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Additional Video

Film Update

Hamza, Suliman and their mom Gladys give an update on what they've been up to since filming ended.

Hamza's Backstory (Clip 1 of 9)

Hamza talks about what he was like as a troubled, drug-addicted young man.

Rafiah's Backstory (Clip 2 of 9)

Hamza's talks about his wife Rafiah, a third generation Muslim. She talks about her connection with Hamza.

How Hamza Met Rafiah (Clip 3 of 9)

Hamza and Rafiah talk about how they got to know each other online before they ever met in person.

Bodega Freestyle (Clip 4 of 9)

Hamza and Suliman from M-Team freestyle in a bodega.

Hamza Interprets "New Muslim Cool" (Clip 5 of 9)

Hamza talks about the new generation of Muslim Americans and the culture that they are creating.

Are Those Hotdogs Halal? (Clip 6 of 9)

A Muslim man explains what it means for food to be considered halal.

Ramadan Rap (Clip 7 of 9)

A group of Muslim children make up a rap for Ramadan

Interviews About the Raid (Clip 8 of 9)

Journalists and experts talk at length about the raid on the Pittsburgh mosque.

Hamza and the ACLU (Clip 9 of 9)

Hamza Pérez talks to an ACLU attorney about a more recent interview on his religious beliefs.

  • Updated on August 20, 2009

Filmmaker

Jennifer Maytorena Taylor

Jennifer Maytorena Taylor

view interview »

New Muslim Cool came out of my long-standing interest in the power of pop music and culture to create social change, and a deep feeling that we urgently need to look for common ground as our world grows increasingly diverse and interconnected.”

— Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, Filmmaker

Film Update

Critical Acclaim

New Muslim Cool possesses a kind of beauty that sneaks up on you: it is in Hamza’s humility, in the dignity with which he confronts so much of his misfortune, in his commitment to rehabilitating drug dealers because, in his mind, no one else will.”

— Ginia Bellafante
The New York Times

Read full review »

Thank goodness, this is the story of the new America that is unfolding — the one that young Americans across traditional divides are claiming everyday as their own.”

— Bakari Kitwana
NewsOne / Huffington Post

Disarming docu New Muslim Cool... [is] a fine illustration of the melting pot's latest cultural flavors, as well as a helpful look past post-9/11 Islamic stereotypes...”

— Dennis Harvey
Variety

Spellbinding... San Francisco filmmaker Jennifer Maytorena Taylor gives us the full dimension of a Muslim American man who's a rapper, educator, father, husband and idealist.”

— Jonathan Curiel,
San Francisco Chronicle

New Muslim Cool explores a world that few Muslims are aware of, a streetwise scene filled with mixed cultures, economic hardships, and hip hop.”

— Zahed Amanullah
altmuslim.com

Upcoming Films

A Co-Production of

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