We read about the trouble Pakistan has had over the years dealing with extremist elements in its population. Now because of the phenomenal documentary, "Among the Believers," one can really get a behind-the-scenes understanding of what really has been going on there.
The documentary truly represents an international collaboration. Co-director Hemal Trivedi, an Indian filmmaker, tried to make sense of a friend's death in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. She channeled her anger by hooking up with Pakistani co-director Mohammed Naqvi who was able to obtain unprecedented access to Maulana Aziz, the controversial Pakistani cleric who is head of the fundamentalist Red Mosque in the capital city of Islamabad.
The Red Mosque has thousands of Madrassas, Islamic seminaries, spread throughout Pakistan. There they take young children and brainwash them with their radical jihadist philosophy along with the emphasis on complete devotion to Sharia law. The boys spend the entire day memorizing verses from the Koran but without any understanding as to their meaning. In one very disturbing scene at the beginning of the documentary, a very young boy, angrily chants a refrain that is inculcated into these young minds over and over again: "death to the infidels." The boys of course would rather be outside playing soccer or cricket and a few express their disappointment in not pursuing the normal activities that young boys should be pursuing. But typical of many of the madrassa students is Talha, who maintains a radical stance despite proving to be a poor student (at one point he fails a Koran recital examination and buries his head in his hands).
One of the reasons the Red Mosque is so successful in their recruitment efforts is because they are able to fill the void in providing basic services to an overwhelmingly impoverished population. In contrast, the filmmakers also focus on a private, progressive Pakistani school which is temporarily closed down during filming, due to threats from extremists. In a telling scene, the owner of the private school is unable to convince village elders to send their children to his school—they point out that the madrassas are free and with his school, they simply don't have the money to pay the fees.
Perhaps the most interesting character is the Red Mosque leader, Maulana Aziz. Despite the fundamentalists' disdain for western culture, they are not adverse in utilizing the internet to recruit potential converts into the fold. Aziz, the narcissist he is, appears on television to debate nuclear physicist, Pervez Hoodbhoy, a Pakistani spokesman against religious extremism. Aziz ignores Hoodbhoy's protestations that he encourages violence by having goons posted at the madrassas carrying huge machine guns. The clever Aziz curries favor with the local populace by doling out small amounts of cash to indigent supplicants who are ignored by the regular government.
"Among the Believers" also covers some of the recent history of the conflict between the government and the Red Mosque movement. In 2007, President Musharraf attempted to shut down the madrassas but was unsuccessful after Red Mosque followers engaged in violent protests including book and DVD burnings in prominent public places. The more recent massacre of over 150 students in Peshawar by the Taliban (who are affiliated with the Red Mosque) appears to have galvanized the nation, resulting in protests amongst thousands of freedom seeking Pakistanis.
The fate of women at the hands of the extremists is explored. Of the young girls who attend the madrassas, they're always covered in burkas from head to toe. It appears they're not fed as well as the boys and are unhappy at being confined in such a punitive atmosphere. The documentarians focus on one particular girl, Zarina, who escaped from a madrassa and hoped to pursue a professional career. But after the private school we saw earlier was closed down, her family had no choice to marry her off to a local man. Despite her disappointment in not pursuing her education, she ended up having children and appeared to be coping decently at film's end.
"Among the Believers" is one of those rare documentaries that provides the perfect well balanced perspective on the problem of religious extremism. Without proper education, children will continue to be brainwashed in the Islamic world by dangerous radicals who seek to enslave others with an intolerant, scary Weltanschauung.
The documentary truly represents an international collaboration. Co-director Hemal Trivedi, an Indian filmmaker, tried to make sense of a friend's death in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. She channeled her anger by hooking up with Pakistani co-director Mohammed Naqvi who was able to obtain unprecedented access to Maulana Aziz, the controversial Pakistani cleric who is head of the fundamentalist Red Mosque in the capital city of Islamabad.
The Red Mosque has thousands of Madrassas, Islamic seminaries, spread throughout Pakistan. There they take young children and brainwash them with their radical jihadist philosophy along with the emphasis on complete devotion to Sharia law. The boys spend the entire day memorizing verses from the Koran but without any understanding as to their meaning. In one very disturbing scene at the beginning of the documentary, a very young boy, angrily chants a refrain that is inculcated into these young minds over and over again: "death to the infidels." The boys of course would rather be outside playing soccer or cricket and a few express their disappointment in not pursuing the normal activities that young boys should be pursuing. But typical of many of the madrassa students is Talha, who maintains a radical stance despite proving to be a poor student (at one point he fails a Koran recital examination and buries his head in his hands).
One of the reasons the Red Mosque is so successful in their recruitment efforts is because they are able to fill the void in providing basic services to an overwhelmingly impoverished population. In contrast, the filmmakers also focus on a private, progressive Pakistani school which is temporarily closed down during filming, due to threats from extremists. In a telling scene, the owner of the private school is unable to convince village elders to send their children to his school—they point out that the madrassas are free and with his school, they simply don't have the money to pay the fees.
Perhaps the most interesting character is the Red Mosque leader, Maulana Aziz. Despite the fundamentalists' disdain for western culture, they are not adverse in utilizing the internet to recruit potential converts into the fold. Aziz, the narcissist he is, appears on television to debate nuclear physicist, Pervez Hoodbhoy, a Pakistani spokesman against religious extremism. Aziz ignores Hoodbhoy's protestations that he encourages violence by having goons posted at the madrassas carrying huge machine guns. The clever Aziz curries favor with the local populace by doling out small amounts of cash to indigent supplicants who are ignored by the regular government.
"Among the Believers" also covers some of the recent history of the conflict between the government and the Red Mosque movement. In 2007, President Musharraf attempted to shut down the madrassas but was unsuccessful after Red Mosque followers engaged in violent protests including book and DVD burnings in prominent public places. The more recent massacre of over 150 students in Peshawar by the Taliban (who are affiliated with the Red Mosque) appears to have galvanized the nation, resulting in protests amongst thousands of freedom seeking Pakistanis.
The fate of women at the hands of the extremists is explored. Of the young girls who attend the madrassas, they're always covered in burkas from head to toe. It appears they're not fed as well as the boys and are unhappy at being confined in such a punitive atmosphere. The documentarians focus on one particular girl, Zarina, who escaped from a madrassa and hoped to pursue a professional career. But after the private school we saw earlier was closed down, her family had no choice to marry her off to a local man. Despite her disappointment in not pursuing her education, she ended up having children and appeared to be coping decently at film's end.
"Among the Believers" is one of those rare documentaries that provides the perfect well balanced perspective on the problem of religious extremism. Without proper education, children will continue to be brainwashed in the Islamic world by dangerous radicals who seek to enslave others with an intolerant, scary Weltanschauung.
