Dir: Parvez Sharma USA/UK/France/Germany/Australia. 2007. 81mins
Filmed over six years in twelve countries, A Jihad For Love compiles personal stories that illuminate the bitter struggles of lesbians andgay men to reconcile their homosexuality with their Muslim faith. The film presents itself as a modest first step in attempting to foster a rational debate over a taboo subject. It presents the facts of individual cases but also looks for signs of hope or change among those who would only advocate a hard line interpretation of the Qur'an. The subject matter and some interesting personal testimonies make for a valuable documentary that will find a natural home through festival exposure and television sales rather than any theatricalpossibilities.

Indian-born Muslim director Parvez Sharma has persuaded a number of individuals to go public with their testimony. He starts in South Africa with Muhsin, who is not only Muslim and gay but also an Imam. In Egypt, we learn of Mazen who fled the country after being imprisoned and now lives in Paris. Arsham is among those who have fled Iran and been given refuge in Turkey, where he awaits news of a new life in Canada.

The stories all speak of pain and suffering and almost all of them could have provided the material for a singledocumentary. There are still those who live in fear of reprisals and people who will either not appear on camera or only appear if their features are obscured.

The one area that the film never quite gets to grips with is why none of them have abandoned a faith that so rigidly rejects them. All of them are still committed to living their lives as devout Muslims and trying to find acceptance from a faith that would in many cases readily condemn them to death.

Muhsin is seen on a visit home with his two children who cheerfully argue that homosexuals should be beheaded or thrown off the edge of a cliff. The signs of hope come in the tale of a Muslim mother in Turkey who accepts a lesbian daughter and her partner and in Muhsin's meeting with an Islamic scholar and some fellow Muslims who are at least willing to listen to his side of the argument>

There are emotional moments in each of the stories we witness andenough human interest to sustain the film over eighty minutesalthough the feeling remains that it has barely scratched the surface of the topic.

Production Companies
Halal Films (US)
ZDF-Arte (FR/GER)
Channel 4 (UK)
Logo (US)
SBS-Australia (AUST)
Katahdin Foundation (US)
Realise (US)

International sales
Saetre Films (US)

Producer
Sandi DuBowski

Executive producers
Michael Huffington
Andrew Herwitz
Linda Saetre
Eileen Opatut
Dave Mace

Cinematography
Parvez Sharma
Berke Bas

Editor
Juliet Weber

Music
Sussan Deyhim
Richard Horowitz

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