The Domestic Crusaders

Last updated

The Domestic Crusaders
Wajahat Ali The Domestic Crusaders.png
McSweeney's cover of The Domestic Crusaders
Written by Wajahat Ali
Date premiered2005
Place premieredBerkeley Repertory Theatre
Berkeley, California
Original languageEnglish
SubjectTrials and tribulations of Pakistani-American Muslim family post-9/11
GenreDrama
SettingPost-9/11; family house in the United States

The Domestic Crusaders is a play by Wajahat Ali [1] about a Pakistani-American Muslim family. [2] [3]

Contents

The play made its Off-Broadway premiere at the Nuyorican Poets Café on September 11, 2009. The story is about the lives of a Pakistani-American family grappling with their own internal trials and tribulations, the changing dynamics of American society and a globalized, post-9/11 world. [4] McSweeney's published the play in the Fall of 2010. [5]

Summary

The play takes place over the course of one day, in an upper-middle-class suburban family home of a Muslim-American family of Pakistani origins. [3] [6] Six members of a Pakistani-American Muslim family, spanning three generations, reunite at the family home to celebrate the youngest son's 21st birthday. Each individual family member, or "domestic crusader", attempts to assert his or her individual definition of self and destiny in the face of collective family and societal constraints, fears and misunderstandings. [7]

Characters

History

Ali, who is an attorney and writer in the Bay Area, began writing the play in 2001 while studying at the University of California, Berkeley. The idea for the play came from Ali's writing professor, Ishmael Reed, who encouraged him to write a theatrical piece that shed light on the inner lives [8] of American Muslims, an increasingly marginalized American religious community. [3]

Ali explained his choice of the play's ironic title in the February 2011 issue of American Theatre , saying it refers to "hundreds of years of alleged inherent acrimony between the West and Islam....I wanted to reframe that within this multi-hyphenated Muslim-American family. These 'crusaders,' instead of being blood-thirsty warmongers, are nuanced, hypocritical, self-involved, quirky people. Instead of Kalashnikovs and swords and missiles, we see them fighting with stinging barbs and wit and regrets and secrets—good old-fashioned drama and melodrama." [8]

Premiere

The two-act play officially premiered as a 2005 showcase production [9] at the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The play was and continued to be directed by acclaimed choreographer and director Carla Blank through 2011. Its NYC debut, on September 11, 2009, at the Nuyorican Poets Café was followed by a sold-out five-week run, which broke attendance records for plays [10] at this landmark Off-Broadway theater. [11] In his Nuyorican program notes, Ali explained the choice of this date for the play's New York opening: [11] "I believe by proactively confronting the history of that day through art and dialogue we can finally move beyond the anger, the violence, the extremism, the separatism, the pain and the regret, and build a bridge of understanding and reconciliation." [2]

The play received its international premiere performances at MuslimFest in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on July 31 and August 1, 2010, and was showcased in Washington, D.C.'s Atlas Performing Arts Center on November 12, 2010, and at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Hall on November 14, 2010. The one-hour performance of Act One remains archived on the Kennedy Center website. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

Salman Rushdie Indian-born British-American novelist

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is a British-American novelist and essayist of Indian descent. His work, combining magical realism with historical fiction, is primarily concerned with the many connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations, with much of his fiction being set on the Indian subcontinent.

Salman Khan Indian actor, producer, television personality (born 1965)

Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two National Film Awards as a film producer, and two Filmfare Awards for acting. He is cited in the media as one of the most commercially successful actors of Indian cinema. Forbes included him in their 2015 list of Top-Paid 100 Celebrity Entertainers in the world; Khan tied with Amitabh Bachchan for No. 71 on the list, both with earnings of $33.5 million. According to the Forbes 2018 list of Top-Paid 100 Celebrity Entertainers in world, Khan was the highest-ranked Indian with 82nd rank with earnings of $37.7 million. He is also known as the host of the reality show, Bigg Boss since 2010.

Ishmael Reed American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, and playwright

Ishmael Scott Reed is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, playwright, editor and publisher known for his satirical works challenging American political culture. Perhaps his best-known work is Mumbo Jumbo (1972), a sprawling and unorthodox novel set in 1920s New York.

Junoon (band)

Junoon is a Pakistani sufi rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, and Tappan, New York, formed in 1990. The band is directed by founder, lead guitarist and songwriter, Salman Ahmad, who was soon joined by keyboardist Nusrat Hussain, bass guitarist Brian O’Connell and vocalist Ali Azmat. Junoon is Pakistan's and one of South Asia's most successful bands. Since their inception, the group has released a total of nineteen albums: seven studio albums; one soundtrack; two live albums; four video albums; and five compilations. They have sold over 30 million records worldwide.

Barelvi Sunni Islamic movement of South Asia

Barelvi is a Sunni revivalist movement following the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, with over 200 million followers in South Asia. It is a broad Sufi-oriented movement that encompasses a variety of Sufi orders, including the Chistis, Qadiris, Soharwardis and Naqshbandis. The movement was developed under the leadership of Sufi scholar Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi (1856–1921) around 1870–1890, in opposition to contemporary revivalist Deobandi and Ahl-i Hadith movements.

