Canadian Premiere: New Muslim Cool

Film screening followed by Q&A with Jennifer Taylor (director)

Date: Friday June 5, 2009
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium, Noor Cultural Centre
Admission: $10 (includes refreshments)

“Almost single-handedly, New Muslim Cool challenges the distortions, stereotypes, and misunderstandings around Islam. See it for pleasure and a new outlook on Islam in America.” – Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University

Puerto Rican American rapper Hamza Pérez ended his life as a drug dealer 12 years ago, and started down a new path as a young Muslim. Now he’s moved to Pittsburgh’s tough North Side to start a new religious community, rebuild his shattered family, and take his message of faith to other young people through his uncompromising music as part of the hip-hop duo M-Team. Raising his two kids as a single dad and longing for companionship, Hamza finds love on a Muslim networking website and seizes the chance for happiness in a second marriage. But when the FBI raids his mosque, Hamza must confront the realities of the post-9/11 world, and challenge himself. He starts reaching for a deeper understanding of his faith, discovering new connections with people from Christian and Jewish communities.

New Muslim Cool takes viewers on Hamza’s ride through the streets, projects and jail cells of urban America, following his spiritual journey to some surprising places – where we can all see ourselves reflected in a world that never stops changing.

New Muslim Cool was directed by celebrated filmmaker Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, whose previous credits include the documentaries Paulina (Sundance Channel), Special Circumstances (PBS), and Ramadan Primetime (Link TV).