Islamic History of Europe

Film Credits  Rageh Omar(BBC)   

Synopsis Rageh Omaar uncovers the hidden story of Europe's Islamic past and looks back to a golden age when European civilisation was enriched by Islamic learning. Rageh travels across medieval Muslim Europe to reveal the vibrant civilisation that Muslims brought to the West. This evocative film brings to life a time when emirs and caliphs dominated Spain and Sicily and Islamic scholarship swept into the major cities of Europe.

His journey reveals the debt owed to Islam for its vital contribution to the European Renaissance.

 Islam: Empire of Faith

Film Credits: 

 Writers: Jonathan Grupper, Patrick Prentice, Richard Roughton 

Produced and Directed by:  Robert Gardner 

Narrated by:  Ben Kingsley 

Synopsis Islam: Empire of Faith is the epic PBS documentary that charts the history of Islam from its beginnings in Mecca and Medina in the seventh century to the glory of the Ottoman Empire 1,000 years later. 

Islam: Empire of Faith is narrated by Academy Award winning actor Ben Kingsley. The three-hour program tells the spectacular story of the great sweep of Islamic power and faith, from the birth of the Prophet Muhammed to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. Historical re-enactments and a remarkable exposition of Islamic art, artifacts and architecture are combined with interviews of scholars from around the world to recount the rise and importance of early Islamic civilization. Increasingly, scholars and historians are recognizing the profound impact that Islamic civilization has had on Western culture and the course of world history.

Inside Mecca 

Film Credits  

Directed by: Anisa Mehdi 

Supervising Producer/Director: Chris Sondreal 

Editor: Traci Zambotti 

Synopsis: 

Originally aired on PBS, this installment to the multi-award winning National Geographic series offers an intimate documentation of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Aside from providing insight regarding the universal principles of Islam, this production emphasizes the historical significance of Mecca to both the Muslim and non-Muslim population. Oftentimes constituting a journey of epic proportions, National Geographic Video Inside Mecca follows several pilgrims throughout their trip, and takes pains to highlight their physical and mental preparation, the strain induced by the journey itself, and the spiritual ecstasy experienced upon arrival.

Frontiers of Fears and Dreams 

Film Credits

 Director/Producer/ Screenwriter: Mai Masri 

Synopsis Offering a rare glimpse into one side of the Middle East conflict, FRONTIERS OF DREAMS AND FEARS explores the lives of a group of Palestinian children growing up in refugee camps.

The film focuses on two teenage girls, Mona and Manar. Although living in refugee camps miles apart, the girls manage to communicate and become friends with each other despite the overwhelming barriers separating them. The film reveals their lives and dreams and their growing relationship, at first through email, then culminating in their dramatic meeting at the fence that separates them at the Lebanese/Israeli border.

Film Credits

Created and Produced by:  Alexander Kronemer, Michael Wolfe 

Produced and Directed by:Michael Schwarz

Film Synopsis A man who could not read or write announced that he was the prophet of God.

His name was Muhammad, and in the next 23 years he would bring peace to the warring pagan tribes of Arabia and establish the new religion of Islam, which today has 1.6 billion followers. This sweeping two-hour documentary goes well beyond the boundaries of the past. "Muhammad is 'history in the present tense,'" says co-creator/producer Michael Wolfe, a well-known Muslim author. While recounting the story of Muhammad, the documentary also conveys what many American Muslims believe Islam teaches, and how their beliefs shape their lives. The documentary takes viewers into the homes, mosques and work places of some of America's Muslims to discover the many ways in which they follow Muhammad's example and interpret his life and his message today. Through these inter-linked narratives, the filmmakers connect past and present, prophet and follower, within an innovative film structure.

One American’s Pilgrimage to Mecca

Film Credits  Michael Wolfe 

SynopsisFor over 1,400 years, Muslims have been performing the pilgrimage, or Hajj, to the sacred site of Mecca. In modern times, approximately two million Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca each year, a trip required of all Muslims at least once in lifetime if they are able. During the Hajj, Muslims from all over the world come together for a few days to participate in common rituals, joined together by their shared faith in the most holy places of Islam. As the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the site where he first received Qur’anic revelation, Mecca is a place of great spirituality and tradition.

Since only Muslims may enter Mecca, it is a place that few Americans will get to see, which makes this piece especially interesting.  Following writer/producer Michael Wolfe, the film documents his second trip or Hajj for ABC News’ Nightline. One of the more than seven million Muslims in the United States, Wolfe is a convert to Islam, born to a Christian mother and a Jewish father.  Speaking live from the Ka’ba, the Great Mosque in Mecca, in an interview with ABC News’ Ted Koppel, Wolfe takes viewers step-by-step through both the physical and spiritual aspects of the pilgrimage, explaining the origins and meanings of the various rituals.