Veiled Voices

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Directed by Brigid Maher
USA, 2009, 59 minutes
Brigid Maher in person

Women across the Arab world are redefining their role as leaders in Islam. Veiled Voices investigates the world of Muslim women religious leaders through the eyes of three women in Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. Shot over the course of two years, Veiled Voices reveals a world rarely documented or filmed before now and explores both the public and private worlds of these women. The stories of the women featured give insight into how Muslim women are now increasingly willing to challenge the status quo from within Islam, promoting Islam as a powerful force for positive transformation in the world. Each triumphs over difficult challenges as they carve out a space to lead in Islam and their communities. http://www.veiledvoices.com/

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Director Brigid Maher is a film and media arts professor at American University and an award-winning filmmaker. Her inspiration for Veiled Voices came while teaching broadcast media in Lebanon in 2005 on a Fulbright award. Maher traveled to Lebanon, Syria and Egypt to film, following the lives of the three sheikhas as they seek to carve out a space to lead in Islam and their communities. Her intimate portraits of these women provide a launching point for intellectual discussion among both Muslims and non-Muslims about the evolving role of women in religion. Maher's films, which have been shown at festivals around the world, often examine themes of cultural identity and discrimination.
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Producers’ Forums are supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Independence Foundation