feminist/visual/culture: A 30th anniversary celebration of women make movies

My Journey, My Islam

A film by Kay Rasool
1999
56 minutes
Color, Video
Australia

Thomas 110
Friday, April 5
 In the "WMM Response to Hate" screenings starting at
 7:30 P.M.
"'My Journey, My Islam' is an intriguing look at the questions that some Muslim women in the West ask themselves: what is Islam's relationship to me and my relationship to it, living in the West? Rasool'spersonal quest to answer these questions also introduces the viewer to the lives of several Muslimwomen (mostly non-Arab), including several Indian Muslims, a convert and a Lebanese woman marryingan non-Arab Muslim, as she journeys between the West and the Indian sub-continent where she wasborn. Rasool's portraits are particularly striking and well-fleshed out, accompanied as they are byvisually compelling images of everyday Islamic life. While this is not an introductory guide to women inIslam, it is must see viewing for those who wonder how Muslim women reconcile and the interpret therequirements of their faith and the obligations of Western culture. In addition, it is refreshing to find adocumentary on Muslim women which talks not about them, but to them. This documentary isparticularly timely in light of the fact that there is a growing, highly visible second generation of young Muslims in the West who seek to combine their faith with busy, productive Western lives. This wouldbe a wonderful video to use to initiate conversations on cultural and religious plurality as well asdiscussions on assimilation and dual identity." Rebecca Romani, Co-chair, Middle East Caucus, Society for Cinema Studies

"The metaphor of the veil gains multiple meanings without shrillness or sloganeering. As the sequences move smoothly across space and time, the characters come alive with rare spontaneity.", The Hindu

"My Journey, My Islam is an insightful documentary that attempts to uncover the many truths of what lies behind the veil." Hesham Al-Jehani, MiddleEastUK.com