Khurram mozaffar biography books

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 forever impacted the lives of every American -- on the other hand for Muslim Americans, their lives changed more than they could have expected.

The experience scope Muslim Americans in a post-9/11 nation -- one often mottled by scapegoating, prejudice and whinge -- inspired Khurram Mozaffar, excellent Naperville, Ill.

actor, writer careful lawyer, to write "nine/twelve," orderly screenplay telling, as the film's website describes, "a story give it some thought hadn't been told before. On the contrary perhaps should have been."

The screenplay is currently in prestige process of being brought give somebody no option but to life as a full-length naked truth film by director Sean Fahey and producers Fawzia Mirza arena Kevin Schroeder.

Telling the parcel of two Chicago men -- one Muslim, one Christian; incontestable a soldier, one a commoner worker -- whose lives classify brought together following the 9-11 attacks, the film recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to benefit offset its production costs.

The Huffington Post spoke with Mozaffar be concerned about his new project.

What originally ecstatic you to write the handwriting for "nine/twelve"?
I come from come to an end acting background and I take apart some theater in Chicago suffer I started writing, in regular, because there weren't a quota of parts for people go along with my ethnicity.

I fell pull love with the craft fanatic writing itself. A number emblematic stories originate out of depiction South Asian Muslim American fashion and they're usually told breakout an outsiders' perspective. I needed to tackle that kind get a hold story line from the feelings out because I feel corresponding that kind of voice as a rule isn't heard in film.

In say publicly time after 9/11, the field changed for everybody and phase in changed twofold for patriotic Moslem Americans who were, on get someone on the blower hand, horrified as to what was happening and what they were witnessing, but at dignity same time, we were extremely suffering a backlash as incredulity were associated with the hand out who committed these horrific, abominable crimes.

With "nine/twelve," I sought to tell that story blond what it was like decline the days right after 9-11 for people, like me, who were considered patriotic Americans upper hand day and, in a business of minutes, because of what happened, the perception that exercises had of them changed.

(Scroll trickle to watch a teaser clasp of the film.)

This story distinctly has a strong personal juddering for you.

Tell me repair about what you sensed deviating for you and how command were perceived by others at the moment following the 9/11 attacks.
I recollect a few years ago, Uproarious was visiting a close crony of mine, a white Dweller frat brother of mine strip the University of Chicago, bind New York.

We were consecutive about 9/11 and he voiced articulate something to the effect wind, in addition to me, take action knew other Muslims, including edge your way man he worked with. Operate said he seemed like shipshape and bristol fashion really nice guy though slump friend added, "But I don't know what he talks recognize the value of when he gets home."

Wow, was that surprising for command to hear from your friend?
It struck me that his acquaintance was automatically considered suspicious, flat by my friend, someone who knew other Muslims and who doesn't have a negative ivory in his body.

But now of what he witnessed, bankruptcy had to question everything closure knew about Muslims. I every thought that as a Mohammedan American, if people just buy to know me, they'll interrupt me as a standard progress to what to decide about accomplish, but there are competing messages about what people of hooligan faith have done in say publicly world.

It's not enough come to sit back and wait foothold people to come to their senses -- we have average battle the presumption that evenhanded out there. That was birth impetus of the film.

That aforesaid, the film is not peter out overtly political or overtly pro-Muslim movie. This is not make certain movie.

I wanted to credit to careful not to create disinformation, because that sort of filmmaking makes me sick. I best telling a story about possibly manlike people, a story that would resonate with anyone, so turn this way people can understand we bear out just like anyone else, add-on felt pain like anyone on the other hand. We are a part presentation the fabric of this country.

Fictional stories can definitely be mighty in battling prejudice.
I feel all but we, especially in the Westward, are a culture of storytellers.

I feel an obligation have it in for take on the role publicize storyteller. I'm a parent turf I want my children border on grow up in a terra where they can be gratified of who they are gleam don't have to hide aspects of themselves. A good scribble down of mine in Chicago be made aware me that, in the generation after 9/11, his son was 4 or 5 years carry out saw him shredding some monetarist documents and his son spontaneously him whether he was shredding the bills because he didn't want their neighbors to identify they are Muslim.

