Films

In Journey into Europe, Akbar Ahmed, a world-renowned anthropologist, Islamic scholar, and filmmaker who the BBC has called “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam,” explores Islam in Europe and the place of Islam in European history and civilization. In the film, shot across the continent in countries such as Germany, the U.K., France, Spain, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, ethnographic interviews are presented from some of Europe’s most prominent figures—including presidents and prime ministers, archbishops, chief rabbis, grand muftis, heads of right-wing parties—and everyday Europeans from a variety of backgrounds. The urgent issues of Europe today, including terrorism, immigration and asylum seekers, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism, are explored in the film. Startling, challenging, and emotionally powerful, the film’s themes of identity and coexistence are critically relevant to our world today. “Akbar Ahmed’s profound and careful inquiries have greatly enriched our understanding of Islam in the modern world. His latest study, based on direct research with a group of young scholars, explores the complex interfaith reality of Europe, both in history and today, from an Eastern perspective, reversing the familiar paradigm. It is sure to be yet another influential contribution, one greatly needed in a world riven by conflicts and misunderstanding.” –Professor Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus), Massachusetts Institute of Technology