A Jihad for Love

While visiting Columbia University last year, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad famously stated that "we do not have homosexuals in Iran." As a before-the-fact counterargument, the documentary A Jihad for Love had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival just weeks earlier.

The film, produced by Trembling Before G-d's Sandi Dubowski, is a daring exploration of gay and lesbian Muslims struggling to negotiate a new relationship with their Islamic faith. In the words of director Parvez Sharma, this film, made secretly for six years in twelve countries (including Iran), succeeds in opening "a completely different discourse on Islam." (81 mins., video)

Trailer: