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Thursday, September 27, 2007

Baba Ali coming to Dearborn this weekend

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

I've been invited to the YMA event in Dearborn, MI this Saturday so I'll be there InshAllah. I may also be stopping by the IHW event after the first dinner ends InshAllah.

Finally, I got phone call to end the dinner at Cornell Univesity in New York on Oct 14th InshAllah. Once this confirmed, I will post it on the blog.

I have updated my schedule as well. JazakAllah khair
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Sunday, September 23, 2007

Ummah Films forums is up and running!

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,


The Ummah Films Community forums is ready.

Click to Join




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Saturday, September 22, 2007

Taking a standup comedy class

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

Since I more of the reserved type (keep in mind that when UF started, I was suppose to be behind the camera not in front of it), I recently decided to take a standup class with the hope it will make me more comfortable speaking at events. Alhamdulillah it seems to be working and I have a great teacher (a comedian from Last Comic Standing). Now I'm actually starting to enjoy the class and once in a while I get on stage and do standup. One thing I have learned that many people who are naturally funny aren’t funny on stage and that many people who you may come across dull off stage are actually really funny on stage. It’s weird.

I mentioned in one of my videos that I’m not a comedian and that’s because I wasn’t a fan of how people were doing comedy. I’m trying to stay away from the idea of lying to make people laugh which is the norm for comedians. Sitting in class, I realized that life itself has so many funny and interesting things and you can just use that as your material. Most of the time when I’m on stage, its in front of a non-Muslim audience so its kinda funny when I’m talking about Muslim-related issues. Sometimes they laugh and other times they just look at me like a deer in headlights (which makes me laugh). Anyways, the class has helped me feel much more comfortable speaking at events so it seems to working Alhamdulillah.
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Friday, September 21, 2007

Ummah Films is g-r-o-w-i-n-g Alhamdulillah

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

Its amazing how one idea has grown. Its like planting a seed and then coming back a year later and seeing a tree with fruits on it. Alhamdulillah.

In early 2006, all we had was a simple blog with about 20 visitors per day and now now we have nearly 1000 unique visitors per day and over 4000 people subscribed to the blog. The Reminder videos started off on just Youtube but Alhamdulillah they are on over 20 websites and even broadcast on TV in the both the Middle East and Africa on a weekly basis. Late last year, we decided to upgrade the site and add a website (with the creative skills of Iman Studios) and Alhamdulillah it really helped give UF a more professional look.

The word about the Reminder videos were quickly spread by word of mouth (JazakAllah Khair to all the viewers for telling friends and family) and we went from thousands to millions Alhamdulillah. Many volunteers started translating the Reminder videos and today you can watch the translated videos on the web as well. Recently, we released the Reminder series on DVD which can be found in our store and even on Amazon.

The whole UF thing started off with just two people and now we have more people working on various future projects. Mahdi is working on his first film Going Up North, Yusuf is trying to put a team together to do Tomorrow Never Comes, and Belal is going to be spearheading the new Muslim Poetry Slam idea inshAllah. As for myself, I find it harder and harder to do Season 3 because I keep traveling to different events. I really like the Poetry Slam idea and I hope it takes off InshAllah.

The problem with all these projects is funding. There are so many costs involved with marketing and keeping up Ummah Films that we don't really have much for funding projects. I think one thing that makes UF unique is the way its structured. Since each project is independent from each other, each producer gathers their own funding for their project. As long as they follow the UF guidelines, they can launch their movie under UF. Those guidelines are basically there to ensure that we keep things halal as we have seen many filmmakers compromise for the sake of art and we don't want to follow into that trap.

To film the reminder videos, I had to actually buy the camera, lights, etc with my own personal savings...and believe me its not cheap. So to raise money, I use to sell wristbands and shirts to pay off expenses. The problem is that all items require money too so you find yourself in more debt lol but its ok because its fisibilillah so Alhamdulillah, I don't see the money as wasted. Some items like software can get really expensive. For example, Final Cut Studio retails for nearly $1500 and even though I found it at a discounted price, it was still expensive. We are trying to doing everything legit so I put aside money for taxes and all other business expenses as well.

Until now, we still have yet to pay off our expenses which makes it tough to move onto other projects. Anyways, the doors are UF are open and this is why people have joined. Each producer has rights to print UF shirts, sell UF items, and keep the profits from themselves so they can fund their project. The popularity of UF makes it easier to sell the shirts for the producer. On the plus side, UF has built a big audience so new film makers have the opportunity to springboard their films using publicity that UF has gained which is the biggest advantage of working with Ummah Films. Many great films may go under the radar because there wasn't a platform to launch it on or an audience to see it. Ummah Films provides that audience.

