How to Meet Muslims

Religion Dispatches carried an interesting piece on how films can help dispel religious bias against Islam, arguing that if you do not have an opportunity to meet 'real-life' Muslims, maybe they will soon feature in a theatre near you.

The most effective way to counter a prejudice is to know someone about whom the prejudice is supposed to apply. Those who personally know Muslims are far less likely to have negative thoughts and feelings about Muslims — but in a country of now almost 310 million Americans and only several million Muslims, this advice remains wishful.  Add to it that Muslims, unhelpfully, are not distributed evenly across the country [...] what more can be done? 

The next best thing to a living, breathing Muslim is an approximation of one. That is, the silver screen (had you said robots, I’d counter: Muslims will be the last people on Earth to come up with robots). Why not? Movies explore the lives and experiences of Muslims in a format that can be watched.

Read on, as Haroon Moghul insisted you must consider yourself uncultured if you do not know his selection of films discussed here.