(Image from Osamaloves.com: Osama the schoolboy,5, from Morroco who loves his chick)
There are 1.4 billion Muslims in the world, but many people are only able to name one: Osama Bin laden. Creator of this documentary, British born Pakistani Muslim Farrah, set out to prove that not all muslims are terrorists with the help of her fellow muslim friend Masood. They travelled around the world for 50 days meeting people of different cultures with different problems and different passions but they all have one thing in common: they are all called Osama.
While the day that changed the USA was 9/11, the UK changed after the 7/7 bombings in 2005, where bombs exploded on 3 underground trains and a double decker bus. It was a day that rocked the UK and, in particular, London. Before we had been watching terror attacks on the news, now we were having attacks on us. It was one of the moments where you can remember where you were. Robyn, 18, was in the waiting room of the orthodontist and on the radio they were saying something has happened on the trains although it isn't clear yet they thought there had been some kind of major power cut and later found out the double decker bus had exploded outside her fathers office in Tavistock Square, London. Farrah took the bombings as a personal attack on her home and when she heard that the people who did it were the same ethnicity, religion and linguistic background as her, it was "a bitter pill to swallow". The suicide bombers were British Muslim men, three of Pakistani descent and one of Jamaican. Now she feels angry that extremists have stolen the limelight and has had enough of being pidgeon-holed into being extremist terrorists.
Her idea was to go around the world, meeting Osamas, finding out what they love and proving to the world that not all Muslims are terrorists. She began in the UK with Osama 37 from Worchester, UK who loves hip hop and Osama, 17, an A Level student from Warwick that loves innovative web design. She then posted these onto www.osamaloves.com where other people with the name Osama can post what they love.
The first country the pair travelled to was Nigeria, West Africa where 50% of the population are Muslim. They first try to meet an Imam called Osama but on the way, he becomes suspicious of their motives and decides to pull out. Slightly frustrated, they hit a local market and try to find someone and they meet a tailor called Osama who says that he thinks they are doing this programme to “enlighten America and perhaps the whole world the name Osama is just a name and doesn’t belong to a terrorist”. This Osama is 23 and loves footballer Ronaldo. They find another working right next door that loves tea. Word spreads and the osamas just keep coming. They find one that loves his chickens, a blacksmith that loves football team Man United, a goat herder that loves football team Arsenal, a tanner that loves football player Wayne Rooney and one that loves Nigeria. It soon becomes clear that the country is football mad, particularly for British football teams. She also meets a musician called Osama "bin Music", who made it his stage name after the famous bin laden. His favourite music is dancehall and he loves Beenieman. In the UK, Farrah says that many believe music and Islam don’t mix, but in Nigeria Osama says that there is no problem: "Islam allows singing, songs were sung in front of the prophet but he laid down rules that a woman is not supposed to reveal her body, a man is not to touch a woman while he is singing and the song should convey a message that will benefit the listener not something that would corrupt their minds or lead them astray". Going on from this, Farrah then goes to meet an Osama who was a judge responsible for shutting down the Nigerian film industry under Sharia law. He said that “the ban was correct because these kinds of films don’t teach anything. Drama should teach people something. Teach them what to do and what not to do. These thinsg are just a copy of what goes on in Europe. Theyre just dancing and singing and romance... These kinds of pleasures teach bad things... Those from the west taught us how to commit burglary and to break into a womans room and rape her. Thats how we learnt those things. ” Farrah says his judgements about western culture seem “a little farfetched” but back home in the UK many people share his views, with parents thinking their children are becoming “too westernised” and losing their traditional values. From Nigeria, they met 19 total Osamas.
They next went to Cairo, capital of Egypt. The country has a 75 million population and 90% of them are muslim. Osama is an Arabic name which, loosely translated, means young lion, and in these parts the name is as common as John or James is in the west. It is so common that to find an Osama, all they have to do is walk in the street and yell the name. Doing so, the first Osama they meet is 23, works downtown and loves his fiancée. Next they meet an Osama who is an air traffic controller that loves peace. He went to America before 9/11 and then after he changed his name to Sam. When people in the west hear his name is Osama and that he is an air traffic controller, they do not trust him because of his name. They meet more Osama’s that love the internet, their mum, Egypt, foreigners, laughing, their neighbours, investing, a girl (its a secret), Kebab, black Sabbath and a seven year old that loves bananas. Talking about her time in Egypt, Farrah says “I’ve not meant any extremists... not a single person who said it was right to blow up the twin twoers or bomb London". While there on a Saturday night, the whole of Cairo came to a halt, as a football match is on and the country is also football mad. The star player of one of the football teams is called Osama. Farrah meets him and asks him about being a role model and he says “its definitely a responsibility. Not only when im playing but everything outside football as well. The way I am wuith my friends when im on tv and when im playing. Im not doing this for myself its between me and God. God will reward me for that – this is what Islam is about.” He recorded a tape of the Qu’uran which was very successful and they gave the income to poor people. He loves scoring goals. One of Farrah's observations is was that in the west, it would be rare to find a football player that you could go to for religious guidance. The next Osama they met was Osama Mounir, who famously tackles the taboo subjects of sex and love on the radio. He loves love. When he first began his radio show, he couldn’t believe how many people were listening and became an overnight celebrity. He even has listeners calling from America and Europe. His voice is now the most recognisable in the Arab world, with deep gravly tones similar to Barry White. This Osama is actually a Christian. When asked what he would do if a girl called saying she was Muslim and wanted to have a relationship with a Christian, he said he would tell her not to do it because it would cause so many problems. In their community they have to have the blessing of the family and no one would bless the marriage. Farrah admitted she was disappointed by this advice after all the pressure she feels to marry a nice Muslim boy but would prefer to just let love choose. In Egypt they met 57 Osamas including ones that love the sahara, their girlfriend and horses.
