Shahada (2010)

I wanted to put together two muslim men in their forties. I wanted to put them into conflicts which cannot be solved easily , into conflicts spectators cannot predict easily the issue. At the same time, I wanted as many people as possible could feel envolved.

By dealing with major questions, I want to capt a large audience and reach some kind of universality. But over all, I like pathos. This film is about love and hate. In a way, I am far to german melancholie.

“The purpose was to make a film that didn’t exclude people, but that invites people to find the answers and ask the questions about conflicts that we are all struggling with,” Burhan Qurbani , 29,Shahada Director says.

Shahada is the Muslim declaration of faith. This film has three central characters all have some connection to a liberal and compassionate imam, Vedat.

Maryam, Vedat’s daughter, becomes pregnant, takes a pill to abort the fetus, and bleeds so badly that she believes God is punishing her.

Samir, a young Nigerian working in a wholesale market, falls in love with Daniel and is so racked with guilt that he tells his mother, who replies that his feelings are a test by God.

Ismail is a police officer also burdened by guilt, of having shot a woman years earlier. While she survived, her unborn child died.

“The story is specific to Germany and Europe today, but universal in its implications.”