The forums will be launched this Sunday InshAllah and we hope this will open the doors for talented Muslims to collaborate and work together.
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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Ummah Fillm Commuity Forums

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

The Ummah Films Community forums is almost ready for launch.

Mark your calendars:
09.23.07
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Monday, September 17, 2007

Baba Ali will be in Phillidelphia this Tuesday (9/18/07) at Swarthmore MSA

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

I have accepted the invitation to be part of the Annual Ramadan Dinner sponsored by the Swarthmore MSA this Tuesday night (Sept 18th 2007). If you're in Philli, I hope to see you there InshAllah!
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Mecca to Medina games are almost sold out

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

For those who have been keeping up with the blog since Day 1, in the summer of 2006 I took my Mecca to Medina game to the ISNA conference to debut it there and it have a real positive response. So good, that the CEO of Bridges saw the game and invited me to come to NY and do a 1/2 show about the game. It was there that I learned that Bridges TV started off in an apartment and ended up as a cable station. I figured if they could do it, then anyone could do it, especially since the founders weren't even involved in filmmaking and learned about it through the process.

Alhamdulillah, about 2 years later we are nearly sold out of Mecca to Medina games and I'm not planning to reprint them (even though I have been asked many times). The game was another experiment and many doubted that it would fly with the Muslim community since it wasn't another trivia game. Personally, I was tired of the same old trivia based games so I tried something different, something new. Alhamdulillah, thousands have enjoyed the game so I'm ready to move on to a different mountain. To me, it was more of a challenge and now that mountain has been climbed, I hope to move on to the other games. So if you got your hands on a Mecca to Medina game, consider it a collector's items InshAllah since I have no plans to make anymore of them.

My next game will InshAllah be the first Muslim word game and its very different than most of the word games out there. The game is about 85% complete InshAllah and once again, I hope to make that a collector's item as well. The first game led to Ummah Films, maybe the second game will lead to something new. Allah Alim.
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Sunday, September 16, 2007

Ummah Films Forums are coming

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

I'm not sure what happened to our splash page and we're thinking we may have been hackers. Anyways, I'm pointing the URL to the website for now until I get back to Los Angeles. I'll be in Philidelphia (MSA @ University there) on Tuesday night InshAllah. I hope to have the site back to normal when I return on Wednesday InshAllah.

In other news, Belal has been coordinating the new Ummah Films forums so you the viewers can communicate and coordinate with each other InshAllah. As our audience has been growing, we have noticed that the viewers are very diverse (everything from regular internet surfers to professional filmmakers). The blog is good for posting Ummah Films' updates but its not always the best way to communicate with each other and we hope the forums will help us all work and network together InshAllah.

Once the forums is complete, Belal will post the URL so make sure you get on board so we can all connect with each other InshAllah

JazakAllah khair
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Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Ramadhan fasting begins Thursday 13th 2007

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

Asalam alaikum everyone,

Tuesday 11th September is the 29h of Sha'baan - so after completing 30 days of Sha'baan (Islamic calendar) the blessed month of Ramadhan will begin on Thursday 13th September 2007, since the moon (The Hilal) was not seen anywhere.

"Ramadhan is the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance and as a criterion" [Al Baqarah: 185]

Bukhari reported on the authority of Ibnu Omar (R) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The month consists of 29 nights, so do not fast till you have sighted it (i.e. the new moon), and if the weather were cloudy, then complete it as thirty days."

May Allah SWT accept all our deeds in this month and may we become not of those seasonal Muslims. Let us take our time to increase our Ibadat (worships) and study Islam, Ameen
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Baba Ali's Speaking Schedule (Sept to Nov 2007)

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

Sometimes I get emails asking when Baba Ali is coming to a specific city just after I return from doing an event in that very city. So I decided to put up a webpage with my schedule. I have also put the schedule link in the links section of the blog for future reference.

The following is only the events between September to November 2007 InshAllah.

