In reality, the film attempts to dispel the notion that Guantánamo inmates were “evildoers.” But critics claim that the word “jihad” in the film’s title is unacceptable, since jihad, as everyone knows, is a peaceful and benign concept referring to spiritual self-improvement.
For many years now I have pointed out that any treatment of jihad terrorism that even acknowledges it as a reality will be accused of “Islamophobia,” and there will be attempts to silence it. This incident is yet more confirmation of that.
“2 Sundance Staffers Resign in Response to Controversial ‘Jihad Rehab’ Documentary,” by Brian Welk, The Wrap, February 9, 2022 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
Two Sundance Institute employees have resigned in response to the controversial documentary “Jihad Rehab” that played at last month’s Sundance Film Festival, a Sundance representative confirmed.
Brenda Coughlin, director of Impact, Engagement and Advocacy with the Sundance Institute, and Karim Ahmad, director of the Outreach & Inclusion Program, both resigned following the festival in the wake of criticism that “Jihad Rehab” is Islamophobic and promotes jingoism and other stereotypes. And some associated with the movie have sought to distance themselves from their involvement via social media.
As first reported by IndieWire, Coughlin and Ahmad were each tagged on an email sent to the festival’s directors in which a group of Muslim filmmakers voiced their concerns over the documentary. However, neither participated in a Zoom follow-up meeting that staffers had with the authors of the letter to address their concerns.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to both Brenda Coughlin and Karim Ahmad for their contributions to Sundance Institute. As an organization, the Sundance Institute has always been about supporting artists. We’re grateful for everything the Impact, Engagement, and Advocacy and Outreach & Inclusion teams have done under Brenda and Karim’s leadership over the years to drive the Institute towards being more inclusive, accessible, and supportive of the diverse Sundance community,” a rep for Sundance said in a statement. “We deeply value the work of our teams in these areas from advancing our efforts to support storytelling by and for people who have been historically marginalized to continuing our field-building initiatives. We have so much more to do and we will continuously strive to be better. For now, we thank Brenda and Karim for sharing their guidance, expertise, and leadership during their time at Sundance and know they will continue to do meaningful work for artists and in the field in the future.”
Coughlin and Ahmad could not be reached for comment. Reps for Sundance did not immediately respond to TheWrap for requests for comment.
Both Coughlin and Ahmed are expected to stay on with the Sundance Institute through the end of the month.
“Jihad Rehab” centers on former Islamic radicals who undergo rehabilitation in a Saudi center meant to help them move back into mainstream society. It specifically follows three men who were detained at Guantanamo Bay in the U.S. for as many as 15 years before being sent to the Saudi rehabilitation center, and they now participate in art therapy and learn “interpersonal relations” as part of training for reintegration into society.
Director Meg Smaker, who was criticized for telling the story as a white, non-Muslim woman and for referring to the men in the film as “terrorists,” defended her movie to TheWrap in the wake of the backlash, saying that it “seeks to challenge audiences’ stereotypes” and hopes to “gives their lives value that they haven’t seemed to have before in our national narrative.” She said that the decision to call the subjects “terrorists” and pair their interviews with “rap sheets” was meant to invert the meaning of the word.
“We knew that a swath of the audience in America would probably still believe these men in Guantanamo were ‘evil doers,’” she previously told TheWrap. “That has been, unfortunately, a viewpoint for two decades now. This film seeks to challenge those stereotypes. American society has labeled these men this way and the film is intended as their chance to give their side.”
However, some Muslim critics noted that the use of the word “Jihad” in the film’s title misappropriates the term despite its wider meaning in Islam. In the film, employees at the rehabilitation center speak candidly about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and his record of human-rights abuse, and there were particular safety concerns for Saudis who participated in the festival’s virtual format this year….
Michael Copeland says
Jihad means to war against non-Muslims.
Manual of Islamic Law, “Reliance of the Traveller” o9.0.
