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In the city, I always call Bombay (and for good reason)-the theater was too full to accomodate everyone including old friends that showed up. So we had two back to back screenings.
Screening the film in my Vatan (homeland) has been a huge personal victory for me-even beyond getting the award from the Delhi Chief Minister. The reactions have been so profound and to be honest so much more refreshing than the ones I usually get from my Western audiences (which while critical, are also remarkably and obviously different).
Saniya from Pakistan who was at the screening writes:

Hi Parvez,

Thank you so much for your film last night. I have to say that the best line in the film was that the, "Prophet was a femininst." Amazing how much effort goes into making a project come to completion. Where you must have started and then to bring it back to Bombay for a screening. Amazing!

Very Best,

saniya
I was surrounded by love, criticism, admiration and disagreement. And every single minute of it was worthwhile and priceless. Pictures and Video will follow when I return to the US.

And Shabnam writes
To,
Mr. Parvez
It was a good experience watching Jihad for Love yesterday... Its a topic tht is rarely covered.

And this from Ana

I saw the film at the festival at IHC in Delhi. I just wanted to express my utterly strong impressions about the film to the director!!! He has done a truly remarkable work! I'm a PhD student in social anthropology in Sweden and happened to be at IHC at the time. I have a large interest in how anthropological knowledge can be expressed in other media than academic texts, and from my perspective, this is what has been done here! My research project concerns gender construction in South India, so the topic of the film was also very interesting for me. Living in the West where homosexuality is more accepted, the film gives much insight to what it can mean to have a strong religious faith, something we often tend to neglect. Especially the islamic faith is being stigmatised and simplified. Issues such as what can be involved in being a refugee is also well expressed. I find it highly important to show the film in Europe, and I wish you good luck for an award in Berlin!
Best regards,

Anna Laine, University of Gothenburg,
Gothenburg, Sweden

Dilli ki Garmi: The Heat in Delhi and the Best Documentary Award

It is winter here in Dilli-but the temperature last night at the India Habitat Center was HOT! Here I am in my hometown and 400 people show up to the Indian premiere of 'A Jihad for Love' last night. To put it simply, it was an overwhelming and very emotional night. The audience temperature was high and that meant a question and answer where I engaged with that large and very supportive audience for more than 40 minutes. For the Tri-Continetal Film Festival that was a record turn out. As one man who came all the way from Dehradun (more than seven hours away) told me: "Thank you Parvez. I have been gay all my life and tonight you opened up a door and gave me courage that I will take away". A group of young Muslim men and I debated for quite a while after the screening-the consensus amongst them was that while they could not say that homosexuality was acceptable in Islam, they were going away with atleast a significant amount to think about. We spoke about the finer aspects of the film, for long in Hindi and Urdu-as I found it easier to communicate the ideas I had in our own languages. They promised me that they would try and spread the word so that more people-and especially young Muslims in India could engage with the film. Clearly many discussions remain to be had and I feel fortunate and blessed to bring this discussion to a clearly engaged and very supportive hometown crowd. The film has also won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Award here and it was ironic for me to recieve the award from the heart of the Delhi political and bureaucratic scene-Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit gave me the award.

This is home my friends and nothing can be a greater or more personal journey for me than to bring this film here. For 400 people to show up to see this film in a week that has seen some of the worst personal attacks on many Muslim intellectuals in India, is a sign of significant hope. I promise to keep you all updated on these rich and meaningful discussions here in India, the worlds only real democracy in my opinion and certainly a nation that has the worlds second largest Muslim population.

The film will also probably get seen by millions more here. For now- I cannot reveal how, but keep watching this space for more updates from here and from the road.

Clearly coming to a non-Western audience for the first time with this film-is a huge personal victory for me and points the way forward to discussions and debate that will be remarkably different.

