User:Flyingwhilemuslim

Since 9/11, the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities in the United States have seemingly faced a rising tide of discrimination and racial profiling. FLYING WHILE MUSLIM attempts to present various sides of the issue, from those who support profiling as a means to ensure national security, and from those who claim it is a violation of civil liberties. This program does not seek to reflect on how and why we assess and assign the burden of guilt. This program is not about September 11; it merely serves as a backdrop. This program is about ordinary men and women and the challenges they face in contemporary times with the threat and rhetoric of “terrorism” stitched in the fabric of society. This documentary will tackle contentious issues such as profiling, “clash of civilizations”, civil liberties and national security among others in order for the viewer to have an informed decision.

“FLYING WHILE MUSLIM” is currently in post-production. The documentary is targeted for US release by Summer 2007.

The Filmmakers

Lyra Porras Garzon, Writer, Camera, Producer, Director, Editor

Lyra is an independent filmmaker, media activist and advocacy journalist. Prior to moving to New York, she has edited films in Manila and documentaries for Discovery and National Geographic in Hong Kong and Singapore. She was an editor on “Martial Law”, a documentary about the Marcos dictatorship that won Best Documentary in the Catholic Mass Media Awards. In 2003, she was one of the honorees of the Independent Film Project’s Upcoming Documentary Filmmakers (New York). She has been a journalist in the United Nations, a freelance news producer for Bridges TV and is currently an adjunct professor at the NYIT. Lyra has a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University and shuttles between New York and Cairo.

Rushda Majeed, Correspondent, Co-Writer, Production Coordinator

Rushda Majeed is completing her Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University with a regional focus on the Middle East. She has reported for Al-Thara, an e-magazine highlighting women’s rights in Syria, and interned at the Human Development Report office of the United Nations Development Programme. She is currently working with a team specializing in developing methodology for conflict resolution and negotiation, and completing a project assessing community-based law and development initiatives in Southern Zambia. As part of her interest in issues concerning contemporary political and social upheavals, she is working on the documentary “Flying While Muslim”.

Mona Zubair, Online Marketing and Promotion Coordinator

Mona Zubair is an advocate for human rights, civil society and free internet and media. She is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Human Rights at Columbia University and interning with the Freedom to Write Program at PEN American Center in New York. She interned at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2004. She completed a Masters in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate for Not-for-Profit Management from the University of Oregon in 2005.

Tony Yu-Nung Peng, Computer Graphics

Tony Yu-Nung Peng is an advocate for Taiwan's human rights, democracy, and independence movement. He worked as a producer in CTS, one of the major broadcast networks in Taiwan. He is currently studying for a Masters Degree in communication art and media management at the New York Institute of Technology in New York City. He is a correspondent for Taiwan Marcoview TV in New York and also a freelance writer and reporter for several Taiwanese media.

Dan Kokoszka, Computer Graphics

Dan is a graduate of the NYIT and is currently working as a computer graphics artist in New York City.

Sophia Al-Maria, Co-Editor and Co-Writer (Documentary Preview)

Sophia Al-Maria keeps herself busy as a cartoonist, writer, designer and video-editor. She has spent her formative years in the Pacific Northwest, the Arabian Gulf and Egypt. She now lives in New York City.