subject
islamic studies

promised paradise afghan women: a history of struggle point of attack


Examines the intifada, the Palestinian uprising in the Israeli-occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, by investigating the historical background and by speaking to people on both sides of the conflict.



In post-Taliban Kabul, the most popular sport is bodybuilding. Afghan Muscles takes us inside Afghanistan's thriving bodybuilding culture - attracting thousands of young men who dream of attaining a better life through muscles. It's a side of Afghanistan and Middle Eastern society that few have ever seen.



The tumultuous history of Afghanistan from the perspective of the country's female population, Afghan Women: A History of Struggle chronicles the stories of women who have risked their lives to achieve political, economic, and social equality.



Portrays life in Aqabat Jaber in the West Bank, one of sixty Palestinian refugee camps built "temporarily" by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) in the early 1950s.



Filmed across the Middle East, Bloody Cartoons looks at how and why 12 drawings in a Danish newspaper drew a small country into a confrontation with Muslims all over the world. Featuring interviews with key players, this documentary goes behind the controversy to investigate the roots of the crisis.



Twenty years after the disappearance of the young Iranian Ali, his mother can finally bury him. He used to work for the Air Force and died as a martyr.



In 1996, basketball star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (formerly Chris Jackson) caused a national stir when the NBA suspended him for refusing to stand during the national anthem because of his “Muslim conscience.” The documentary reexamines this controversy, the media misrepresentations and the reactions of the Muslim immigrants who responded with an embarrassed disavowal.



Comedy Middle Eastern Style, with a mix of humor and candid interviews, Middle Eastern standup comics living in New York share their views on political issues and the prejudice they’ve had to endure since September 11, 2001.



Reveals a hidden dimension to the media coverage of the Gulf War, showing how a group of wealthy Kuwaiti citizens hired the American PR firm Hill and Knowlton to develop a multi-million dollar ad campaign to promote U.S. military intervention in the Gulf on behalf of Kuwait.



This remarkable series of films, produced in collaboration with a distinguished group of historians, archaeologists, art historians and political scientists, explores the history and cultural heritage of the Middle Eastern world.



The incredible story of how a treasure trove of banned Soviet art worth millions of dollars was found in the desert of Uzbekistan develops into a larger exploration of how art survives in times of oppression. A fascinating documentary about a group of visionary artists and one man who risked his life to rescue their work.



This video examines the efforts of Israeli and Palestinian organizations and individuals to overcome the legacy of bitterness between them and to find ways to end the ongoing conflict.



What are the implications for democracy in Pakistan? Before his sudden resignation, President Musharraf agreed to discuss these issues over dinner at his official residence, the Army House. Supplemented by a diverse range of interviews, this documentary provides an important study of today's Pakistan.



Examines the controversial historical issues surrounding the Israeli destruction of Palestinian villages and the confiscation of Arab-owned land during and following the Arab-Israeli War.



Directed by the acclaimed filmmaker of Control Room and Startup.com, this documentary shines a spotlight on Egypt's new democracy. It follows a grassroots campaign started by three women that uses video and the internet to monitor their country's presidential elections, marred by violence and fraud.



In Fire Within, 30 Teenagers - 10 Israeli Arabs, 10 Israeli Jews, and 10 American Jews - explore the differences and similarities between them while traveling through Spain and Israel under the auspices of the special youth program of the Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute (JITLI).



A behind-the-scenes look at the dangerous world of wartime news gathering, this incisive documentary tells the story of 24-year-old Ajmal Naqshbandi, a 'fixer' - someone hired by foreign journalists to gain access for their stories - who was kidnapped, along with an Italian reporter, by the Taliban in 2007.



The heroic story of the first woman to run for President of Afghanistan. Frontrunner introduces us to Dr. Massouda Jalal, a mother of three children, whose campaign inspired thousands of women across the country to participate in the democratic process.



This video, hosted and narrated by author Edward Said, profiles the acclaimed Italian film director, blending clips from his films-The Battle of Algiers, Burn!, Kapo and Operation Ogro-with an interview in which he discusses his wartime experiences in the Resistance, the influence of Italian neo-realism, his philosophy of filmmaking (pursuing what he calls "the dictatorship of truth"), his working relationships with screenwriter Franco Solinas and Marlon Brando, his use of music in film, why he's made so few films, and his many unrealized projects.



God in Government explores the complex relationship between religion and politics in the contemporary world, including the Islamic revolution in Iran.



Profiles Hanan Ashrawi, former spokesperson for the Palestine Liberation Organization during the Middle East peace talks with Israel, but who later turned down a position in the new government in favor of continuing her efforts on behalf of peace and human rights.