I am also going to be up-loading an unedited video someone filmed of a portion of the question and answer-so you see it, as it was ; )

Parvez Sharma on The Huffington Post again

Folks in these strange times, please read my latest blog featured on The Huffington Post, in the politics section

The Martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto

Suhail's Jihad

A dear friend Suhail Abu al-Sameed has been thrown right into the storm generated by the MJC's Hukum in South Africa-that follows showings of the film there. Suhail became a part of the debate raging around Islam and Homosexuality in that country, from the time we went on The Voice of the Cape. I have known Suhail for years and he is a remarkable and courageous activist who deserves all of our support.

For more details on Suhail coming out to Ulema in Johannesburg go to:

Gay Muslim Outs Himself to Muslim Scholars at Conference

MJC Hukum and its repercussions

MJC's (Muslim Judicial Council, South Africa) Hukum and A Jihad for Love were discussed in the majority of mosques in the Western Cape over the last week. Amongst many liberal Muslims in the Western Cape, the response has been that the MJC has been reactionary. Many have spoken to Imam Muhsin Hendricks and many have emailed me. We look at the MJC's Hukum as an opportunity to work with the community and with the MJC and we seek to invite Maulana Abdul Khaliq Allie and Maulana Ahsaan Hendricks from the MJC to see the film when we open in theaters in South Africa over the next few months. We look forward to positive engagement with the Muslim Judicial Council in South Africa and I use this opportunity once again to invite the venerable Mufti Abdul Kader Hoosen to see the film as well.

I reproduce here one recent background article from the Voice of The Cape, a Radio Station that had the courage and the vision to discuss this issue in public and graciously invite us to be on their show. (I reproduce directly from their website, without punctuation changes) Gay Muslim film raises CTN temperature

