Amidst Mayhem, Find Community

With the world upended from numerous wars and destruction - from Pakistan and Afghanistan to the US and Israel’s illegal bombing of Iran while the former was engaged in diplomatic negotiations with Iran, and of course Israel’s continued occupation and bombing of Gaza and Lebanon, and the slaughter of innocent people across the African continent with the help of the U.A.E. - the only way to stay sane is with community, or loving pets, or both. 

Fortunately for me, I have both, loving cats and a large MPV community in Los Angeles, some of whom made it to the iftar at my home. Watch this short video for a message from us. 

On a separate note, last year, MPV started the Silver Thread initiative, a collective of Muslims in the entertainment industry brought together with a shared desire for community and to identify  talents and projects to support with micro-grants. 

In February we sponsored a sold-out performance of the two-person play “Guards of the Taj”. The performance was brilliant but the message was more so. The play is based on a myth, or a lie, that the Shah Jahan commanded the hands of the Taj Mahal’s  architects and builders to be chopped off so that “nothing more beautiful than the Taj Mahal can ever be built”. After chopping off 20 sets of hands, the two guards engage in a painful and emotional dialogue about the moral dilemma faced by the guards. The talkback that followed the performance raised the seemingly timeless moral issue of how to react to “direct  orders when these orders are clearly a crime against humanity?” 

The actors applied this moral dilemma to our current times reflecting on  questions like, “Should ICE obey orders to not feed children in their custody? Should the IDF soldiers obey orders to kill innocent Palestinians?” Sitting beside me was a Lebanese man wiping away tears as it brought back memories of the civil war his country had endured. A perpetual pattern - humankind killing each other without any regard for their shared humanity. 

In my memoir I write extensively about the violent manifestations of self-hate and insecurities. As much as it is introspective, I’m even more grateful to have the opportunity to engage in conversations at my book readings. And soon, on April 1, I’ll be doing so at one of my favorite bookstores and restaurants in D.C, Busboys & Poets. At this free event (RSVP is advisable) I will be speaking, singing and fielding questions.  As a side note, their crab cakes are the best!    

Onward and upward…

Ani