Part of the Frank Islam Athenaeum Symposia Speaker Series.
By The American Bazaar Staff
GERMANTOWN, MD: “Noor,” a critically acclaimed play written by Pakistani American academic Akbar Ahmed and directed by Indian American Manjula Kumar, was screened at Montgomery College here on Monday.
The two-act drama, which deals with the issue of religious tolerance in the aftermath of the kidnapping of its central character, Noor, and the search for her by three brothers, each subscribing to different ideologies, was part of the Frank Islam Athenaeum Symposia Speaker Series.
The series, which mainly consists of lectures given at the college’s Germantown campus, is made possible by a $15,000 grant from the Frank Islam and Debbie Dreisman Foundation.
After the screening, the director, playwright and actors, as well as Islam, answered questions from the audience.
Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at the American University, talked about the value of tolerance that “Noor” highlights in today’s world. He pointed to the different backgrounds and nationalities of all the actors in the play and stressed the importance of interfaith dialogue. Nearly all actors are from various South Asian nations, including India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
This was the second major play Ahmed and Kumar worked together. The first one, “The Trial of Dara Shikoh,” a drama about Dara Shikoh, the heir apparent to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, had also received critical acclamation.
Sanjay Rai, Vice President and Provost of Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus, thanked everyone involved in the play and the donor for helping to bring it to the campus.