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A secular India for all faiths
29/ 5/2006
A South Indian film exploring the rise of terrorism in India had
its UK premiere in Manchester.
'Daivanamathil' or 'In the Name of God' is not your typical Indian
movie.
Directed by Jayaraaj and written and produced by Aryadan Shoukath,
it represents realism at its core: no extreme make-up, golden
masks, coloured saris or singing voices.
The film tells the heartbreaking story of a Muslim woman named
Samira who is brought up in a traditional Malabar Muslim family who
is fighting extremism.
She marries a young, aspiring, educated man, Anwar. However, her
husband, whilst studying in a different state, is soon lured by
extremists and is transformed from an educated liberal into a
'jihadi' following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in
1992.
Samira is determined to reclaim her husband back. So when he bombs
a barber shop and injures a nine-year-old girl who loses both her
legs, Samira decides to call the police and turn her husband
in.
In the meantime she also sets about writing a book about terrorism
in India. In it she explains that the outbreak of rioting following
the Babri Masjid demolition had resulted in a vicious circle of
violence, as Muslim and Hindu extremists launched tit-for-tat blood
baths.
Her book titled 'In the Name of God' says the solution to the
growing tide of terror was a secular and unified India as Gandhi
had envisioned - an India where people from all religions lived
together and practised their religion freely.
Son of a Muslim ex-minister of Kerala, Aryadan Mohammed, Shoukath
said the movie was not a political film.
"Tthe liberal voice is getting fainter. The moderates are in a
dilemma. For the clerics, religion is merely a tool to exercise
power.
"Only those steeped in religious knowledge would understand the
greatness of love and compassion.
"I have made an honest attempt to tell my story as I was inspired
to do this film following the transformation of a former classmate
who was a progressive and leftist but soon changed when he joined
the Aligarh Muslim University.
"Following Babri Masjid events my friend was brainwashed and became
a different person.
"His change came about at a time when there was a deep sense of
insecurity that took root in the hearts of young men belonging to
the Muslim community.
"They fell an easy prey for the extremist groups who used religion
for their own needs as does my character Anwar.
"The reason I have focused on Islamic fundamentalism is because
this is what I have seen and experienced in Kerala and it is what I
know best about.
"There were many people who wanted to see the film banned, there
were protests and my life was even threatened by Islamic
extremists, but it was a film that needed to be shown, to get
people thinking and to create dialogue."
The movie, whose characters use the regional Malayalam language,
has developed from a small-budget film that has earned every bit of
praise it has received from the Cairo, Berlin, London and Asian
Pacific festivals - winning awards for direction and best
acting.
'In the name of God' was shown in Manchester as part of the
Commonwealth Film Festival 2006.
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