The Education of Mohammad Hussein

A decade after 9/11, and a whole generation of American Muslims is growing up in an increasingly polarized society. Detroit is home to the largest Muslim community in the United States. In this film, children and teenagers from that community talk about the role Islamic identity plays in their daily lives. We see veiled girls squabbling over Justin Bieber, but they're just as likely to be boasting about their pious behavior, competing for who's the most virtuous, or quizzing each other on details from the Koran. Little boys comb YouTube for the most terrifying, doom-laden films announcing that the wrath of Allah and the end of the world are near, and they talk with the utmost seriousness about the importance of their faith. Other American Muslims discuss their humiliating experiences when entering or leaving the country, and the hate mail they receive. Tensions mount between various factions in the city when fanatic anti-Islam activists hold a demonstration. They illustrate the prevailing Islamophobia and ignorance about their Islamic fellow citizens: "They can blow our stuff up, but we can't burn a book?" Nonetheless, there is a glimmer of hope. At an ecumenical service after the demonstration, religious leaders from all faiths make a call for tolerance.