Posted on: 16/11/2007 14:56:35

The Muslim Judicial Council has raised fierce objection to a program done on VOC on Friday morning which focused on the documentary film Jihad for Love, which runs in Cape Town until Saturday, saying that the program gave exposure to controversial figures in the community on an explosive issue. The film which was made over almost six years documents the lives of gay Muslims in 12 countries -- to tell the story of Islam by the most unlikely storytellers: lesbian and gay Muslims". The MJC charged that the coverage on the film had "helped to propagate an ideology and ideas which are very much resented in any Islamic community". Since the program was aired, our telephone lines have been inundated with calls from people objecting to the exposure given to homosexual activity amongst certain individuals. "We strongly object to this kind of presentation of a lifestyle which is foreign to Islam and Muslims. We do not look upon this as a broadminded view since it encourages homosexualism," said MJC secretary general, Maulana Abdul Khaliq Allie. "On behalf of every right-minded Muslim at the Cape and South Africa, we demand that this type of attitude of VOC shall end immediately and they should not try to be 'with it'. Moreover, to air such a program without a rebuttal from the ulema's side to reject such views is not only professional at all. Lastly, we object to VOC propagating and advertising the film on homosexualism," Ml Allie concluded. In response, VOC denied that the ulema had not been given an opportunity to state the opposing view, adding that the station had taken care to presents all sides to the program. This was most strongly demonstrated by the views of Mufti Abdul Kader Hoosain which aired on Thursday evening and was repeated on Friday on the Open Line @ 9am, to show the different perspectives the documentary tried to reflect. Ulema position The Quran is replete with the incident of Lut's people in so many verses. In one verse Allah SWA said that Allah 'picked up the earth and smashed it to the ground'. Even today if you go to that part of Palestine, you will find that it is the lowest portion in altitude on this earth. That is a relic and remnant for people to take heed of what had happened to the people of Sodom and Gomorra. Not only Islam -- every religion, whether Christianity or Judaism -- have abhorred it, outlawed it," Mufti AK said. He also quoted the hadith which stating that if two consenting adults engaged in a homosexual act, it would be punishable by death. "The only difference among the jurists is the method of capital punishment. Some say we must take them to the apex, or the mountain, otherse say throw them down and put a wall over them. If any person with a Muslims name considers it permissible and calls himself and imam, he is a murtad and outside of the fold of Islam. There are no two opinions on this issue. It is absolutely haraam. What we see on the internet and in films today is a reminder of what the Nabi SAW had said centuries ago -- that one of the things he feared most for his people was that they would become involved in homosexuality and the gay business." Asked why he had allowed himself to be filmed as part of the documentary film, Mufti Hoosain explained that he had first engaged in debate a few years ago with Imam Muhsin Hendricks, the local gay imam who came out of the closet and subsequently started a support group for queer Muslims in Cape Town. This had raised the ire of the Muslim community around the country with many ready to take strong action against him. Hendricks is one of the people gay Muslim filmmaker Parvez Sharma focused on in the documentary. "I was in Makkah at the time when CII called me to say there was an imam in Cape Town who was challenging the ulema and no one wanted to take him on. I later found out that other ulema in the Cape had spoken out against him. I was in the Haram at the time and I agreed to participate in the debate, which he lost very badly. Then after a few years they contacted me again to say they wanted to record the debate again for the foreign audience who had not heard the first debate. I then met with him in my home, but I told Muhsin that there is unanimity from the ulema on his position as a murtad and as such, I was not even willing to take his hand, because he was still trying to justify his position. My interaction with him was only so that he comes back into the fold of Islam and don't try to please the Shaytan. I told him that if he was to die at that point, not one imam would perform salah on him. I also asked him to realise how many people he was leading astray because he carried the title of Imam in front of his name." Asked if this meant that Muslims could engage with the gay Muslim community on how to deal with homosexuality, Mufti said: "In Islam we don't say that we must engage with them to the extent that we socialise with them. But history tells us that we are able to engage in intellectual debate with those whom we have difference. For example, Musa AS had the debate with the Sahireen and those involved in witchcraft. So we have to try our level best to bring them best to Islam. But if the person has made up his mind and they adamantly hold onto their views, then you must ex-communicate them totally. This applies as much to the murtad as it does for those who wish to justify and legalise homosexuality." Debate However, he added that Muslims could not sweep the existence of homosexuality under the carpet. The best way to deal with it, he said, was to face reality. "To push everything under the carpet and live in denial that it is not happening, is a lie. If there is a problem -- whether it is drugs or homosexuality -- then we must address it in the light of Quran and Sunnah, as we will address this issue too. But any person who tries to justify it, that we will condemn at all platforms at all times because it can never ever be allowed in Islam. Asked if documentaries like these help Muslims to deal with the reality of homosexuality in their midst, Mufti said: "Definitely. Allah forbid but there are so many respected people whom we interact with who would like to think that their sons of daughters do not become involved in drugs for example. Yet it happens. Allah forbid, homosexuality