Sisters in the Masjid - Ummah Films Movie Clip

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

I was able to edit some footage from our first day (and possibly the last day) of filming. I’m still brand new to editing so please excuse my flaws. I didn’t have time to color correct. I discovered inconsistent background audio noise when I was capturing the footage, which is the result of us moving the scene closer to the freeway side of the Masjid. The sun was too hot for the sisters on the original location of the scene and we wanted them to be comfortable, InshAllah. Hence, we found a nice shaded area but it came with the price of traffic noise. Ideally, we should have recorded some "natural" background noises from a quieter location to blend into this clip but since we forgot to do that, I added some natural birds sounds in the background to hide the inconsistency.

As mentioned in the previous posts, we were limited on what we could film because we found out about half hour before filming that 12 of the 19 people couldn’t make it. Although we have the location reserved for next Sunday, some of the sisters who made it this past weekend can not make it so I don’t think we can finish this film. Maybe we can do something else but nothing has been planned and I'm totally burned out with working on the 62 page storyboard shooting script , which has now been tossed.

It took us about 2.5 hours to record two scenes. We actually had a total of 3.5 hours of filming but I'm not counting the first hour because we redid the entire scene again when we found out that the footage was never recorded.

Anyways, I have decided not to show the 2nd scene. Let me explain why: Ummah Films is a project which is put together by a volunteer staff with the aim of promoting thought in the minds of the audience. Many Muslims, like myself, need reminders from time to time to make sure that they are Iman is on track. Our goal is to make Islamic films, which Muslims can relate to and cover issues that we face but done Islamically.

When I came home that night, I noticed that some girls had parts of their hair showing in the 2nd scene. Some sister's hair were not fully covered and that is not the image that I want Ummah Films to portray for many reasons:

1. Islam comes first. Although the western world’s definition of “naked” is constantly changing, Islam's definition is very clear and precise. Women in Islam have honor and respect and Ummah Films will not compromise their honor InshAllah.

2. A sister who isn't covered fully or who doesn't wear hijab full time, may one day decide to. Thus, having a film floating around in the future with her not wearing her hijab properly is not correct.

3. Allah Alim where the films or clps from Ummah Films may one day reach to. A viewer watching a character in one of films, may look at that character as a role model or as an example, especially if she can relate to that character’s personality or situation. I do not want to give the idea that "its ok" to not wear hijab correctly or just wear it partially. I have a deep respect for my sisters who swim against the waves of society and wear hijab. Its not easy. It takes Iman. May Allah (swt) reward them InshAllah.

If Ummah Films never releases any films at the expense of doing everything halal, its well worth it. I refuse to use haram means to do a dawah project. Its no different than going to gamble at the casino and using the winnings to build a Masjid. The halal path may not be as easy as the haram path. Although the haram path can be tempting because its easy, I refuse to compromise their Deen. We must look at Islam for all actions, even when it comes to making films. Some use the excuse of being “artistic” or “this and that” for whatever reason. I am not trying to get into the industry, and I won’t compromise my Deen for the sake of winning an award from this or that film association. My judge is Allah (swt) and the only reward that is worth all this effort, is the one that Allah (swt) will give. In short, our Deen must come before anything, and that includes Ummah Films.

Anyways, here is the clip (it took about 1.5 hours to film because of the different angles....it looks like we had a bunch of camera setup but in reality, we only used 1 camera to film it):