EPISODE 2 - ARTS IN ISLAM

Freethinking writers are under attack in Bangladesh and India. Many are starting to believe that rationalists are not safe anywhere, and there seems to be an unnecessary hostility between theists and atheists. With such a backdrop, we caught up with Niam A. Itani, a filmmaker from Lebanon, for the second episode of the MPV Youth Podcast Series. One of her films was screened at the Venice Film Festival in 2011. Another speaker who joined us for the second episode is Ro Waseem, a blogger from Pakistan. He has been writing for the Huffington Post and Quranalyze It.

Listen to this podcast episode for an insightful discussion on freedom of expression—whether it is absolute or not; how Muslim communities can preserve and encourage creativity and arts; depicting God and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh); and the significance of limitless imagination in our society, especially in educational institutions. This episode also features and mentions works of Muslims, including a Sufi trance music and a pop song for the LGBTQI community. Listen, reflect, and share!