On the topic of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, one speaker validates the action because the "prophet was attacked" and mocked. While refuting the concept of freedom of speech, he flatly suggests the perpetrators were "simply expressing their own freedom of speech."
There is a definitive "eye-for-an-eye" brand of justice in play and a dismissal of secular democracy" -- described as being "about what people want, and not God."
Several exchanges include discourses on the Salafist view regarding the inferiority of women ("a woman cannot be considered equal to a man") and the condemnation of homosexuality (gay men are thrown from the roof of a building as a death sentence).
It is a strange disconnect to see jihadis who want to strictly enforce Sharia law, while adopting the technological conveniences of contemporary society. Social media is especially useful in spreading their dogma. Live tweeting a terrorist action, reporting on the number of the dead while amplifying the name of "the martyr," is not unusual.
Salafists engaging in ordinary aspects of worldly life can come across as bizarre. There is the shop owner in Tunisia who is selling books on jihad, items to hang from a car mirror, alcohol-free perfume, and more. SLF magazine is a Salafist "life-style" magazine with advice on "how to avoid looking at girls in the street." There are also fashion tips, such as, "You can go to join jihad in Syria wearing Nike."
These instances stand as a stark contrast to the propaganda videos disseminated by the movement online. In those, messages are sent out to potential recruits in England, France and Germany with the rhetoric, "Take us where God orders," to attack "infidels around the world" and purify the globe. God receives thanks for bringing fighters together from all corners of the earth.
Margolin
was unable to film in territories controlled by the Islamic State, so
he used propaganda films of the Salafists to illustrate their
activities. One graphically records a mass execution of "worshippers of
the cross, belonging to the hostile Ethiopian Church."
I spoke
with Margolin by Skype to get further insights about the lengths he went
to in order to secure this unprecedented account of the Salafist
movement.
"The film was very, very dangerous to shoot," he told me. He reiterated that his motivation was to present how the Salafists think, and to let them openly share their logic. "My role is to help [people] understand. It was a risk, but it is important to know who these people are. It's my way to contribute."
Will American audiences respond differently to the documentary than those in France? (The film played there continuously in a theater, for almost one year.) The terrorism of 9/11, which impacted the American psyche, has left indelible scars. Perhaps "Jihadists" will help clarify the actors and doctrines in the story of jihad? Although clearly a treatise about the dangers of the Salafist movement, there is a strong subtext about extremism and hyper-focused ideology that leaves no room for interpretation.
Margolin didn't risk his life without reason. He had a story to tell. "To know is more important than being blind," he said. "It is a beginning."
The film is dedicated to the victims of terrorist attacks.
Opens: January 25 at Cinema Village (New York)
February 1 at Laemmle Music Hall (Los Angeles)
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