Popular reviews

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  Review by Sally Jane Black

  A reclamation of the word "jihad" from Western distortion serves as an interesting thesis statement; what follows is a series of portraits of redefinition, reinterpretation. Subtle cues as much as the dialogue informs you of how much danger there is here--the blurring of children's faces (because their father is gay), the silhouettes, the importance given to revealing a face. Examples and counter-examples of how to interpret holy texts and traditions are presented, on various levels, but the most potent are those on the personal level, as the lives they affect are directly shown.

  Pride month: 22/20

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  Review by yanni ★★★★

  can i get uhhhhhh 4k restoration

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  Review by Zā ★★★

  Something that has affected me a lot this pride month is the idea that so much of the queer community is so selfish, only considering themselves as gay men or women without thinking about their whiteness or cis-ness. These privileged queer people only think of the great things they have, but refuse to acknowledge things like homosexuals being persecuted in other countries, or the fact that black trans women are the highest amongst hate crimes. I have seen such an immense outpouring of hatred toward the POC pride flag that was flown in Philly. It's a film like this that point out that things aren't easy for all of us, and to fight over such trivial things when our queer…

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  Review by sarah ★★★½

  introductory piece into the lives & tribulations of queer muslims in islamicate societies; reconciliation of religion & sexuality; internalized guilt; fear of ostracization from community on an interpersonal level & fear of punishment on a larger sociopolitical degree; state sanctioned homophobic violence

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  Review by washington ★★★

  In many respects this is just another generic 'problems' doc, but occasionally it lights up into something truly great which easily places it ahead of other films of its ilk. This occurs when it is actively grappling with Islam as an ideology such as early on when the two Imam, one gay one straight, debate verses and the validity of which they can be used to condemn homosexuality. What comes as a fortunate surprise is despite some seemingly low production values by force of hiding various people's identities the camera work gets very creative and often abstract resulting in a more engaging visual experience then the norm. Though that doesn't help with the film being 70% people holding hands and…

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  Review by resurreccion ★★½ 1

  both breaks my heart and inspires me to see the subjects of this doc put their lives on the line just to say “i exist”

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  Review by spanishairl

  عن مثليات و مثليين مسلمين عن جهادهم ما بين الأيمان والحب وما بين سلطة المجتمع و الحكومة
  بعضهم من تقبل مثليته وظل مؤمنًا والآخر يصارع ما بين الأثنين ويبحث عن إجابة ليحرر
  مشاعر العار و الذنب و محاولة كبتها بجهاد النفس

  كان في قصة رجل من الذين تم الحكم عليهم في قضية كوين بوت مؤلمة أيضًا الآيرانيين
  أعطتني تفسير طالمًا كان في ذهني هو بأن الرجال المثليين في نظرة المجتمع ليسوا رجالاً بسبب الممارسة
  الجنسية فيشوفون من حقهم إنتهاكهم جسديًا و جنسيًا

  لذلك غالبًا نرى أن أغلبهم ليس لديه مشكلة حقيقية مع مثلية النساء مثلاً أكثر من الذكور
  لأنهم مبرمجين على أن الجنس سلطة بيد الرجل هو الفاعل دائمًا وليس المفعول به
  هم لا يشعرون بالتقزز من المثلية بحد ذاتها إنما شعور إستنقاص الرجولية النابعة من الفعل الجنسي المثلي

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  Review by Cinéologist ★★★★

  "A Jihad for Love," directed by Parvez Sharma, gives us a peek into the lives of Muslims who happen to be homosexuals. Since it widely believed, from the common people to high scholars, that the Quran forbids homosexuality, Muslims who love and are devoted to their religion, Islam, who also consider themselves a part of the LGBTQ community are marginalized, punished, and condemned. Others are put to death.

  I do not know much about Islam or what is or is not stated in the Quran, but what I do know is that the Muslims that I have met are kind people. So when I learn about acts of violence toward homosexuals and other minorities related to the Islamic culture in…

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  Review by Daniel Slack

  Though it gets pretty repetitive and banal at points, this is a fascinating documentary that explores the divide/relationship between homosexuality and Islam. In such, it paints several portraits of gay and lesbian Muslims who either struggle with their faith or hold fast to it with alternate interpretations of holy texts.

  Its strongest elements are those that delve into this confounding meeting point of religion and sexuality as well as those that depict the real struggles of homosexuals who have fled their country and gone into hiding. This would be a far more remarkable documentary if it managed to sustain these elements and pushed deeper into the controversial subject matter instead of jumping from figure to figure. Nonetheless, A Jihad For Love is a pretty well-made documentary with some technical draw backs that is quite absorbing.