Cultural Officer Welcomes Muslim-American Screenwriter to Malaysia

Embassy Cultural Affairs Officer Nicholas Papp welcomes Muslim-American screenwriter Mustafa Davies (center) with Mahdar Tahir (left) of the Arabic Academy Malaysia at the Annexe Gallery in Kuala Lumpur's Central Market on July 3, 2010.

On July 3rd, U.S. Embassy Cultural Affairs Officer Nicholas Papp welcomed Muslim-American screenwriter Mustafa Davies to Kuala Lumpur for a screening of his film Deen Tight.   Over 120 engaging Muslim youth attended the program organized by Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), Young Muslim Projects and Arabic Academy Malaysia at the Annexe Gallery in Kuala Lumpur's Central Market.

Following the screening, the youth engaged Mustafa Davies in an intellectual discussion focused on the personal conflicts of modern-day Muslim youth looking to reconcile their faith with modern culture.   Davies said the quality of the Kuala Lumpur discussion was one of the best he had participated in after holding similar programs in more than 15 Muslim-majority countries worldwide.

Deen Tight brings to the screen the untold story of American Muslims struggling to find a balance between their culture and their religion.  Filmed on location with Muslim rappers, DJs, slam poets, break-dancers and a graffiti artist in concerts, recording studios, at homes and in the streets, the story focuses on the perceived conflict between traditional religious ideals and modernity, as well as both the positives and negatives of Western Pop culture on today’s’ Muslim youth.

Music, considered taboo practice by many traditional Muslims, has also become one of the most prominent methods for Muslims to share their faith internationally through Muslim Hip Hop.  Hip Hop is a global phenomenon reaching from the skyscraper-laden skies of New York all the way to the deep deserts of Arabia and beyond. It is a subculture that transcends boundaries of language, gender, and religion.

The film follows a group of Muslim Hip Hop artists living in the United States. They discuss intimately the challenges they face trying to balance their faith, culture, and the pressures of daily Western life.  The film provides an intimate look into the lives of a group we know very little about and how they deal with the many issues surrounding their culture and religion.  It shows both sides of this conflict, through intimate and emotional scenes where the artists candidly express what motivates them to feel the way they do. It is the tale of one of the most influential pop culture movements of our time and its relationship to Islam.