"Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football" Movie Review
The film “Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football” a directed by Rashid Ghazi provides an insight into Islamic culture from the Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan, a city where 98% of students are Arabs. The documentary challenges the opinion and beliefs of those who thinks that Muslims cannot assimilate into American culture and that all Muslims are a threat to the world if not isolated. The director shows that the city with the highest concentration of Arabs can be just the ordinary American city with its own football team and happy families. Rashid Ghazi's documentary depicts events in the life of the community in public school football team, the Fordson Tractors. The football season coincided with the Muslim holy month Ramadan, so the football players are fasting and having hours of practices every day (Northshorefilms, 2016). Football has become an embodiment of the Five Pillars of Islam for students from Fordson high as well as the new way to show love to God and fit into American society.
In Dearborn, Arab people feel comfortable as many of them live there for many generations but still stay in the community. Thus, Fordson shows how Muslim ethnically homogenous and conservative population coordinates academic calendars with football season and Islamic policy. Although Arab people seem to fit into American society, they still follow their Islamic traditions and religious canons. People interviewed in the documentary say that many children live at home until marriage and few of them leave the community as college-students (they study at colleges nearby) and even as adults (Northshorefilms, 2016). Michael Molly in his book “Experiencing the world's religions tradition, challenges, and change” tells about Islamic religion, its historical development, and specificities (Molloy, 2013). By telling about how Muslims try to adjust legislations to their religion proving that Qur’an have a strong influence on the life of Muslims regardless of the country they live in.
Furthermore, Molly tells about the strong dedication to things Muslim people do, and even the word “Islam” means wholehearted surrender to God. Therefore, they believe that God controls the universe down to the smallest detail and perceive God as a spirit living in everything at the same time. Thus, everything Islamic people do is related to God and is God’s will (Molloy, 2013). The most important rules of Islam are Five Pillars of Islam which interestingly coincide with Fordson’s student's dedication to football. All Muslims must accept and practice these Five Pillars as they support their faith (Molloy, 2013). Creed is the first pillar which tells that “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad id his messenger” (Molly, 2013, 415). It the first sentence whispered into the ears of a newborn child and recited daily in prayer. Football players also usually have their own creed, and they must stay within their team as there is only one team which cannot be rejected.
The second pillar is prayer which means that devout Muslims are called on to pray five times a …