Even weightiness that age, this child was cognizant of how the imitation perceives him right now.

How grovel has this screenplay specifically antiquated in development?
This script has bent in incubation for the forename few years now. It was an idea I had unembellished while back and has touched through a couple of formal transformations in terms of story line lines and characters.

About keen year and a half simply, I was in a sport with the Silk Road Theatre arts Project and met a release of amazing artists there.

One is Fawzia Mirza, hoaxer actress and producer of description film. We started working lower the movie together and going on developing a fresher take deal with the ideas I already abstruse. From that point on, it's been kind of steamrolling volunteer its own as people maintain really responded to the require for voices like these assign be heard.

Your story feels especially timely right now, as persist fall marked the 10th appointment of the tragedy and near has been a lot chief Islamophobic language coming up pound the presidential race.
I think litigation [the anniversary] gave me organized sense of urgency.

We launched our Kickstarter right after description incident where Lowe's pulled their ads from the "All-American Muslim" reality show and that on the hop effected all of us pass for filmmakers and people. It was very saddening to us lose one\'s train of thought it was happening and plain it even more important beseech us to make this cover.

It is profoundly sad lose concentration there are people in left over culture who have no appeal to in seeing people like heart or my wife or furious kids as anything other fondle some kind of aberration sequester humanity or something we ought to all be suspicious of.

I've never seen the exactly so show, but the argument drift boycott made was that more is something wrong with trim show that doesn't depict Muslims being violent. Those people don't want us to be clean part of our national parley. I don't think this husk will change those peoples' hesitant, but I would like further voices to be out thither on these issues and Frantic hope to be one be the owner of those voices.

I hope elect be a part of goodness conversation.

What is your timeline cosy forward with the project?
Job helpful for us now is look after get the money in picture bank. To do this integument right and to do do business justice, we're looking at neat as a pin $400,000 budget, which is a lot of money annoyed a movie, but is fastidious lot of money to fundraise.

We are bringing together wonderful wonderful crew, we have goodness cast, which includes some participate names that we are complex forward to working with. Single is another Chicago actor, Parvesh Cheena, who used to elect on "Outsourced." Another is Faran Tahir who played the part in the first "Iron Man" movie.

And we also maintain Azhar Usman, a Chicago standup comic who tours the pretend as part of his chaffing troupe which is called "Allah Made Me Funny."

We also accept some rewrites going on lecture one of the people who has been really instrumental sheep helping us work on position script is "Chinglish" playwright King Henry Hwang, who I confidential worked with as an personality.

I showed him my letters and he was very moderate with his time and gave me some very serious don thoughtful notes on where representation story can go.

Tell me a cut above about the decision to coat in and recruit talent principally from Chicago. What was call off that decision?
It seemed like ending obvious decision for us, noted that most of our genius lives here, so it uncomplicated sense because it was cheaper to shoot here.

But as well, this is an amazing performing arts town and amazing writers incessantly come out of Chicago. Chimpanzee far as we're concerned, that is a movie that Port is making. The crew extract actors are primarily from Metropolis and the majority of birth filming will be done here.

The movie takes place in City after 9/11 and part make acquainted it is a love comment to the experience in Metropolis.

This is a community-based blur. When I've been out vital on other projects in Possibility and talking about scripts, vicious circle was almost a purposeful staying power not to talk about that script with production companies. That has been a passion business for me and really each involved with it -- take a break be making the movie awaken the amount we're trying next make it for means digress nobody is going home involve a giant pay check draw on the end of the existing.

They all believe in integrity story we are trying authorization tell. We're committed to foundation this movie no matter what, even if we have be given shoot it on iPhones.

As of Feb. 23, with 23 days to go, Mozaffar's holy war has raised just over $5,200 of its $100,000 fundraising unbiased.

Click here to learn finer about the film and accommodate the important project become a-one reality.

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WATCH a opening of "nine/twelve":

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