2006年VOA标准英语-American Muslim Film Spurs Cultural Discussion

By Greg Flakus
Dallas, TX
21 September 2006
 
watch American Ramadan Movie

Muslims around the world will begin a month of fasting and prayers known as Ramadan on September 23rd. (The exact date is determined¹ by Muslim holy men using the lunar calendar.) This tradition is the focus of a new documentary film. "American Ramadan” tells the story of five Muslim families observing the fast in the United States. 

 
The brothers during production of "American Ramadan"
Muslims and others attending screenings of the documentary "American Ramadan" are learning more about the fasting Muslims do during daylight hours all through the month of Ramadan.

The film served as a catalyst² for discussion in the Dallas suburb of Plano.

"I really enjoyed seeing the movie,” said John Whaley, a resident of Plano, Texas, “because I did not know anything about Ramadan and I learned a lot today and I particularly enjoyed seeing it with such a diverse group of people here in Plano."

Plano Mayor Pat Evans was among those who came to see the film and meet people from the Muslim community.

 
Pat Evans, Mayor
"The thing I enjoyed about this was that it emphasized how much we are all alike, how many things we have in common, all of the races and religions of the world," said the mayor.

"American Ramadan" is the brainchild of filmmaker Naeem Randhawa. He was born in Pakistan, raised in Canada and has been a resident of the Dallas area for the past eight years.

He and his brother, Imran, started a year ago to make a 15-minute film about Ramadan. But he says the stories they heard inspired them to go further.

"The content just drew us in. The content was so rich," said Naeem.

So the film grew to 48-minutes in length and involved five separate families in Dallas and Los Angeles.

"We witness their fears, their hopes, their challenges, what is it that they are trying to overcome,” Naeem said. “We have a divorced dad who is struggling to manage time between himself, his kids and his ex-wife. We have a student who is trying to balance school life with work life and with her parents. We have an interracial couple. They have cultural issues they are trying to manage."

 
Filmmaker brothers Imran and Naeem Randhawa
The film includes input³ from Muslim scholars. It also features a medical doctor talking about the benefits of fasting and a Christian⁴ scholar and Jewish rabbi discussing similarities with their religions. Rabbi Robert Haas said,  "A community that fasts together supports each other. All of these beliefs you can find in Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Not only can you find them, I think you could not be Islamic, Jewish or Christian without having those beliefs."

"Muslims working with Christians⁵, working with Jews. I do not want to sound corny, but truly, that is the essence of the film and that is what we hope to get out of it and that is what we are getting out of it," said the filmmaker.

Imran Randhawa says demand for copies of the film is growing, especially among academics. "You have a lot of professors from different states that have e-mailed us and requested a copy because what they want to do is introduce it into their course."

 
Rabbi Robert Haas
Naeem Randhawa says he has had inquiries⁶ from people in Muslim nations. Many are ill-informed about Islam in the United States and the open dialogue between religions that can take place.

"The rabbi talks about it in the film. He says, 'Hey, man, I go visit the imam at my local mosque⁷ and I sit down with my Christian clergy⁸ friends and I am open to do so, living in America.' I think for us, that is what America is all about. It is about opening the doors to your neighbors. It is about sharing your views and respecting each others views."

1 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

2 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

3 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

6 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

8 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。