Abstract
Shot on the eve of the Syrian uprising, The Light in Her Eyes is a portrait of a remarkable woman, Houda al-Habash, a conservative Muslim preacher who 30 years ago founded one of the first religious schools for girls in Syria. It provides unique insight into the women’s mosque movement, a piety movement that calls for greater freedom for women and encourages them to claim space within the mosque, a space historically dominated by men, while considering the changing roles of girls, women, and Islam in the Middle East.
Every summer, hundreds of girls and teenagers in Houda’s mosque immerse themselves in a rigorous study of Islam, in addition to their secular schooling. They attend intensive Qur’an classes where they learn to memorize the holy book with perfect enunciation. At the end of the summer, the program ends with two joyful ceremonies: while the young girls who are old enough to wear the hijab, the Muslim headscarf, are veiled for the first time by Houda, the older students who have succeeded in memorizing the holy book in its entirety proudly graduate from the program.
Through lectures and one-on-one dialogue, Houda teaches a complex mix of progressive and conservative values. Challenging tradition, Houda insists education for women is a form of worship that can challenge extremism. It is not Islam that has deprived women, rather “Muslims themselves have deprived women of everything”. While she encourages her students to pursue higher education, jobs, and public lives, she remains strongly committed to an interpretation of Islam which prioritizes women’s roles as wives and mothers.
Houda represents the new face of women's leadership in Islam. Women like her are an indication that, if and when political freedom comes to places like Syria, the local definition of freedom will likely differ dramatically from its definition in the West.
Every summer, hundreds of girls and teenagers in Houda’s mosque immerse themselves in a rigorous study of Islam, in addition to their secular schooling. They attend intensive Qur’an classes where they learn to memorize the holy book with perfect enunciation. At the end of the summer, the program ends with two joyful ceremonies: while the young girls who are old enough to wear the hijab, the Muslim headscarf, are veiled for the first time by Houda, the older students who have succeeded in memorizing the holy book in its entirety proudly graduate from the program.
Through lectures and one-on-one dialogue, Houda teaches a complex mix of progressive and conservative values. Challenging tradition, Houda insists education for women is a form of worship that can challenge extremism. It is not Islam that has deprived women, rather “Muslims themselves have deprived women of everything”. While she encourages her students to pursue higher education, jobs, and public lives, she remains strongly committed to an interpretation of Islam which prioritizes women’s roles as wives and mothers.
Houda represents the new face of women's leadership in Islam. Women like her are an indication that, if and when political freedom comes to places like Syria, the local definition of freedom will likely differ dramatically from its definition in the West.
Collection
Subject
Contributors
Meltzer, Julia (director), Nix, Laura (director), Meltzer, Julia (producer), Nix, Laura (producer), Zavistovski, Monique (editor), Azmeh, Kinan (composer), Etheridge, Anne (cinematographer), Fregoso, Nathaniel (editor), Al-Habash, Houda (performer), Clockshop (Firm) (producer), Felt Films (Firm) (producer), Cinema Guild (distributor)
Duration
01:25:10 (HH:MM:SS)
Language:
English
Target or Intended Audience
adult/continuing education, higher education, high school (grades 10-12), college
Copyright Holder
| Name | The Cinema Guild, Inc. |
| Role | distributor |
| Telephone | (800) 723-5522 |
| Address | 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800 · New York, NY 10001 |
| [email protected] |
Copyright Date
2011-01-01
Rights Declaration:
This video is protected by copyright. You are free to view it but not download or remix it. Please contact the licensing institution for further information about how you may use this video.
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