can also creep into our ummah. The constitution in this country is so lax that everything -- Adam and Eve, Adam and Steve, Madam and Eve, all of it goes. Legally you can't even take action. "Therefore the only way you and I as Muslims can win this battle is to show them the beauty of Islam, interact with them in the form of debate and not just tell them they will go straight to hell without pardon. If we can bring back one of them, because we must never lose faith in the mercy of Allah, then we must try to do so. But they must know what they are doing can never be justified. And if they do justify it, they are murtad and out of the fold of Islam," he said. VOC said knowing that the matter was a sensitive one, it ran opinion polls ahead of the program which conveyed the sentiment also expressed by most of the on air callers on Friday morning. The online poll conducted on Wednesday posed the question if films of this nature served a purpose in helping Muslims to deal with the reality of homosexual phenomenon. Only 22.9% thought the film did serve this purpose, but even so, 2.4% said they would still not see it while 20.5% said they would see it. However, the majority (77.1%) echoed the sentiments of on air callers who said they could not approve of the documentary under any circumstances since it pushed for gay acceptance. The station stressed that it had not done the program to debate whether homosexuality was accepted within Islam or not since this matter had repeatedly and vociferously been debated over the last four years on air with the majority opinion holding true to those of Mufti Hoosain's. "The intention of the program was to find out if the film helped Muslims deal better with the issue if it was your son or daughter that was conflicted by the battle to reconcile Islam with their sexuality. This is why a social welfare organisation like ISWA -- who also featured in the documentary - was included in the program, since they do not have a gay agenda, but could speak as social workers on how Muslims are dealing with the issue," the station said. Rushdi Sears of ISWA confirmed that homosexuality had always been part of the community, which had been tolerated as something that secretly took place, as long as no one was flaunting that lifestyle in the community's face. However post 1994, gays began to assert themselves more and this assertiveness led to increasing intolerance against homosexuals, more so than in previous years. "The issue was not as assertive today as it was 15 - 25 years ago and by assertive I mean there is an agenda now. People are now saying I am a Muslim, but I am also a homosexual. Does that make me wrong? We are saying that does not make you wrong, but we may differ with you on the actions you take." Understand not Accept "At ISWA we believe that when people present a problem, they are not the problem themselves. Homosexuality is a reality we cannot wish away. But in our society there are many misconceptions about homosexuals. People believe if you are gay you sleep around. Yet we don't make the same assumption of heterosexuals. It is a terrible distortion made of homosexuality. ISWA is about trying to understand people and in that process, give them options and guidance on how to better to come to terms with the situation they find themselves in. But while we may understand it, that does not necessarily mean we agree with their position. This is how we believe Muslims should behave." To further add balance to the program, callers were allowed to raise their opinion. Two of whom who had seen the film had distinctly different opinions. One said he had been expected Islam to be bashed in the film and had gone to watch it for educational purposes, but he had been surprised by the fact that the film did not depict anything negative about Islam. "There was nothing disparaging about it Islam, it was in fact a very human movie. It dealt with the internal jihad these people had (as they tried to deal with their homosexuality and Islam). I in fact apologise unreservedly for my attitude towards gays before I saw this film." However, a second person who saw the film had the exact opposite view, saying that while the film "had some Islamic aspects"he still could not accept the gay agenda of the film. "Will we accept child pornography or bestiality? Of course not. Homosexuality is the same thing," he said, confirming that his opinion had not been changed after seeing the film. All the other callers share similar sentiments. Some said the film's attempt to create a different understanding about Jihad as "an inner struggle", rather than a terrorist activity -- which had won over most non-Muslim audiences -- was used as a "strategic and emotional seduction" to gain acceptance for the gay agenda. Another caller said: "We have been taught if something was wrong, you stay away from it. It is as simple as that. Discussing it just helps to create a platform to promote it." VOC added that the film had been widely discussed on most mainstream radio station in the Cape in the last week. "The minute our listeners heard it on the commercial stations this week, they called us to ask if we were also going to cover it because they wanted to hear a different perspective on it. We felt that since it was a film that dealt with Muslims and Islam -- homosexual or otherwise -- it was unacceptable for it to be dealt with by everyone except the Muslim community. "VOC took every care to cover all sides to this debate, because we believe that we cannot shy away from challenging issues, rather we should seek the opportunity to deal with it responsibly, which we believe we have done with our best intentions. The maturity with which our listeners responded on air, which showed dignity to all parties despite the vast chasm between the two sides, we believe is a credit to our listenership for which we are grateful." VOC Matthieu Tancrede writes in from Montreal Thank you for your film, I was at the Montreal's screening and the documentary really moved me. Hope the recovery is doing well, in french we have an expression that says: le repos du guerrier, I guess the Jihadi's rest is well deserved. I was wondering if you have news from the two Iranian men who were still waiting in Turkey at the end of the movie. What happened to them ?

