The Mosque in Morgantown: America at a Crossroads

An issue often faced by those who hold religious beliefs is how best to support and encourage change in a community. Editor-in-Chief of altmuslim.com, Shahed Amanullah, describes this process as "pushing the envelope without breaking it."

That is the issue for journalist Asra Nomani, the central character in the newly released film The Mosque in Morgantown: America at a Crossroads. She returns to Morgantown, West Virginia, with her son after living in Pakistan through the crisis involving the murder of her close friend journalist Daniel Pearl.

Nomani is immediately sensitive to what she considers "warning signs" of a slide from moderation to extremism at her local Morgantown mosque. She resents and rejects the "exclusion of women, intolerance toward non-believers, and suspicion of the West." Her reaction is pronounced and public, and though Nomani provides reasoned and articulate arguments, she alienates both conservatives and some of the more moderate members of the mosque.

The camera lens captures scenes in which confrontation brings results and scenes in which confrontation thwarts dialogue and understanding. Nomani's campaign to thwart intolerance and promote women's rights shines a light on issues faced by many in American Muslim communities, who wrestle with how best to affect social change, identify themselves as both Americans and Muslims and better understand Islam.