sharma

Genre

documentary film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 21m

Rated

14A

Rating

5.0 of 10 from 20 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary explores the lives of gay and lesbian Muslims around the world. It shows their struggles to reconcile their faith with their sexuality. The film shares personal stories of seeking acceptance and love within their communities.

soberinsightfulintimatethought-provokingearnestquietmeasuredpersonal

What happens

A Jihad for Love (preceded by a short film called In the Name of Allah) is a 2008 documentary film written and directed by Parvez Sharma and was the world's first film on Islam and homosexuality. It took a total of six years to make and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2007. It premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2008 as the opening documentary film for the Panorama section. The Indo-American Arts Council referred to it as a "seminal film" because of its unprecedented subject. The work that Sharma started with the film has become a staple in many books on Islam and at U.S. University libraries. Sharma wrote the foreword for the two-part anthology Islam and Homosexuality. According to Sharma, South Africa's Muslim Judicial Council labeled him an apostate in response to the film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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