It is a communal obligation, o9.1.
mortimer says
M.Copeland is concise on jihad. However, we are talking about the nebulous concept of ‘Islamophobia’.
The Sharia law (governing what Western people call blasphemy) says:
Reliance of the Traveller’ Chapter ‘O’ 11.10.05:
“The (DHIMMI) agreement is also violated … if one of the subject people:
-5- mentions something IMPERMISSIBLE about Allah, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), or Islam.”
Note that ‘blasphemy’ has nothing to do with this. It is sufficient to say something TRUTHFUL and ACCURATE and something ENTIRELY ISLAMIC that Muslims don’t wish the kafirs to know and THAT is ‘IMPERMISSIBLE’.
Muslims don’t want embarrassing facts of Islam to be known. So mentioning things about Islam that are TRUE, yet EMBARRASSING, is ‘IMPERMISSIBLE’.
Do you see?
Islam is an HONOR/SHAME culture. If something TRUE about Islam brings SHAME, then mentioning it is ‘IMPERMISSIBLE’ … and therefore that is ‘ISLAMOPHOBIC’.
Alfredo says
The great purge of all critics is on its way.
YouTube is already doing it and so is Twitter and Fakebook and most of the platforms controlled by the hateful Red/Green Alliance.
somehistory says
The Truth about islam, mozlums and the terror must remain covered, concealed, and colored to seem harmless.
These mozlums are terrorists; they use terror, threats of terror and promises of terror to influence the public, governments, agencies, and companies to bend to their evil will and remain in fear of further terror. In this way, they remain terrorists…unwilling to admit that they are terrorists, while using terror to spread islam.
gravenimage says
Two Sundance staffers resign in protest of jihad documentary accused of ‘Islamophobia’
…………….
Just appalling.
And note how much worse things have gotten–twenty years ago we were told it was “Islamophobic” to question Islam and Muslims–now it is off-limits to question Jihad terrorists.
And note that this documentary has gotten large amounts of flak for being “Islamophobic” even though it appears to be sympathetic to Jihad terrorists. More proof that no amount of appeasement is ever enough.
Here’s more on this stupidity:
https://www.documentary.org/online-feature/why-filmmakers-have-had-problem-jihad-rehab-years
Kenneth J Johnson says
How can a documentary be Islamphobic? Islamphobia is an irrationaL fear of Islam-. There is no such thing as irrational fear of Islaml. All fear of Islam is rational therefore Islamlphobia does not exist KEN.
Relic says
you’re here, but
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N3ay4j0fyM
Ade Fegan says
I don’t care what the bright eyed optimists say …. I think we’re screwed
OLD GUY says
Propaganda = Islamophobia, Islam wants nothing said or written that is truthful and telling about its violence, cruel and embarrassing acts. Just like a DICTATORSHIP Islam is trying to control the media and minds of followers and those who are opposed to their suppressive rule. A dictatorship couldn’t find a better method of mind control than calling Islam a religion. If you don’t join islam you are either considered a slave or should be killed, if you decide to leave islam you will be killed, if you speak out against islam you will be either beaten severely or killed.
Does that sound like a GOD of love and peace or an EVIL regime?
The last time this EVIL came around it was called NAZISM. Now it is called ISLAM.
del says
A couple of days ago on Jeopardy (a US TV gameshow) one of the questions, presumably proffered for Black History Month (February) asked something along the lines of: What was a Sultan of Mali doing when he expanded his Empire?
None of the 3 contestants, likely of above average intelligence and knowledge, buzzed in with the answer. The host hurriedly said something like, “jihad campaign”. The show quickly moved on.
gravenimage says
Wow, del–surprised that something like this, minor though it is, ever wound up on Jeopardy.
Also bizarre that this would have turned up for Black History month. This is almost certainly a referrence to Mansa Musa, a 14th century Emir. He largely expanded his empire by savagely attacking the Black African Ghana Empire to the south.