The next country that Farrah and Masood were meant to go to was Pakistan, but they haven't yet given them filming permission so they cannot go there. Farrah said she is "actually embarrassed of the obstacles we've met... we're trying to do a good thing".
Instead, they next go to Indonesia in the far east. It is home to more muslims than anywhere else in the world: 200 million. The first Osama they meet is a little boy who was originally born in Leeds, England on the 11th September 2001: the day of the terrorist attacks. He loves riding his bicycle. Talking to his father, they are told that he was named Osama before any of this happened. He told the midwife he would name him Osama and she said “oh very good, that’s nice” but when he was going home, "she never smiled again". He was born hours before the first plane struck the towers. Osama's father says that he doesn't think Osama will have problems in the future: “it depends on Allah”. They next meet an Osama that owns over 400 goats and sells the milk all over the city. He loves martial arts. She also meets Osamas that love manga, an engineer that loves his days off and one that loves intelligent women. They meet 75 Osamas in total.
Next they go to Toronto, Canada. It has the highest number of Muslims of any north American city. They have had a lot of press interest for the documentary, with them getting onto national news almost as soon as they arrive. Very soon after being on the news, the Osamas get in touch. They first meet one that moved from Sudan to Canada. Osama says that Canada is very accepting and he thought that "there were would be more problems than there were". He loves acceptance. They also meet an Osama originally from Pakistan and he too feels very welcome in the country but for his parents it was difficult as every step he took towards the Canadian culture, they saw as a negative step: his hair style, his music, his clothes. His parents have a fear of him drifting from their culture to the western. He loves sandy beaches. Looking back at the website Osama loves, Farrah and Masood see there was an Osama, a writer from USA that loves global dialogue and say that he is the perfect example.
Farrah talks about the importance of getting permission to go to Pakistan because it is being associated with the training and recruiting of terrorists and “its name is becoming mud, and that hurts me”. They do manage to get the filming to go to Pakistan. They arrive on the eve of independance day, the biggest night of the year. They meet an Osama who was a newsreader from London at the time of the bombings and was on the way to work at the time and was evacuated from the station. When he found out British Pakistanis were responsible he didn’t want to believe it but also thought “oh crap, now its us who are going to suffer” because everybody is naturally going to think that everyone coming from Pakistan is coming with the notion of blowing London up. He says that “terrorism and Islam are 2 things completely apart”. They go to meet Masoods family in the town of Lahore and his cousin called Osama who was born 2 months after 9/11. Masood is worried his uncle named his cousin after Osama bin laden. When they ask him why he chose that name he says that “there was a guy at his school called Osama who was very intelligent” and says that he didn’t name his son after Osama bin Laden. He says “nowadays everywhere in Pakistan there are bombings. Everyone is frightened even in Lahore we are frightened. I work in the areas that bombs are going off. When my family hear of a bombing they are so worried... no one can stand their family being harmed”. Back at the hotel they are met with devasting news that a suicide bomb has rocked Lahore. Farrah says “it sickens me... the timing of it... the eve of independence day, the one day of the year the ordinary Pakistani can celebrate and be joyful and they do this at midnight”. In the first three months of 2008 over 600 civilians died in blasts around Pakistan. Masoods friend Jerad talks about how they are becoming an everyday occurrence “we are the ones who are paying in this world... it hurts us a lot when people are saying that we are terrorists. This is so painful, you have to fight tears when you hear it. We are victims not terrorists.” After talking to Jerad, Farrah says “there is no mistake who is taking the brunt of this war on terror”. Despite the earlier bombing, later that night everyone is out in the street celebrating independence day and Farrah says she is “so proud to be Punjabi and have a heritage in this region. The resilience is astonishing”. It reminds her of how Londoners picked themselves up after 7/7 and refused to let the bombers have their way.
When Farrah and Masood went back home, they invited Osamas from all over the UK to help them celebrate. They had ones that love reading, love, playing chess, football, a 57 year old entrepreneur that loves meatballs and a 13 year old that loves his name. Farrah says that she set out to prove that not all Muslims are the same but she wasn’t expecting just how different they all are: Nigerian Muslims are different from Egyptian Muslims and both are different from British Muslims. Nevertheless there was one thing that this journey had made Farrah sure of: “How can anyone look at those faces and think that those people are associated with terrorists and violence?”
If you live in the UK you can watch this documentary at:
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