Nina's Heavenly Delights

Please watch my friend Pratibha Parmar's first feature-Ninas's Heavenly Delights now in its first week of theatrical in New York and opening in San Francisco. Pratibha is an accomplished filmmaker who first captured our hearts with "Khush" and now brings us this urban fairy tale about Garam Masala, Curry, Korma TV and Indians with Scottish accents ; )
Also comments are pouring in from around the world for Jihad. I can hardly keep up. This from Montreal (someone who actually saw the film as opposed to those who condemn (see MJC below) without seeing the film).
Hi Parvez, i want to thank you for producing this documentary. it was touching and inspiring. it renews faith in love and humanity!
Thank you.
Marius Wolfe
In addition to all those comments from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Doha and Bangladesh-the hunger for 'Jihad' is widespread-we need to find ways to spread the movement within the Ummah and beyond. 'Datu' writes in from the Phillipines.
"i just wanted to ask if your film will ever be screened here in our country. i'm a 20-year-old closet mtf tran, and i'd be very glad if there would ever be an opportunity for me--as well as every silent queer muslim out here--to watch it."

South Africa's MJC Issues a Hukum (Judgement) against "Gay Justifiers." We are now Murtads (Apostates)

It is official. The powerful Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) of South Africa has issued a hukum or judgement, much like a fatwa, calling people like myself and Muhsin murtads, or apostates. The sin of apostasy carries the death penalty in many schools of Islamic jurisprudence. Muhsin has just told me that as he attended Friday prayers at a local mosque in Cape Town, the entire Khutbah (or Friday sermon) was against the film and him, in particular. Muhsin is a hero for so many of us: to sit and listen to a sermon that denounces you is an act of courage that has few parallels. Muhsin sat through the entire sermon and did his prayers, as he always does. I reproduce below the Report from The Voice of the Cape Website posted on the 26th of November, 2007 about the rising controversy in South Africa. I request that you all post comments here so that we can compile them and send them to the MJC and invite those who pass judgment to come and see the film in large numbers when we screen theatrically in South Africa in 2008.

Support for murtad hukum on gay justifiers
Posted on: 26/11/2007 09:13:41
Following a hukum read out on Friday in most Western Cape mosques by the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), 80% of those polled by VOC agreed that people who justified homosexuality as being acceptable were out of the fold of Islam. 7% agreed to some extent while 13% disagreed with this ruling. The hukum followed after the MJC liaised with other ulema in the country to reach consensus on the issue.

In the statement, the MJC declared that any Muslim who �rejects the clear injunction of Islam on the homosexuality and believes it to be right, acceptable or correct, is regarded as out of the fold of Islam and such a person is decreed to be at murtad (an apostate). In conformity with centuries of unambiguous and clear evidence from the Glorious Quran, the Sunnah and the consensus of the scholars of Islam, the MJC condemns the practise of homosexuality, the inclination towards it and its lifestyle. The meeting unanimously reaffirmed the decision of its Fatwa Committee that the practise of homosexuality is haraam (forbidden and abominable).

The announcement comes after a gay Muslim documentary film,Parvez Sharma's Jihad for love showed earlier this month at the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival drew a wide response. The outrage was irked on especially after VOC raised it on air 10 days ago to question whether films of this nature helped the Muslim community to deal with the repercussions of homosexuality.

It was the second time this year that VOC looked at homosexuality and comes after a debate on VOCs Pichara where the focus was on what the Quran and hadith said on homosexuality. The point that most outraged Muslims was a claim made Imam Muhsin Hendricks of the local gay lobby group, Inner-Circle, one of the gay Muslims featured in the documentary, who said that the traditional texts had to be reinterpreted in terms of homosexuality.

According to the MJC who had distanced itself from the Open Line @ 9 show on 16 November, it had been flooded with complaints from the public after the broadcast. But the broadcast had also provided the ulema body with an opportunity to address the prevalence of homosexuality in its midst. While the South Africa's liberal constitution assured homosexuals the right to exist and even marry, the ulema body said it was still within its right to offer Muslims guidance on the Shariah perspective on the matter.

However, not everyone agreed the hukum. It is a very, very dangerous thing to do to issue a hukum of murtad on someone. We must take care not to cast people with whom we differ from the fold of Islam. We are only now beginning to learn how to debate with dignity, thanks in part to the issues that our media like VOC are raising. If we are not careful, we run the risk of returning to the bad old days when we were too quick to call someone who held different views a mushriq or kafir,� one concerned member of the public said.

