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Zarqa Nawaz and
FUNdamentalist Films
 Her
hijab (head scarf) is firmly in place, her slender frame encased in
an ankle length skirt and a full-sleeved top. One is tempted to cast this
mother of four as a "typical" Muslim woman. But listening to her, or
viewing her films makes one realize that she is all about breaking
stereotypes.
This 34-year-old filmmaker and journalist who describes herself as a
Canadian Muslim has acquired a cult status with her films, which examine
and demolish stereotypes associated with Muslims as terrorists, wife
abusers and religious extremists. And that too with loads of wit. The name
of her production company "FUNdamentalist Films" reflects her satirical
bent of mind, and this streak is evident in her film trilogy - 'BBQ
Muslims', 'Death Threat' and her first feature 'Real Terrorists Don't
Belly Dance'.
While the motto of FUNdamentalist Films is to put "fun back into
fundamentalism" the trilogy is what she calls "terrordies", or comedies
about terrorism. The films have been widely acclaimed, and requests have
been pouring in for copies. So much so that Nawaz quips, "I could spend my
lifetime at the post office, mailing them (the cassettes) out."
'BBQ Muslims' is about two hapless Muslim brothers who are suspected of
being terrorists after their gas barbecue explodes, and 'Death Threat' was
a take off on the fatwa (decree) issued by religious clerics against
Salman Rushdie and Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen for their writings.
Her current project, 'Real Terrorists Don't Bellydance', concerns a
struggling actor named Amir who's engaged to a high-powered public
relations consultant. With his finances dwindling (his most recent job was
as a belly-dancing mango at a fruit juicer's convention) Amir accepts a
role in a movie being financed by a group of Moose Jaw dentists, without
reading the script. Too late, he discovers he is to play a terrorist/bank
robber. Meanwhile, a Muslim organization has hired his fiancée to shame
investors into withdrawing their support for the film because of its
negative portrayal of Muslims.
While the reaction to her films within her community has been positive,
Nawaz says, "Some Muslims worry that I'm making fun of Muslims in my
films. My response is that I would rather see a goofy, silly Muslim on
film which is essentially harmless than a Muslim playing competent wife
abuser."
It is such articulation that sets her apart. Although proud of her
religion and her Muslim identity, Nawaz does not believe that a woman's
role is confined to domestic boundaries. One of the first things she made
clear to her husband-to-be was that she "wanted to work, make films, be a
journalist and have a career" and asked him if he would he be willing to
take on the burden of being with children. And he was.
So, while Nawaz maintains a hectic work and travel schedule, her doctor
husband takes care of their four children and she says he is very good at
it. The couple has different approaches to their respective work. Says
Nawaz, "He doesn't quite understand why my career means so much to me. He
works only so that he can have a great life and thinks that a job is just
to earn enough money, but he knows work is everything for me. So he is
always glad when something exciting is happening, because he feels "she
will be happy for the next month and-a-half."
For someone so free-spirited, her decision to wear the hijab does
come as a surprise since it is widely perceived as a symbol of
subjugation. "There was this wave throughout North America during which
Muslim women adopted hijab not as active submission but as a sense
of political identity. It gave a sense of belonging in the world where we
did not quite fit in. So we identified us as a group and organized camps,
conferences. We found a place for ourselves in North America and learnt
about our religion very differently from how our mothers did. They learnt
this very repressive / oppressive view of Islam and we learnt it so
differently. We didn't know there were women out there who were being
oppressed because of the hijab. Here it meant emancipation,
freedom, a relationship."
The flip side, quips the filmmaker, was that thanks to the hijab,
"the right men paid attention to you". These were "well-educated men who
learnt Islam in North America and knew how to treat women".
Nawaz is however, acutely aware of the practices that disallow women from
participating fully in religious affairs, and a strident version of Islam
that is making its presence felt even in North American mosques. "We are
dealing with men who are coming from those (conservative) countries and
bringing that type of Islam into mosques and our husbands who support us
are almost outnumbered in many of these places."
The next decade or two, she feels, will be a struggle to wrest control of
these mosques from the conservative elements. "There are so many Muslim
women putting pressure on mosques and saying you can't treat us like this.
We have a right and a voice to participate. I think our biggest challenge
is how to become moderate Muslims, how to maintain moderation within our
religion and how to counteract the mentality that the one who has longest
beard is right."
Meanwhile, in the larger public space, Nawaz attempts to ally
misconceptions about Muslims. She believes that one of the reasons why
racist stereotypes (of Muslims) persist is because of the community's
under representation in mass media as well as public life; they have to
break this bubble of isolation.
"As a community, we're realizing that rather than sit back and complain
about our representation, we have to be proactive in creating our own
image. Become filmmakers, become journalists, own our own newspapers,
participate in society." Nawaz does not of course intend making only
"terrordies". Once the trilogy is complete, she is all set to work on a
children's film. "It would have some Muslim characters and some elements
of my community, my culture, but that is about all. I want to make films
with wide appeal."
Not surprising, if you hear about her ambitions as a film maker. "The next
Muslim version of Steven Spielberg would be my perfect fantasy. That is
how I see myself in future."
– V. Radhika
August 10, 2003
By arrangement with
Womens Feature Service
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