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Women around the world face persecution and are treated as second-grade citizens.
Every possible kind of dishonor & degradation is committed against one-half of the population.
From Afghanistan to America, Middle East to New Zealand, Africa to Iceland, every society, religion, & culture has treated woman as second grade citizen,
and made her a victim of female infanticide, genital mutilation, child marriage, illiteracy, acid throwing, breast ironing, honor killing, dowry death,
Sati (widow-burning), domestic violence, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, prostitution, human trafficking and rape.
Yet women have somehow found it in their hearts to go on loving, living, dreaming, singing and creating art.
INFIDEL tells the story of Aisha ; one such young woman who lives by the force of her soul to express her passion through dance, no matter what the odds.
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The first and foremost duty of art and artists is to heal the rupture, mend the broken-ness that resides in us all and heal the world.
Whether through films, music, dance, painting, cartoons, theater or any other art form, artists shed light to the darker parts of our collective human psyche,
create irreverent humor when things get too serious and make art with a message of hope for a better world and a better tomorrow.
Artists are the promoters of peace and harmony. Yet they are persecuted by fundamentalist regimes and forbidden their art,
sometimes they are stopped due to the extremist beliefs of their own family members.
A dancer in Afghanistan faces the same hate as a cartoonist in France.
INFIDEL celebrates artists worldwide, shows the sacrifices artists make for their art and promises solidarity with artists around the world who are struggling but never giving up.
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One of the pit-falls of popular culture that permeates western society is its stereotypical depiction of all Muslim men especially from countries like Afghanistan
as patriarch extremists. This has dangerous consequences and its ramifications are obvious to all thinking people.
Stereotypes fail to portray the kind fathers, generous brothers and loving husbands who face the stark choice between protecting their daughters,
sisters & wives and nurturing the dreams. If women stand in the first line of fire in extremists societies , progressive men are not far behind.
INFIDEL strives to break this stereotype through the loving and nurturing character of
Rafiq, Aisha'a father and her best-friend.
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