March 31, 2009

The Muslim Public Affairs Council announced today that it will recognize playwright Wajahat Ali as a rising American Muslim artist at the 18th annual Media Awards Gala on Saturday, April 25 in Los Angeles.

Wajahat Ali is a playwright, journalist, blogger, short story writer and Attorney at Law. His play, "The Domestic Crusaders," is the first major play about the American Muslim experience. It originally premiered at the Thrust Stage of the Tony award winning Berkeley Repertory Theater to universal acclaim in 2005, and is slated to make its New York premiere on the 8th anniversary of 9/11.

"The Domestic Crusaders" focuses on a day in the life of a modern Muslim Pakistani-American family of six eclectic, unique members, who convene at the family house to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of the youngest child. With a background of 9/11 and the scapegoating of Muslim Americans, the tensions and sparks fly among the three generations, culminating in an intense family battle as each "crusader" struggles to assert and impose their respective voices and opinions, while still attempting to maintain and understand that unifying thread that makes them part of the same family.

Among its rave reviews, Academy Award winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson called Ali's play "exactly the sort of theater we need today. The gulf that separates cultures must be bridged and Art is one of our best hopes. I'll be supporting this all the way."

Wajahat Ali was honored as an "Influential Muslim American Artist" by the State Department. He was also recently honored as a "Muslim Leader of Tomorrow" for his journalism work and invited to participate in the "Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow" conference in Doha, Qatar. Ali is also a frequent contributor to the Washington Post, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Counterpunch and Chowk.

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The 18th annual Media Awards will honor the Academy Award winning film "Slumdog Millionaire," "Democracy Now!" co-founder and host Amy Goodman, and animated sitcom "The Simpsons."

Each year, MPAC's Media Awards Gala Dinner honors "voices of courage and conscience" who use art and media to create enriching and humanizing portrayals of Islam and Muslims, promote diversity and social justice issues, and inspire action. The gala dinner, which will take place on Saturday, April 25th, will be held at the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

MPAC's Media Awards is a production of its Hollywood Bureau, which serves as a resource and ally to television networks, film studios, screenwriters and the creative community at large.