Redlands Alum to Screen “Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football” on April 5
The film explores the values, aspirations and opinions of Arab-American Muslims

REDLANDS, CA – The challenges of Arab-American Muslims will be portrayed in the film “Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football” at a special screening on April 5 at the University of Redlands. Rashid Ghazi, the film’s director, will present his award-winning documentary and will participate in a Question-and-Answer session following the showing. The event is free, and starts at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel.

Ghazi, a 1989 graduate of the University of Redlands, is now a partner at Paragon Marketing Group in Illinois, but never forgot his passion for football and documentaries. Ghazi founded North Shore Films to produce “Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football,” a story he began developing in 2003 with the belief that his fellow Americans were interested in what American Muslims were really like.

The film begins on September 11, 2009, and concludes at the end of Ramadan ten days later. The story takes place at Fordson High School, a public school from a working-class Detroit suburb built by Henry Ford in 1922 that was once all white but now attracts a 98 percent Arab-American student body. As the Fordson team readies itself to play its affluent cross-town rival, the film depicts a community that is desperately holding onto its Islamic faith while struggling to gain acceptance in post 9/11 America.

Leela Madhavarau, associate dean of the university’s office of Campus Diversity and Inclusion and host for the event sees this screening as the perfect opportunity to live our mission of encouraging a pluralistic notion of values by challenging assumptions and stereotypes. “There are few communities in the United States more stereotyped in this post 9/11 era than that of American Muslims. I encourage all members of the community to view the film and engage in a conversation about what it means to be an American in 2012,” said Madhavarau.

The award-winning film marks Ghazi’s directorial debut. Ghazi, along with his wife Ruhma, solely funded the production, distribution and marketing of “Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football,” which was released in ten major cities in September 2011.

About University of Redlands
The University of Redlands is a private liberal arts and sciences university consistently ranked among the best universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Since the university’s founding in 1907, Redlands has emphasized academic rigor, personal development and interdisciplinary studies. An Education + culture of elevated learning provides students with a holistic education that results in a unique life transformation. Redlands students learn equally about service, commitment, life and the world. As a pioneer in the burgeoning field of spatial learning, Redlands integrates spatial learning across academic disciplines. At the innovative Johnston Center, students have the opportunity to design their own custom major. Home to one of the oldest accredited music programs in California, the conservatory-style School of Music educates the whole musician. Adults may continue their education with programs tailored for working professionals at the Schools of Business and Education, offering evening degree-completion and graduate programs at 11 convenient Southern California locations.