As they walk toward the salt springs, two young girls talk about a fellow classmate, a 14-year-old girl who was forced to marry a 73-year-old man. An intimate look at the reality of arranged marriages in Iran.



This documentary focuses on the experience of a young woman doctor who in August 1993 returns to her village in South Lebanon to find it badly damaged after a massive Israeli attack which destroyed fifty villages and displaced 450,000 people.



Begun nearly two years before his death, this fascinating documentary offers a meticulous account of the life and final days of ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who died of radiation poisoning in November 2006. In the process, it provides extraordinary insight into the current political climate in Russia.



Over the past two decades India has experienced steady economic growth resulting in the rise of a new middle class. But what does it mean to actually live in the world's largest democracy? In Search of Gandhi seeks to discover the current and future state of democracy in India.



This timely video joins a U.S. congressional delegation, led by Congressman Nick Rahall and formerSenator James Abourezk, that traveled to Iraq in September 2002 to meet with Sa'doun Hammadi, Speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly, and Tariq Aziz, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, to discuss the readmission of UN arms inspectors in the hope of averting war.



This video examines the ancient Red Sea port of Jeddah, one of the oldest commercial waterways in the world, and renowned in the Middle East as "the Bride of the Sea."



The founding of Israel - specifically the 1948 war for Jerusalem - is seen through the work of two photographers, British and Palestinian, in this compelling documentary that examines how pictures shape the way history is remembered and taught. Includes remarkable never-before-seen photos.



This video, by comparing the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict with the previous struggle for liberation and democracy in South Africa, makes a universal statement about war and the effects of war on young people on both sides of the conflicts.



Does the solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians rest in the classroom rather than in the angry, fearful streets of the region? Lessons in Fear compares both educational systems and looks at what young Israeli and Palestinian children are being taught.



On an abandoned beach off the coast of Israel, against all odds, Israeli and Palestinian fishermen live and work together. Men on the Edge: Fishermen's Diary documents four years in their lives, an eclectic group of men brought together by a shared relationship with the sea.



An award-winning documentary about one of the most extreme examples of face-veiling in the Middle East.



In the wake of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers and the Pentagon, the world witnessed a number of Palestinians celebrating on the streets of Jerusalem.



This timely documentary chronicles the post-9/11 racial profiling, large scale round-ups, detentions and mass deportations of Arab, Muslim and South Asian men as part of the government’s "War on Terrorism."



How can one believe that terrorism leads to heaven? Banned by the Indonesian government, this provocative documentary examines the psychology of extremism in a country with the largest Muslim population in the world.



A landmark documentary, Promises, is now available with a comprehensive study guide that offers a multiple perspective approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.



From the director of Iraq in Fragments, winner of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, this short powerful documentary follows an Iraqi mother struggling under U.S. occupation to care for her 10-year-old son, who is dying of AIDS.



This video reveals the plight of young Palestinian children in the West Bank city of Hebron who regularly risk being attacked by Israeli soldiers as they try to go to school each morning.



Planted in Israel, harvested in Gaza, and exported to gourmet markets in Europe, the Gazan strawberry is the only product sold abroad as Palestinian produce. The amazing story of this little red fruit - and the people who cultivate it - is a study in globalization, politics and occupation.



The cycle of violence in the Middle East may seem to have no end, but in San Diego Jews and Palestinians have united despite the odds. "Talking Peace" takes viewers inside the Jewish Palestinian Living Room Dialogue and tells a compelling story of two sides coming together through the simple act of listening.



When a group of Moroccan street children faced with the choice of emigrating illegally to Europe take part in a treehouse building workshop, they find themselves unexpectedly transformed. This wonderful documentary offers a timely and intimate window into the world of Arab youth.



The educational version of the 2008 Academy Award® winner for Best Documentary Feature, Taxi to the Dark Side is the definitive investigation into the introduction of torture as an interrogation technique in U.S. facilities and the role played by key figures of the Bush Administration in the process.



Forget the NHL! Real stories of triumph and determination are being played out on a makeshift ice rink in India. Thin Ice is the inspiring story of a group of young girls who broke gender and religious barriers to compete in the national ice hockey tournament.



This insightful documentary examines the atmosphere of violence in war torn Beirut as seen through the lives of its children and young people.



Examines the impact of Islamization on women in Pakistan, revealing the oppression and injustice which has led Pakistani women to the forefront of the political struggle for equal rights.



This video documents the activities of Women in Black, a multinational organization that holds vigils for peace around the world, focusing on their efforts to promote a peaceful resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.