Salman the Persian Companion of Muhammad, first Persian convert to Islam

Salman the Persian or Rozbeh, was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the first Persian who converted to Islam. He was in the service of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the Rashidun caliphs Umar and Uthman. He participated in the early Muslim conquests of Sasanian Persia, and following the Rashidun victory, Salman served as the governor of Ctesiphon.

Salman of Saudi Arabia King of Saudi Arabia (since 2015)

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 16 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. He is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz and the sixth of his sons who have reigned as kings.

<i>Daily Times</i> (Pakistan) Pakistani newspaper

The Daily Times (DT) is an English-language Pakistani newspaper. Launched on April 9, 2002, Daily Times, is simultaneously published from Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. The newspaper was owned by Governor of Punjab and Pakistan Peoples Party member Salmaan Taseer.

Ali Velshi Canadian journalist (born c. 1968)

Ali Velshi is a Canadian television journalist, a senior economic and business correspondent for NBC News since October 2016. Velshi is based in New York City. Known for his work on CNN, he was CNN's Chief Business Correspondent, anchor of CNN's Your Money and a co-host of CNN International's weekday business show World Business Today. In 2013, he joined Al Jazeera America, a channel that launched in August of that year. He hosted Ali Velshi on Target until Al Jazeera America ceased operations on April 12, 2016. He has worked for MSNBC since October 2016.

The post-9/11 period is the time after the September 11 attacks, characterized by heightened suspicion of non-Americans in the United States, increased government efforts to address terrorism, and a more aggressive American foreign policy.

<i>Junoon</i> (Junoon album) 1991 studio album by Junoon

Junoon is the debut album of the Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, released on 30 September 1991. It was released by EMI and recorded at the EMI studios in Karachi in 1990. The album is produced by founder, songwriter and lead guitarist Salman Ahmad. The album contained a total track list of twelve songs with eight tracks being in Urdu language, three tracks in English and one instrumental.

Faran Tahir Pakistani-American actor (born 1963)

Faran Haroon Tahir is an American actor.

Aasiya Zubair, also known as Aasiya Hassan was with her husband Muzzammil Hassan, the founder and owner of Bridges TV, the first American Muslim English-language television network. In February 2009, she was found dead, beheaded, at the Bridges TV station after her estranged husband turned himself in to a police station and was charged with second-degree murder.

Naheed Akhtar Pakistani playback singer

Naheed Akhtar is a Pakistani playback singer. She is tagged as the "nightingale of Pakistan". She was the top Lollywood playback singer during the second half of 70s and 80s. She won 3 Nigar Awards and a Pride of Performance in 2007.

Pride of Performance is a civil award given by the Government of Pakistan to Pakistani citizens in recognition of distinguished merit in the fields of literature, arts, sports, medicine or science.

<i>The 500 Most Influential Muslims</i> Annual publication of influential Muslims

The 500 Most Influential Muslims is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world.

Onai Malik, known professionally as Nadia Ali, is a Pakistani-born American former pornographic actress, who worked as an actress from 2015 to 2016.

Naagin is a Pakistani supernatural thriller drama series, which aired from 17 April 2017 to 27 May 2019 on Geo Kahani. The series is produced by Babar Javed under the banner of Blue Eye Entertainment. The show stars Wajeeha Khan Durani, Sheen Javed, Resham, Jana Malik, Hareb Farooq and Meera in leading roles. Apart from Pakistan, the show was also the most watched show of Geo Kahani in the United Kingdom. After 177 episodes, the show stopped airing on 6 May 2018, and was renewed almost a year later on 6 March 2019.

Carla Blank is an American writer, editor, educator, choreographer, and dramaturge. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, for more than four decades she has been a performer, director, and teacher of dance and theater, particularly involved with youth and community arts projects.

References

  1. ↑ "wajahat ali | New Play Exchange". newplayexchange.org. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Music & Arts". WRMEA. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Goodstein, Laurie (September 8, 2009). "A Pakistani-American Family Is Caught in Some Cultural Cross-Fire". The New York Times .
  4. ↑ "Crusading for Modern Islamic Art", Beliefnet.com, March 2009.
  5. ↑ "Download Wajahat Ali's The Domestic Crusaders - McSweeney's Internet Tendency". McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Wajahat Ali". www.kennedy-center.org. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  7. ↑ Ali, Wajahat (October 20, 2009). "'The Domestic Crusaders': Making History With Muslim American Theater". HuffPost. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "The Domestic Crusaders". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  9. ↑ Bullock, Ken (July 8, 2005), "Election Section: Play Explores Post-9/11 Tensions in Family Portrait", Berkeley Daily Planet.
  10. ↑ Boulder NewsTeam (January 11, 2013). "The Domestic Crusaders and Q&A with Playwright Wajahat Ali". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Aftermath and Domestic Crusaders Examine the Muslim Experience". www.villagevoice.com. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.