I just watched the movie My Name is Khan, which is about Rizvan Khan, an autistic Muslim man from India who comes to the United States. He meets a Hindu woman, they get married, her son from a previous arranged marriage accepts Khan as his father, bla bla bla. Everything changes after 9/11, a bunch of tragic things happen to this family, and Khan ends up deciding he needs to go meet the president of the US and tell him "My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist." I'm skipping the details because they aren't relevant in this blog, and in case anyone wants to watch the movie. It is overdone in some parts but overall has a great message and I would definitely recommend it.
Anyhoo, there were some religious elements in the movie that are worth pointing out. First of all, as a young boy, Khan sees tension in India between Hindus and Muslims, at which point his mother tells him that there are only two groups of people in the world: good people who do good things, and bad people who do bad things. Yes, this is incredibly simplistic, but it lets the viewer see religion, American attitudes, and the events of 9/11 through different eyes later on in the movie.
We find out that Khan is a devout Muslim. There is a scene (post 9/11) in which he meets a Muslim couple. When it is time to pray, the husband of the couple says, "You want to pray here? Prayer should depend on the place and the people around you." Khan responds, "Prayer does not depend on those things, it only depends on your faith." Because of his Asperger's, Khan is not able to process social situations like everyone else, and this allows him to carry out his Islamic beliefs in a pure way, without societal influence. We can see that the couple is affected by this.
Later on, Khan goes to pray in a mosque and hears a man incite his followers to take up arms and shed blood in the name of Islam. Khan tells this man that Ibrahim always knew Allah wasn't going to make him kill his son, and that Allah's message is a message of love, not killing. Khan then proceeds to throw rocks at this man, calling him Shaytan. This looks stupid at first, like a kid who is mad and starts throwing stones. But we realize that despite his disability, Khan is the person who has understood (after much study) the message of Islam, and the other "normal" people are the crazy ones. I would say that Khan, unlike SO many people, would not even understand the concept of "using" religion to meet some other end. He actually believes it, he knows it in its true form, and it is not a tool for him.
This movie also brings up the topic of typical Muslim dress after 9/11. A Sikh news reporter decides to stop wearing his turban to avoid being mistaken for a Muslim and becoming the target of violence. After being assaulted, the wife of Khan's brother decides to stop wearing hijab to protect herself. Much later in the movie, she begins wearing it again, explaining to her students that hijab is not only part of her religious identity, it is part of who she is.
In this movie we also see religious toleration in action: Khan's mother who insists on there being no inherent difference between Hindus and Muslims, the Christians in Georgia who welcome him into their church, the wife of Khan's brother who warmly welcomes Madira (Khan's Hindu wife) into the otherwise-Muslim family.
I could go on and analyze this film in its entirety, for religious elements and for cinematics. But alas, I have five million other blogs to do. In summary, this movie shows the viewer, through a unique perspective, the damaging effects that stereotypes and the violent actions of a few have on an entire society, and the restorative effects that good religion (free from prejudice, politics, and societal pressure) can bring.
On a side note, I was young when 9/11 happened and there were no Muslims in my community, but I am guessing the scenes depicting post-9/11 prejudice toward Muslims in everyday situations are not far from the truth. Especially considering the automatic prejudice Arab-looking people encounter at the airport, etc. How sad. I am also wondering about anti-Muslim attitudes pre-9/11. Need to look into this. Very depressing.
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