Farewell Israel: Bush, Iran and The Revolt of Islam 2008
Distributed by Alden Films, Box 449, Clarksburg, NJ 08510; 732.462.3522
Produced by Joel Gilbert and Highway 61 Entertainment Production
Directed by Joel Gilbert
DVD, color, 145 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Middle Eastern Studies, Religious Studies, Political Science, Ethics, Sociology, Criminal Justice, International Relations
Date Entered: 07/15/2009
Reviewed by Malcolm L. Rigsby, Department of Sociology, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, ARThis film traces the 1200 year history of Islam, its decline and efforts to revive and spread to the world. Interwoven within this revival are its efforts to restore itself from within and its various connectivities with America and the Jewish State of Israel.
The film’s website calls it a “political documentary” and it certainly makes a political statement. This is an extremely well shot and directed film that traces the history of Islam, Jewish, and western relations. While the film relies on primarily archival footage, the transitions and background music and dubbing keeps the viewer’s attention. This is a rather long film; however, the subject matter and the presentation kept me from drifting. The director, Joel Gilbert, is a renowned scholar of the Middle-East. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. He has served with several professors and experts of Islam and Judaism and he speaks Arabic and Hebrew.
The subject of the film traces Islam from its roots giving birth to Islam. The focus of his thought processes is that Islam has been misunderstood by the west and by the Jews themselves. His focal point is that fundamental Islam finds as its primary goal to spread the faith of Islam to the world and create a universal umma or Muslim brotherhood state consisting of east and west. Gilbert goes about this analysis systematically in a concise and methodical fashion. In doing this, he calls upon religious ideologies and cultural traditions. With each completed step he builds his case that ultimately the fundamental Muslim calling is to spread Islam worldwide.
Some who have studied Islamic religion and are aware that there are various sects of those who profess Islam may question some of Gilbert’s analysis. This film may serve instructors and educators well in a comparative analysis of particular forms of Islam such as a comparison of Shia, Sunni, Sufi, and the Wahabi.
Regardless this is an intriguing film and deserves feedback from several audiences.