But comments have also come from other side of the fence. "I would like to commend VOC as a community radio station for living up to its name - being a platform for debate to the community. Yes, LGBTQ people are a part of this community. I ask of my fellow Muslims what is it that makes them so uncomfortable about this topic that they want to resort to violence and threats. I would also like to know what is so offensive about the documentary that it can evoke this type of a response from my fellow Muslims. I am a gay Muslim woman and have been living this lifestyle for the past 28 years. I have experienced the pain of being a gay Muslim and I have seen the pain of others trying to deal with their sexual orientation homophobia from family, friends and the community.

Believe me, this is not a life anyone would want to choose. I have come to terms with who I am but I have always prayed to be normal, but you know this was not meant for me. I know of people who thought they had a choice; their choice was to hide their sexual persuasion, live a life of deceit. As far as the community is concerned they probably made the right choice. I ask right for who? We are not asking for the world to be gay; we are only asking for our human rights and to be allowed to practice our religion as we are all spiritual beings. Shukran to VOC for starting this debate. I feel as community we can only grow by listening and debating dissenting views. We are not strangers we are your family and sisters and brothers in Islam" she concluded. VOC

Karan Singh from Montreal writes in on FaceBook:
"Hi Parvez,
I was at a screening of your film in Montreal...I just wanted to say what a great effort it was.....it was both courageous and inspiring.
Best with this and all your future efforts.
karan."

CR Davies writes in here:
"Is Islam really so fragile that things like homosexuality and "provocatively" named teddy bears threaten to destroy the religion's very core? Whatever happened to the tradition of debate and reasoned inquiry, not to mention the concept of compassion and the appreciation of all God's creatures? Condemnations fly from every direction, and one could scarcely be blamed nowadays for thinking Islam is the religion of the intolerant. Congratulations, Mr. Sharma, on making a courageous, beautiful, and necessary film. My prayers and support are with you, with Muhsin Hendricks, and with all the subjects in your film, as you chip away at the walls of ignorance, hatred, and bigotry. "

And the last word belongs to Faheem from Cape Town :
"Hello to all and Salam to all Muslim people. I would like to express my disgust in the growth of this sinful and demoralising activity - homosexuality.
I have read the interview by Hassan Mirza to yourself Parvez and although this conversation is intelectually and homosexually appetizing to all your gay readers and fans, its definitely not applaud-able to any sensible muslim or non-muslim.
You claim to be the first person to break the walls of silence in defense of gays when the gay issue has not been silent at all. The stench of its gaping hole has long been opposed in the Holy Quran. When you say that you dont have a choice to be muslim, you actually have made a concious choice not to obey Islam publically. Islam means to submit to Allahs laws and will.
Just rememebr that our Prophet muhammad SAW has left for us a complete religion and what you are doing is nothing but distorting and corrupting the minds of many young people who choose to be misguided by you willingly or through their vulnerability.
You should take some time off and really make a conscious decision as to what you really want to happen to you once the two Angels appear in your grave.
Allah is Most Forgiving and he forgives all sins except Shirk (making partners with Him). I dont know if these words wil ever reach your heart but please take not of the following...
If gays assume that Islam has a place for homosexuality then why do the laws of Mahram and non-Mahram apply to women and men relationships? If you have to cover your Auwrah (portion of your body between navel and knees) from other strange women and males, and women in turn have to cover their whole body except hands and face from strange men, then how would these laws apply to gay or lesbian people? If the Quran or hadeeth does not advise us on these issues then who will be brave/ignorant enough to add to the pure wording and guidance from the Quran?
If gay people say that people shouldnt assume that they have anal intercourse, then what is it that they desire in same gender relationships, as all humans have the natural tendencies of carnal desires. So what leads to Haraam is Haraam and inhibiting or encouraging homosexuality will only encourage anal sexual intercourse isnt it? This type of intercourse is strictly forbidden in Islam between unmarried / married heterosexual couples. Needless to say that if this is Haraam for heterosexuals, then what is there left for gay 'muslims' to deny/justify?
You need to make ghusl, and then make Toubah (return to Allah in forgiveness) and say your Kalimah again and start immediately promoting the correct beliefs which Allah has instructed us with.
No man or woman is born gay/lesbian. It is a conscious decision you have made and do not blame Allah for your shortcomings.
Allah knows best. May He guide and protect us from our infallibility."

