Islam & The Future Of Tolerance

In a world riven by violence and misunderstanding, prominent atheist author Sam Harris and Islamist-turned-liberal Muslim Maajid Nawaz seek to provide a remedy to the polarizing rhetoric and obscurantism around the topic of Islam.

"How refreshing to read an honest yet affectionate exchange between the Islamist-turned-liberal-Muslim Maajid Nazwaz and the neuroscientist who advocates mindful atheism, Sam Harris..."

– IRSHAD MANJI (New York Times Book Reviews, 2015)

"This honest & intelligent dialogue is a superb exploration of the intellectual & moral issues involved."

– STEVEN PINKER

"The conversation that Sam and Maajid have had has opened up a huge opportunity for everyone in the world to talk about something that people are afraid to talk about."

– DAVE RUBIN

After publicly clashing in a debate over the concept of Islamic reform in the Muslim world, prominent atheist philosopher Sam Harris and Islamist-turned-liberal-Muslim Maajid Nawaz reconnect several years later in an attempt at civil and honest dialogue. Sam and Maajid attempt to explore their real or imagined divides by clearly and rationally dissecting their disagreements. Through the course of their discussions, they tackle troubling passages from the Quran, the importance of the precision of language and terms (such as “Jihadism,” “Islamists,” and “radical,”) and the difficulty in finding helpful and honest responses in a fraught political terrain. Ultimately, this unlikely collaboration sheds light on the many confusions that afflict the public conversation about Islam and emphasizes how the virtues of open dialogue can help foster both understanding and tolerance in an increasingly polarized world.

Harris entered life as a public intellectual after 9/11 and soon found himself regarded as a leading voice of the “New Atheist” movement, along with Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett. He spent much of the next decade writing books such as The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape and publicly engaging religious scholars and apologists in highly contentious conversations.

Meanwhile, Nawaz was arrested and thrown into an Egyptian prison, where he spent four years before beginning his slow journey out of radical Islamism. By the time he emerged, he had decided to dedicate his life’s work to reforming Islam from within. He started Quilliam, a counter-extremism organisation. Islam and the Future of Tolerance tells the story of an unlikely conversation on a topic of grave importance, and how it changed two foes into friends.

Jay Shapiro

Director

Jay Shapiro is an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in New York. While earning his degree at Clark University, he was awarded a fellowship to produce a documentary in West Africa titled Like Me, I Am Here. Over the next decade, his work enjoyed success at prestigious film festivals such as Toronto, Tribeca, RiverRun, and DOC NYC. His major directorial debut, Opposite Field, followed the journey of the first African team to play in the Little League World Series. It was bought by Netflix for digital distribution and has been shown in television markets around the world. It was featured in the New York Times and on ABC, ESPN, and CNN International. Shapiro recently directed All Rise, a feature-length documentary about the complexities of international law, which was filmed in 11 countries and privately screened at the United Nations.

Desh Amila

Director / Producer

A product of immigration, integration, and innovation, Sri Lankan born, Desh Amila, started from humble beginnings before realising his dream was in the West, and migrated to Melbourne, Australia in 2000. Desh has since pioneered his career as an entrepreneur, entertainer, and educator on a global scale. ‍After graduating from Melbourne’s Deakin University with a Bachelor of Arts (Media Arts: Screen Studies and Photography) in 2005, Desh soon realised that this was merely his first step into a world of many successes, many more uncertainties, painful growths and profound realisations.

Aaron Louis

Producer

Aaron is currently the Director of Audio Visual at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), on the Board of Directors at 3-Legged Dog Media + Theater Group, the Chairman of the Board for the non-profit, Ideas Beyond Borders, and a freelance Producer. Recent Producer credits include a co-production with BAM and WNYC for RadioLoveFest entitled ISLAMOPHOBIA: A CONVERSATION, a panel debate moderated by WNYC’s Brian Lehrer. Aaron was formerly the Producing Director at 3LD Art & Technology Center where credits include 3LD’s co-production with The Public Theater of THE HUMAN SCALE, written/performed by Pulitzer Prize-winning Lawrence Wright, directed by Oskar Eustis (2010 New Yorker Festival); MAKING UP THE TRUTH, written/performed by “This American Life” regular Jack Hitt; SPY GARBO, the Drama Desk-nominated off-Broadway production directed by Kevin Cunningham; and the off-Broadway run of Marielle Heller’s THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL, directed by Sarah Cameron Sunde and Rachel Eckerling, now a major motion picture.

Suzi Jamil

Producer

Suzi Jamil is the Owner and Director of Think Inc., a young Australian-based initiative dedicated to the promotion of intellectual discourse through world-class events. Launched in 2014, Think Inc. has become a platform for promoting big ideas; stimulating and engaging independent, rational thinking; and celebrating scientific discovery. Think Inc. has hosted Neil deGrasse Tyson, Steve Wozniak, Edward Snowden, Brian Greene, and other eminent thinkers. Suzi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Juris Doctor from the University of New South Wales. She has more than six years’ experience as a professional communicator.

ISLAM AND THE FUTURE OF TOLERANCE: THE MOVIE