Synopsis

MOOZ-lum is the story of a black family within the first large generation of Muslims born and raised in this country and the trials and tribulations faced while practicing Islamic faith in American Society. The story is told through the eyes of Tariq Mahdi, a young man born and raised in a Muslim household along with his younger sister Taqua by their father Hassan and mother Safiyah. Hassan is determined to send Tariq to an Islamic school to learn the Quran, which Safiyah strongly objects to. When Hassan’s strict beliefs become too much for Safiyah’s liberal nature, she decides that she wants a divorce. Little do Tariq and Taqua know, the terms of the divorce are Tariq is to live with their father and Taqua with their mother. After the divorce, Hassan fulfills his plans for Tariq and sends him off to an Islamic boarding school. Six years later, Tariq is a freshman in college living back in the area he grew up. Having been at the Islamic boarding school and under the strict environment laid out by his father, Tariq wants nothing to do with his Islamic past. Since the divorce, Taqua has not seen Tariq very often and their relationship has drifted apart. She decides to reach out to him and attempt to rebuild their once strong relationship. Upon reuniting, she realizes that Tariq’s attitude about Islam has been heavily affected by his time at the school and with their father, so she tries to open him up to different ways of viewing his beliefs and incorporating his faith into society. Unknown to Tariq, his college experience is going to be beyond just academic enrichment. Taqua starts spending time with him on campus and opening him up to new experiences. His roommate, Hamza, is an Arab Muslim who also tries to reach out and connect with him but Tariq constantly tries to avoid him. He also has interactions with a professor who challenges the students to think broadly about religion and world views, but the professor has to deal with the political ramifications from the dean of the department who is constantly trying to hold him down. Just as Tariq begins to grow as a person and open up to new ideas about his faith, the attacks on the World Trade Center take place. Immediately, the view of Muslims in America changes and some people begin to act on their anti-Islamic feelings. Their campus becomes an environment surrounded by violence and hate crimes. At that moment, Tariq must make many critical decisions with his life, from dealing with a Muslim/Christian relationship he has with a young lady named Ayanna, trying to deal with the views of Islam that he knows while separating it from the ones created by 9/11, all while trying to protect Taqua from the dangers building on campus due to that tragic day.

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