Discussion Guide

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New Muslim Cool, a feature-length (90-minute) documentary, follows Hamza Pérez over three years as he attempts to find spiritual fulfillment and real-world success as a father, husband and community leader. It takes viewers to both familiar and surprising places in an America that never stops changing. As an outreach tool, the film offers models of reconciliation and provides an excellent springboard for people interested in reaching across traditional divides.

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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

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