Imad Karam (left) with fellow film-maker Alan Channer (Photo: Mike Brown)A Palestinian Muslim who, together with a British Christian, makes films which tell stories of trustbuilding and hope. Sevérine Chavanne talks to Imad Karam.

The Palestinian Authority may well declare a Palestinian State next September, radically changing the situation in the Middle East. If so, this would herald a new era in Palestine, giving Imad Karam, from Gaza, food for thought as he ponders whether to return to the region and how best to continue working to re-building trust after the constant conflict in which he grew up.

Karam makes documentary films. He is the co-director of FLTfilms – the production company of Initiatives of Change based in London. His work allows him to bridge the gaps he sees between the perception people and communities have of one another, and to build trust. He does this through inspiring stories of people building trust, inviting them to see ‘the Other’ with a new perspective, an open mind.

Growing up in Gaza meant ‘having to strive, knowing that you’re not free’. At 13, when most other children were leaving school to support their families or engage in the intifada, he was kept in school. ‘I was privileged to have a family that appreciated education,’ he explains.

After graduating from the Al-Azhar University-Gaza in English literature, Karam worked at the International Press center in Gaza before getting a scholarship to do postgraduate studies in media and communications in London. ‘When I left Gaza, Palestine was my whole world. When I came out I found that being Arab and Muslim was also part of my identity. So I decided to do my MA dissertation not about Palestinian but about Arab issues.’

His PhD research on the impact of the media on Arab youth identity gave him a deeper understanding of the dilemma which young Arabs face: ‘Arab youth find themselves accused by their own elders of becoming less Arab and less Muslim, and at the same time accused by the West of becoming or being radical. My focus is to understand the reality of young people, to understand their aspirations and give them a voice.’

Issues of unemployment and social and political exclusion have contributed to recent events in the Arab world, he says. The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt were youth driven and they continue to spread. Regimes in Libya and Syria were keen to accuse the young people of being agents of western countries. At the same time the western countries’ biggest question was whether these revolutions were lead by Islamists.

Karam feels that the military intervention in Libya has deepened mistrust between Arab and western communities. In a public talk about the Arab revolutions at the London IofC centre on March 15, he called for a swift international response to the Arab League’s call for a no-fly zone over Libya. However, he says the way it was done has increased popular support for the Gaddafi regime, not just within Libya but across the region with some people thinking this is another western invasion. But he remains hopeful: ‘I do believe that the change has come and there is no turning back. It will just take more time.’

In response to the violent crackdowns Karam quotes Solzhenitsyn’s words from the film One Word of Truth, which he is currently subtitling in Arabic: ‘Violence does not live by itself and cannot live by itself. It can only exist with the help of the lie... Violence can only be concealed by the lie, and the lie can only be maintained by violence.’ Karam adds: ‘If people and especially artists can stand against the lie, then we may be heading towards a better future. I take it on myself not to support deceit and not to take part in the lie.’

Filming with the FLTfilms crew (Photo: Kelly Burks)Beyond that, Karam feels a responsibility to deliver a message of hope, by sharing inspiring stories through film: ‘We don’t really know what the impact of our films will be, but if the story is good, if it speaks to people’s hearts, then it will have an impact.’

Sometimes, as with The Imam and the Pastor, such a bet brings unexpected results. ‘Back in 2004, FLTfilms was looking for a story that reflected positively on the relationship between the Muslim and the non-Muslim worlds. In the IofC centre in Caux, Switzerland, David Channer – the founder of FLTfilms – and I met Imam Ashafa and Pastor James, but we were quite sceptical. I remember saying: “Look David, I can bring in an Israeli and come to Caux and everyone will clap and say well done, but what am I doing back home?”’

Back in London, Karam, David and Alan Channer – FLTfilms co-director – decided to send a cameraman to Nigeria to evaluate the story. ‘He returned a changed man’, Karam says. The team then went several times to Nigeria and produced The Imam and the Pastor. Karam explains: ‘Our expectations were minimal. We thought the film might be good educational material, to be used in Nigeria. But it’s just kept going miles and miles. It’s been a gift, a gift to the world and to our work.’ Perhaps key to that success has been the creative partnership of Karam, a Muslim, and Channer, a Christian.

The IofC network played an important role in disseminating the film as teams around the world found they could use the film in their local work. Karam says: ‘The problem of relationships and trust, of how to move from enmity to friendship, is everywhere in the world. It’s not only about Muslims and Christians.’

The film was premiered at the United Nations in New York and in the British Houses of Parliament and has been used by peacemaking groups, religious communities, conflict resolution workers, schools and universities, and local councils. Thousands of copies have been distributed worldwide.

Recently, Karam took the film, along with the imam and the pastor themselves, to Sudan, Egypt, and Lebanon. He is hoping to go back to Egypt soon with the imam and the pastor to train religious leaders in early warning, early response techniques to prevent violent clashes.

He believes that the Christian/Muslim relationship ‘is only going to become more important, whether it is the relationships within the west or the relationships within the east or the relationships between the east and the west’. He hopes one day to contribute towards bringing peace to his own people. ‘If we have peace within ourselves, we will have peace around us. In Gaza, peace is what’s missing.’

Whether or not the Palestinians declare a State in September there will be much work to do to restore peace and trust in the region. Karam says his personal future remains open; he is open to being led to return to the Middle East. ‘I reflect every now and then on my own path, my own future and what I am meant to be doing in this world. So it’s open, it’s possible, everything is possible.’

Download in PDF