There is always a difference between how Muslims who see the film respond, and those who condemn the film's very existence without seeing it. Seiraj from Cape Town writes:
"Hello
Saw the film in Johannesburg, what an achievement - Parvez, Sandi, Muhsin and everyone else involved: thankyou for an important film that will divide opinion but generate much-needed debate.
My mom is in Cape Town and would like to see the film. I see I've missed the Out in Africa film festival dates in CT, will the film be shown again soon in CT?
best wishes
Sieraaj"

And then this from Rashid, who I am not sure has seen the film:
Dear "Faheem from Cape Town":
As a gay man, (yes, openly proud, too) I take very strong offense to your statement that being gay is a conscious, morally outrageous decision, and that no one is born gay or lesbian. As if anyone would choose to receive such condemnation as you provide! If you're not gay yourself, how dare you get into the minds of and speak on behalf of those who are? How would you know anything about what it is to be gay? Furthermore, if, as you say so confidently, "Allah knows best," then STOP usurping His authority and making judgments on His behalf. Are you not being blasphemous yourself by assuming His role here on Earth as His designated spokesperson? For shame!

Images from the Montreal Awards Ceremony and the Sold Out Screenings and Q and A's

The photographer is Peter Kom

72 Hours, Two Best Documentary Awards

Last night in Montreal- was profound and amazing.
One sold out screening here at Image+Nation Festival. The Festival decides to do a second screening and that sells out as well within minutes. People queue up in large numbers. An Egyptian man, who was almost on the Queen Boat, sobs and says the film is about his life. A young Muslim man finds affirmation in the fact that at fifteen a Sheikh told him he could not be gay and Muslim, and that now in his twenties, watching the film, he finally finds some answers in the faith he had almost rejected. A Malaysian Muslim commits to helping us when we bring the film to Malaysia.
And finally, less than 72 hours after our Best Documentary Award in Sao Paulo, the Jury here in Montreal votes and decides that 'A Jihad for Love' is the Best Documentary at the Festival.
After last night's screening, Rony writes:
"Hi Parvez,
I really was touched by your movie tonight, very well made.
I hope it will inspire the community and start a kind of revolution to change things and help the others who dont have the chance to live in a free country.
So many are in pain and at risk of death, and not much we can do about it, but it takes sometimes a "small" start like that for a big change.
Good luck and hope to see you in Montreal soon.
Rony"
Faheem from South Africa writes again:

Parvez..
I have been working with a few gay people for a couple of months. Them being good people to work does not justify the fact that they still are sinning.
Homosexuality is sinful, and anal sex is Haraam and punishable in Islam.
Regards - Faheem
And then another comment from The Mother City (Cape Town), clearly Ground Zero for the film, atleast in the ten weeks since the film was born.

Hi Mr Sharma
I truly commend you for the beautiful film you have made.I am fortunate to live in Cape Town which does protect the rights of our gay and lesbian citizens.I know many gay muslim men and it is quite sad to see how they are treated by misguided members of their muslim brother and sisters.At the end of day, we are children of God and from what i know, Islam is a religion of peace and love so the hatred directed at the gay community is alarming. We are not here to judge anybody irrespective of creed, race or sexual orientation.

