St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church's Sunday Night at the Movies series will feature the powerful film "Prince Among Slaves" Sunday.
Following the film there will be a discussion of its many aspects.
The film will be shown after a potluck supper at 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome; bring a dish sufficient to share with eight people.
St. Francis in the Foothills is at 4625 E. River Road (at North Swan Road). The church phone number is 299-9063.
About the film
"Prince Among Slaves" tells the story of Abdul-Rahman, a prince of an African nation who was captured and brought to America as a slave in 1788.
After 40 years of slavery in Mississippi he finally won his freedom at the age of 67 by attracting the attention of President John Quincy Adams.
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He struggled to earn the money to buy his American children's freedom before returning to Africa, where he died. It was his love of his African family, along with his deep Muslim faith, that enabled him to survive these ordeals.
One of the most interesting aspects of this film is the little-known fact that a large majority of the captives brought to America in the slave trade were devout Muslims.
Soon, however, they were systematically divested of their language and religion, as well as of their original families. The difficulties the slaves faced in the southern United States is powerfully portrayed in "Prince Among Slaves."
Islamic perspective
As a special added feature, Muslim Imam Rahim Sharif and his wife, Esther, will be available to discuss the issues involved directly after the showing of the film. The Sharifs founded the local organization Islamic Inmates Corrections Association of America 2/3 and do prison ministry work in Tucson.
Rahim's book, "Inmates' Survival Handbook: An Islamic Perspective," aims to help Islamic prisoners follow their faith while in prison and find ways to ensure that they will not return to prison once released.
The Sharifs are from Chicago, where they converted to Islam in the 1960s. Rahim was on the Chicago Police force and both he and Esther were politically active in Barack Obama's campaigns.
Since coming to Tucson they have been involved in various types of civil rights and other political projects.
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