Sept 15th 2007- Fresno, CA

Sept 25th & 26th 2007 - Minneapolis, MI - MSA on Campus Event

Oct 19th 2007 - Boston, MA - Northeastern University

Oct 26th to 29th 2007 - London, Manchestor, & Glasgov (UK)- Hospital Fundraiser

Nov 9th 2007- Granada Hills, CA - GH School MSA

Nov 10th 2007 - Houston, TX - Univesity of Houston

Nov 24th & 25th 2007 - London (UK) - GPU Conference

If you have any questions about these or future events, please email info@ummahfilms.com
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Baba Ali on the Deen Show

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

At ISNA, I did about a bunch of interviews (Radio Islam, Muslim American Magazine, The Guardian (UK), Mecca One, MSA Newsletter, and Pakistan TV show (I forgot which one). One of the first interviews was with the good brothers at the Deen Show and here it is:

I do these interviews with the hope of spreading the Reminder videos to new audiences. Often time people try to give me credit for the series but the real credit for the effort goes to all those behind the scenes that have helped me spread it across the world. I get so many emails from both Muslims and non-Muslims about how they spread the emails to who they know and Alhamdulillah what started off as just an experiment has reached millions. Alhamdulillah, all praise is due to Allah (swt) as the success is ONLY from Him.
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Read about Season 3 and the upcoming Spoken Word event

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

My next project deals with the human voice and nothing more. Imagine HBO's Def Poetry but with Muslims talking about issues that Muslims can relate to InshAllah. Unlike Def Poetry, there is no cussing, no unIslamic behavior, and no excuse (not even for the sake of being "artistic") to go outside the boundaries of Islam. Instead, I think it can still be both entertaining and powerful while staying halal if it is done right.

First things first. Funding. Doing it chessy is easy but I don't want to go that route. I want to raise the bar InshAllah so we need proper funding to pull it off. Our t-shirts are sold inexpensive (try finding a Muslim shirt company selling long sleeve for $12...yeah right!) so its not really the best way to make money but it has helped keep UF going. The inexpensive price makes it more affordable but isn't necessarily the best way to fund raise for projects. So I have been trying to come up with funding ideas to help make the next project a reality InshAllah.

We're flooded with emails asking for a Season 3 but the problem is since I'm touring so much, it doesn't make it easy. I think if I sleep less at night, I can pull off doing videos during the week since I'm missing so many weekends (keep in mind that I work during the week). I'm really motivated by this project because I think this project can be very beneficial InshAllah. So my idea is to do a Season 3 and allow Muslim companies to sponsor each episode (of course those companies need to be halal product/services if they want to have their logo come up before the video). I will take those funds and put them towards funding the Spoken Word Event InshAllah. That's one idea. The next idea is to get sponsors to sponsor the actual event and that would help us even more InshAllah.

Again, there are so many expenses. Getting the venue (the place to film this) the professional stage, production crew, and of course a camera crew including director to film are just some of the expenses. Another big expense is flying in the best poets from around the world plus their hotel stay which adds another expense and the list goes on. I may be a volunteer in all of this but I can't expect others to work for free (volunteer help gets you volunteer quality people) so I need to take care of those who are helping.

Nevertheless, all we can do is make duah and put in the effort InshAllah and pray that Allah (swt) makes whatever is best for us in the hereafter successful InshAllah. If its not meant to be, its not meant to be. If it is, then it is. Either way, I say Alhamdulillah.

Anyways, while we are working on figuring the backend (funding, location, crew, etc..), I need to start working on the front end: Finding the talent. Unlike just poetry, the delivery is just as important as the words. If you notice in the poetry clip, the audience is cheering at times, thinking at other times, etc...its not about rhyming but its about the power of words, the power of the human voice, the power of the human experience. Of course, we need to keep it Islamic and to keep it all clean InshAllah because we are doing this to please our Creator, and not get ratings. I think one thing that has drawn such a large audience to the Reminder series is that it deals with issues that we Muslims face and that is what I'm looking for in this Poetry Event. I'm not looking for stuff that YOU as the artist can relate to but I'm looking for powerful words that can inspire the audience...get people thinking....to make a postive impact InshAllah. If you being an artist is more important than the event, then this event isn't for you. This isn't about you or I but rather the audience. Millions of people watch the Reminder and they really don't know much about me, where I'm from, about my family, about my background, etc....why? because the Reminder isn't about Ali...its about the Ummah which includes Ali. Do you know what I'm saying?