Montreal Tomorrow, Some More Comments

Our 5 pm screening in Montreal tomorrow is sold out, so an additional one has been added at 7 and hopefully many of you can make it.
Here is how the festival describes the film and you can buy tickets here
A Jihad for Love
Parvez Sharma | USA/ UK/ FR/ GER/ AU | 2007 | video | 81 min | multilingual | s-t.a_en
“If the One above forgives you, then the world has no right to judge you.” Parvez Sharma’s A Jihad of Love is the first full-length documentary about devout gay and lesbian Muslims. From the Cairo 52 trial to the relatively liberal Islamic Republic of Turkey, he explodes myths and stereotypes about Islam perpetuated by a Western media focused on fundamentalists. Sharma challenges historically-driven interpretations of the stories of Lut, Gomorrah and Sodom, and clarifies the meaning of the frequently misinterpreted word jihad. From a lesbian couple living in Paris to a gay father and imam in South Africa, Sharma depicts Islam’s diversity and richness, and the moving struggles of our courageous Muslim LGBT brothers and sisters worldwide. Produced by Sandi Dubowski (Trembling Before G-D), Sharma’s astonishing debut was 6 years in the making and shot in 9 languages and 12 countries. A haunting, timely documentary that resonates with our current preoccupations with accommodements raisonnables and Islamophobia, Sharma’s film perhaps represents his own jihad ul-nafs. Sharma reminds us that Islam means submission unto a law of mercy, and that there is no substitute for love, be it that of a same-sex partner – or Allah. – BP
sunday 25 nov_17:00 | PGM67 | J.A. de Seve
Également dans ce programme : Aly M

Meanwhile, this from Mr Fahim Jackson who I assume is in South Africa:
"Hello to all and Salam to all Muslim people. I would like to express my disgust in the growth of this sinful and demoralising activity - homosexuality.
I have read the interview by Hassan Mirza to yourself Parvez and although this conversation is intelectually and homosexually appetizing to all your gay readers and fans, its definitely not applaud-able to any sensible muslim or non-muslim.
You claim to be the first person to break the walls of silence in defense of gays when the gay issue has not been silent at all. The stench of its gaping hole has long been opposed in the Holy Quran. When you say that you dont have a choice to be muslim, you actually have made a concious choice not to obey Islam publically. Islam means to submit to Allahs laws and will.
Just rememebr that our Prophet muhammad SAW has left for us a complete religion and what you are doing is nothing but distorting and corrupting the minds of many young people who choose to be misguided by you willingly or through their vulnerability.
You should take some time off and really make a conscious decision as to what you really want to happen to you once the two Angels appear in your grave.
Allah is Most Forgiving and he forgives all sins except Shirk (making partners with Him). I dont know if these words wil ever reach your heart but please take not of the following...
If gays assume that Islam has a place for homosexuality then why do the laws of Mahram and non-Mahram apply to women and men relationships? If you have to cover your Auwrah (portion of your body between navel and knees) from other strange women and males, and women in turn have to cover their whole body except hands and face from strange men, then how would these laws apply to gay or lesbian people? If the Quran or hadeeth does not advise us on these issues then who will be brave/ignorant enough to add to the pure wording and guidance from the Quran?
If gay people say that people shouldnt assume that they have anal intercourse, then what is it that they desire in same gender relationships, as all humans have the natural tendencies of carnal desires. So what leads to Haraam is Haraam and inhibiting or encouraging homosexuality will only encourage anal sexual intercourse isnt it? This type of intercourse is strictly forbidden in Islam between unmarried / married heterosexual couples. Needless to say that if this is Haraam for heterosexuals, then what is there left for gay 'muslims' to deny/justify?
You need to make ghusl, and then make Toubah (return to Allah in forgiveness) and say your Kalimah again and start immediately promoting the correct beliefs which Allah has instructed us with.
No man or woman is born gay/lesbian. It is a conscious decision you have made and do not blame Allah for your shortcomings.
Allah knows best. May He guide and protect us from our infallibility. "

My response to Brother Faheem:
How can we meet Inshaallah and give you the opportunity to see the film?

Best Documentary Award

A Jihad for Love was awarded the Best Documentary and People's Jury Award last night, here in So Paulo at the MIX BRASIL Festival. We will be adding pictures soon.