June 18, 2011

Join MPAC this Saturday, June 18, in Los Angeles for a fundraiser and sneak preview excerpt of the timely documentary “The Light In Her Eyes.”

Award winning-film makers Julia Metlzer and Luara Nix will present and preview their documentary film about a women’s Quran school in Damascus, Syrian which was founded by Houda al-Habash, a conservative Muslim preacher, when she was just 17 years old. Challenging tradition, al-Habash insists education for women is a form of worship.

Using Quranic teachings, she encourages her students to pursue higher education, jobs and public lives, while remaining committed to an interpretation of Islam prioritizing women’s role as wives and mothers.

In a world rarely seen, “The Light In Her Eyes” tells the story of a leader who challenges the women of her community to live according to Islam, without giving up their dreams. Filmed right before the uprising in Syria erupted, the film is an exclusive look at a social movement thriving in a country controlled by a repressive regime.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion about current events in Syria and women’s role in the Arab Spring and Islamic revival.

The panel will include Saba Mahmood, anthropologist at Univeristy of California Berkeley and author of “The Politics of Piety,” and Joshua Landis, founder and blogger at Syria Comment.

What: "The Light of Her Eyes" Sneak Preview

When: June 18th
            3 – 6 p.m.

Where: 2806 Clearwater St.
             Los Angeles, CA 90039

Admission: $25 suggested minimum donation

RSVP: thelightinhereyesmovie@gmail.com

Refreshments and appetizers will be served

-- Deana Nassar
(deana@mpac.org) 
Hollywood Liaison