That being said, if you think you got what it takes email me info@ummahfilms.com a link to your clip (you can upload it on google video and make it private if you don't want the world to see) with you doing your spoken word piece. I'm going to choose the best poets from around this world and my goal is broadcast this event to millions InshAllah using the contacts that I have established with Ummah Films (so this will be a good launching pad if you want to get your work out there). Remember, your delivery is just as important as your words so if you want to see some examples of the delivery of poets on Def Poetry, just search for "Def Poetry" on YouTube and check it out.

your brother in Islam,

Ali
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Monday, September 10, 2007

Ummah Films' Ramadan Reruns (Season 2 archive)

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

The point of the video is to make people more conscious of these silly actions so they will think twice before they do it during the next Ramadan. Reminding myself before anyone else, Ramadan is a blessing so let's try not to take it for granted but rather take advantage of it by increasing our Ibadat (worships) so we can become better Muslims, even after Ramadan is over InshAllah.
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Thursday, September 06, 2007

Baba Ali's Project Update

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

After Ramadan, I plan to make a decision to do Season 3 or not. The problem is not the lack of topics (don't worry I still got plenty that I need to get off my chest) but rather the issue is time. Although the videos look really simple, they do take a lot of time to write, edit, film, video edit, and produce. All and all I would guess it take around 15hrs for each video. Unlike most performers/speakers, this isn't my full time thing and I work a normal job with a normal life (well, somewhat normal).

Anyways, recently I have been brainstorming a new project for Ummah Films which will be different than the Reminder series. I looking into holding a poetry slam InshAllah but done in a unique way. Imagine something like HBO's Def Poetry but with an Islamic Twist. The human voice is powerful and when words come from the heart and that heart is connected to your deen, its even more powerful. Nothing is written in stone yet but I have been playing around ideas so I hope this can work out. I'm not much of the type that is going to hype something up and not follow through so I don't want to announce anything yet but rather at this time, I'm just trying to connect with people who can help put this together. I"m not looking to make money off of this so maybe we can give the proceeds to a good cause or something. I want the project to be beneficial so if you know someone that is on the same page and has not just words but has a unique gift of deliver them, then please email us at info@ummahfilms.com InshAllah.

Baba Ali
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Monday, September 03, 2007

Back from ISNA

Bismillah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem,

I just came back from the ISNA convention so I thought I would share my thoughts of my weekend experience. Alhamdulillah it was an amazing experience as I was able to meet face to face with the many people I have communicated via email and facebook. I heard there was about 40,000 people in attendance and at the entertainment session, I got a chance to perform in front of nearly 10,000 people so that new to me. I never stood up in front of so many people and with the GPU conference around the conference, I can only imagine what 25,000 people live looks like. Anyways, I live in an area where Muslims are scarce, so it was awesome to see brothers and sisters from all over the world in one conference was awesome. MashAllah I met many inspiring brothers and sisters and the whole weekend felt like it ended too soon.

Honestly, before I came to conference I wasn't sure if most people would even have heard of Ummah Films. I was very surprised by the large number of supporters that I met from all across the world. Keep in mind that when I film these videos, I'm sitting in a room by myself with no cameraman. Its pretty much a one man film crew so I'm not sure if anyone else is watching the videos until I post them on the web and hear the feedback. Its weird because its almost like talking to yourself and you keep thinking is anyone other than me going to even see this? And then you hear so much positive feedback from a very WIDE variety of Muslims, that doubt disappears. When I say a "wide variety", I mean WIDE VARIETY...everything from salafi to sufi, from niqabi to hajabi to even non-hijabi, from little kids to people old enough to be my grandparents, from doctors to artists to students to directors to journalist to even CEOs of companies (I mean when do they get time to watch Ummah Films). I'm speechless. I mean I just a guy, sitting in chair, with no film experience. I just ali...that's it. People walking up to me and telling me how they became Muslim and the videos is what inspired them to look into Islam. I tell them that I can't take credit for anything because I can't convert anybody and if I could, I would start with my family but the hearts are not in our hands but rather in the hands of Creator, Allah (swt). I'm just a guy with a video camera and an opinion. That's it. My only hope was to make a difference by making people think.

I just wanted to say one more thing: Even though, I have mentioned it in the video, I wanted to mention something here so it would be clear. The autograph request things was happening left and right like 100 hundred times and each time I kindly said no. The reason behind this is because I have seen people become successful and that success has got to their heads. I don't want to become one of those people and may Allah (swt) protect me from that.

This whole "celebrity" thing for me is nothing more than a trial for me and shaitan will use it to lead you astray, to make you think you are better than the next person. In fact, I am no better than anyone else and as I have said many times, I am reminding myself before I am reminding anyone else in my videos (just in case you forgot). No matter how popular my Reminder videos become, I'm just Ali and nothing more.
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