History of Islam in Pittsburgh
Presentation at the Oral History Association's 2008 Annual Meeting
On October 16 "An Oral History of Islam in PIttsburgh" was presented at the 2008 Oral History Association annual meeting. The presentation featured a brief summary of the film's beginnings, intended message, and technical aspects, in addition to a screening and finally a Q&A session with sister Sarah Jameelah Martin as a panelist. We would like to thank all those who attended and the organizers of the event for inviting us.
Verily We Belong to Allah, and to Allah We Return
On January 14, 2008 our beloved brother Ahmed Riyadh passed away. May Allah reward him for all of his good deeds and the joy he brought to those around him. His janazah prayer was held the following day. Brother Ahmed was a great elder of the community who had many great stories to tell.
We should remember our elders as many of them are slowly passing away, and they have untold stories to tell, many of which are of great benefit to us as Muslims living in America. The establishments and institutions we have today would not be possible if it were not for our forefathers who struggled for Allah's deen in this country, and on earth.
Torrent File of PCTV Version Now Available
Almost a year ago An Oral History of Islam in Pittsburgh aired on PCTV. The version of the documentary that aired on PCTV was slightly longer than the ones on Google Video, YouTube, and Archive.org. While the extended version has since been uploaded to Usenet and YouTubeIslam, this is the first time a torrent of the final version has been made available. The torrent can be downloaded here. BitTorrent clients are available for OS X, Linux, and Windows. Though there are many BitTorrent applications I suggest Transmission for OS X and Linux users and Azerus for Windows users. Enjoy!
Review in the Pittsburgh City Paper
Bill O’Driscoll at the Pittsburgh City Paper wrote a review of the documentary in Thursday’s edition. You can read it here, or if that link should go down a scanned copy of the review is here. He made a number of criticisms that I actually agree with, check out my response. MCCGP also had a review in their newsletter.
Documentary to Air on the History of Indigenous Muslims in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA – February 7, 2007 – Throughout February a documentary examining the rich history of Pittsburgh’s indigenous Muslim population will air on PCTV channel 21. “An Oral History of Islam in Pittsburgh” begins with the migration of formally enslaved African-Americans to Pittsburgh seeking employment and discusses the contributions of Satti Majid, a Sudanese Muslim who in the early twentieth century worked toward the establishment of a traditional Islamic community in Wilkinsburg.
The evolution of Islam in the city is traced through its various manifestations, and time is taken to look at the history of many movements and groups, including the Moorish Science Temple, Ahmadiyah movement, the Nation of Islam, and finally Sunni (traditional) Islam.
Lastly, the film explores the indigenous Muslim population’s recent intermingling with newly arriving immigrants and international students and problems that face Pittsburgh’s Muslim community today.
“An Oral History of Islam in Pittsburgh” will air at the following dates and times:
Friday, February 9th at 11 AM
Saturday, February 10th at 2 PM
Tuesday, February 13th at 4 PM
Thursday, February 15th at 2 PM
Saturday, February 17th at 9 PM
Tuesday, February 20th at 12 PM
Saturday, February 24th at 9 PM
Wednesday, February 28th at 11 PM
Pittsburgh Muslim Media encourages Muslim filmmakers and writers to create works of art to express the seldom-heard opinions of Muslims in America and abroad. “An Oral History of Islam in Pittsburgh” is the first in a series of projects attempting to voice this opinion and was produced, edited, and filmed by Haroon A. Al-Qahtani. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us.
About This Site
IslamInPittsburgh.com is a supplementary resource for the documentary entitled, “An Oral History of Islam in Pittsburgh.” Here, you will find links to download and watch the film, a list of Arabic terms used in the film for non-Muslim viewers, documents about the evolution of Islam in Pittsburgh, and other pieces of multimedia as they are collected. We urge everyone to contribute to building this page and making it a center for historical information about Pittsburgh’s Muslim community.
About the Documentary
“An Oral History of Islam in Pittsburgh” is an examination of Islam’s evolution in the city of Pittsburgh, beginning with migrant ex-slaves in the post Civil War era, to the twentieth century, when indigenous Muslims began collecting pieces of Islam to form their own communities. The film looks at pseudo-Islamic movements such as the Moorish Science Temple and the Nation of Islam, in addition to off-shoots of traditional Islam such as the Ahmadiyah movement, which were all part of Islam's evolution in the city's indigenous Muslim population.
Time is spent to examine the contributions of Dr. Yousef Khan, a man largely responsible for migrating members of Pittsburgh's Moorish Science Temple to a more traditional Islam. Additionally, the film looks at the Nation of Islam's relationship in Pittsburgh, including frequent visits by Malcolm X, and the nation's evolution toward a more traditional Islam.
Finally, the film moves to the 70s and early 80s, when immigrant Muslims began to intermingle with indigenous Muslims and form their own communities. Also, time is spent to look at Muslims' current situation in Pittsburgh and search for solutions to improve the Muslim community.
Time is spent to examine the contributions of Dr. Yousef Khan, a man largely responsible for migrating members of Pittsburgh's Moorish Science Temple to a more traditional Islam. Additionally, the film looks at the Nation of Islam's relationship in Pittsburgh, including frequent visits by Malcolm X, and the nation's evolution toward a more traditional Islam.
Finally, the film moves to the 70s and early 80s, when immigrant Muslims began to intermingle with indigenous Muslims and form their own communities. Also, time is spent to look at Muslims' current situation in Pittsburgh and search for solutions to improve the Muslim community.
Encouragement to Prospective Muslim Documentarians
This documentary was shot on consumer grade equipment for probably no more than $500-600, the majority of that cost being the camera and tapes. Ordinary lavalier mics were used in addition to a standard microphone mixer. Editing was done on a PowerMac in Final Cut Express, and later burnt to DVD for distribution. We believe this project illustrates how digital media has altered the landscape of media creation and distribution, eliminating the need for expensive investments, gatekeepers, or other intermediaries. With the ease of making our voices heard, this project should motivate other Muslims to pick up cameras, learn to use editing software, and express themselves in a time when our true opinions are often silenced.
About the Filmmaker
“An Oral History of Islam in Pittsburgh” was researched, filmed, produced, and edited by Haroon Al-Qahtani. Narration was done by Tahir Abdullah. This was the filmmaker’s first attempt at creating a documentary film.
Contact Us
If you would like to obtain a copy of this film on DVD, or have comments or questions please send us an E-Mail.
