A Jihad for Love

Parvez Sharma's A Jihad for Love marks one of the very first documentaries to examine the occasional overlaps between Islam and homosexuality. Evincing great sensitivity to both the subject matter and the interviewees, Sharma hones in on a transcontinental group of homosexual individuals who attempt to reconcile their faith in the Koran (where, according to many interpretations, same-sex relations are condemned) with their non-heterosexual identities. Hailing from countries as diverse as France, South Africa, Turkey, and India, these individuals typically find themselves in a delicate position; forced to hide their private lives in their native Muslim communities under fear of death, the next best option that exists involves immigrating out of the Middle East and thus abandoning their home cultures. At the core of her film, Sharma suggests that the answer may lie in an unusual source of hope: the devout individuals who, in lieu of relinquishing Islam, make the difficult and commendable decision to try to reconcile their sexual and romantic proclivities with their Islamic faith.