“Witness” Qualifies for the Oscars When a member of the MPV LA community asked us to support the production of his upcoming film “Witness”, MPV awarded the production team with our first ever Community Arts Grant, which helped them to finish the film. One year on, this short film, in which MPV is credited as an Associate Producer, is continuing on an amazing run, with screenings at numerous Academy qualifying film festivals and a growing collection of rave reviews from critics. And now, it’s official. “Witness” is up for a vote in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Oscars) in the Best Live Action Short Film category. (See below for upcoming screenings of Witness). And while some reading this may think, “Who cares? It’s just a film. How can it possibly affect any meaningful change in this increasingly hopeless world?” I beg to differ. Unless you’ve seen it, you may find it difficult to understand the emotional impact that this short film has on how imperative it is that Muslims reassess their prejudices of queer folks and how non-Muslims view Islam. In the last few months we’ve heard the most vile comments against Islam and Muslims, no doubt spurned by Islamaphobic prejudice directed at New York’s mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani throughout his campaign. As I write in my memoir, it’s always during an election cycle that the ugliness of prejudice rears its head most viciously. If we were to replace “Muslim” with “Jewish”, “Black” or “gay” I have no doubt that there would be wall to wall vilification of such prejudicial narratives. Among the narratives fanning peoples’ prejudice is the accusation of how a Muslim in power would implement sharia law and create “halal zones”, when in reality, it is the Christians in government who have legislated laws based on their interpretation of Christianity, what I’ve coined “Christian Sharia Law”. And that is precisely why the voices spotlighted in artivism are so important in our polarized society. Through a creative lens, the film “Witness” spotlights a compassionate, loving, and just Islam by unfolding an alternative path toward mutual respect of each other’s humanity and in doing so, debunking all those who believe in an exclusive worldview. And on that note of humanity, there is another genocide that demands the world’s attention in Sudan and Darfur at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are funded and supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Arms Export Control Act prohibits the president from authorizing the sale of arms to a State evident of human rights violations. Unlike President Biden who bypassed American laws to provide arms to Israel, perhaps we can hold out the slightest hope that President Trump will abide by this law. To prevent the Trump administration from selling weapons and other military systems to the UAE, and to ensure they will not fall into RSF hands, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) has introduced S. 935, and Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs (D-California) has introduced H.R. 2059. Please encourage your representatives to vote for the bills here. I know I’ve spoken on two very seemingly different topics but I hope that you can see the throughline between them and that you finish reading this newsletter with the understanding that above all, we must, must, must care for one another, regardless of who ‘the other’ is. Onward and upward… Ani Zonneveld President & Founder of Muslims for Progressive Values |
