Ismaili Outreach
Meet Abdul Samee: his father is Iraqi and his mother is Puerto Rican. Longing to shed his cultural identity, he changes his name to Sam, marries an American, and does everything in his power to turn his back on his heritage. But when Sam meets Yasmina, a beautiful woman from his father’s homeland, he begins to learn that a tree without roots cannot stand for long.
Read MoreConference of the Birds metaphorically maps out the journey of the human ego and the quest for truth. In this classic tale, the birds of the world take flight on a pilgrimage to find their celebrated king, but the dangers and hardships encountered along the way cause many in the flock to abandon their search. In the end the small number of birds that survive uncover a profound secret.
Read MoreAuditioning to play a terrorist in a major Hollywood movie may be stand-up comedian Aladdin’s big break. As he prepares for his audition, he finds himself thinking back on his deceased father, who left Bangladesh for a better life in New York, and his parents’ futile attempts to raise him Muslim in Spanish Harlem. Accompanied by the tabla, Aladdin takes us on a hilarious and moving journey through art, immigration, family, the Yankees and the nature of the American dream.
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