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The Mosque Alert Collection

Home > Digital Media > Video Plays > The Mosque Alert Collection
Released : 2013

Meet Mosque Alert

Runtime: 20 min, 58 sec

“Meet Mosque Alert” is a compilation of clips from the following video blogs and conflict scenes that conveys an essence of what playwright Jamil Khoury would bring to life in his full-length stage play, Mosque Alert.

The Spark

Runtime: 6 min, 45 sec

“The Spark” explores Khoury’s inspiration and rationale for wanting to write Mosque Alert.

The Prologue

Runtime: (5 min, 57 sec)

In “The Prologue,” Khoury introduces his original six characters and sets us up for the online interactive journey to follow.

Imam Mustafa Khan (played by Khurram Mozaffar)

Runtime: 10 min, 57 sec

This master vlog features the character Imam Mustafa Khan, played by Khurram Mozaffar, and is composed of four sections (Bio, On Being an American, Family Drama, and Mosque Politics).

Charles Baker (played by Don Bender)

Runtime: 12 min, 2 sec

This master vlog featured the character Charles Baker, played by Don Bender, and is composed of four sections (Bio, On Being an American, Family Drama, and Mosque Politics).

Ayesha Khan (played by Fawzia Mirza)

Runtime: 10 min, 21 sec

This master vlog featured the character Ayesha Khan, played by Fawzia Mirza, and is composed of four sections (Bio, On Being an American, Family Drama, and Mosque Politics).

Emily Baker (played by Justine Serino)

Runtime: 10 min, 20 sec

This master vlog featured the character Emily Baker, played by Justine Serino, and is composed of four sections (Bio, On Being an American, Family Drama, and Mosque Politics).

Carl Baker (played by Nicholas Cimino)

Runtime: 9 min, 46 sec

This master vlog featured the character Carl Baker, played by Nicholas Cimino, and is composed of four sections (Bio, On Being an American, Family Drama, and Mosque Politics).

Jennifer Baker (played by Melissa Kong)

Runtime: 5 min, 27 sec

This master vlog featured the character Jennifer Baker, played by Melissa Kong, and is composed of four sections (Bio, On Being an American, Family Drama, and Mosque Politics).

Barack Hussein Obama

Runtime: 13 min, 7 sec

“Barack Hussein Obama” is an intra-Muslim reflection on America’s 44th President featuring the characters Imam Mustafa Khan (played by Khurram Mozaffar) and his wife Ayesha Khan (played by Fawzia Mirza). The Khans are both Obama supporters, but their differing perceptions of his leadership style act as subtext to their marital tensions.

Stay-at-Home Mom

Runtime: 11 min, 12 sec

“Stay at Home Mom” debates the roles of wives and mothers in American society. Husband and wife, Charles and Emily Baker (played by Don Bender and Justine Serino) revisit the classic battle-of-the-sexes against the backdrop of sweeping social change.

Virginity Redux

Runtime: 10 min, 53 sec

“Virginity Redux” tells the story of Jennifer Baker (played by Melissa Kong) and her first romantic heartbreak. As Jennifer’s hurt morphs into rage, her brother Carl Baker (played by Nicholas Cimino) attempts to stage an intervention.

Headscarf Pharmacist

Runtime: 7 min, 52 sec

In “Headscarf Pharmacist,” Ayesha Khan (played by Fawzia Mirza) confronts Emily Baker (played by Justine Serino) after Emily’s daughter, Jennifer, mockingly refers to her as the “headscarf pharmacist.”

The Muslims are Coming! The Muslims are Coming!

Runtime: 14 min, 33 sec

“The Muslims are Coming! The Muslims are Coming!” pits Naperville, Illinois mayoral candidate Charles Baker (played by Don Bender) against Imam Mustafa Khan (played by Khurram Mozaffar), spiritual leader of a Naperville mosque.

Ambition Impossible

Runtime: 8 min, 31 sec

“Ambition Impossible” depicts concerned mom, Emily Baker (played by Justine Serino), and her dismayed daughter, Jennifer Baker (played by Melissa Kong), who find themselves at a crossroads over Jennifer’s future.

Like Father, Like Son

Runtime: 13 min, 12 sec

In “Like Father, Like Son,” former “chip off the old block” Carl Baker (played by Nicholas Cimino) goes toe-to-toe with his conservative father Charles Baker (played by Don Bender) in a struggle over Carl’s homosexuality and political liberalism.

To Veil or Not to Veil

Runtime: 10 min, 46 sec

“To Veil or Not to Veil” juxtaposes the hijab-wearing Ayesha Khan (played by Fawzia Mirza) and anti-veil zealot Jennifer Baker (played by Melissa Kong) in a lively repartee on what the hijab represents.

The Imam & the Homosexual

Runtime: 15 min, 50 sec

“The Imam & the Homosexual” probes the “strange bedfellows” political alliance between Imam Mustafa Khan (played by Khurram Mozaffar), spiritual leader of a besieged Naperville, Illinois mosque, and Carl Baker (played by Nicholas Cimino), the gay son of the imam’s chief nemesis. As Imam Mustafa struggles to reconcile his support for civil rights with his religious and cultural objections to homosexuality, Carl imagines the Muslim and LGBTQ communities joining forces against their common enemies.

The Mosque Alert Collection

The Process

Inspired by the 2010 “ground zero mosque” controversy in New York City, playwright Jamil Khoury set out to investigate recurring resistance to the building of mosques in American communities and the intersections of Islamophobia, zoning, and public policy. Khoury developed a ten-step civic engagement and new play development process that included digital and live theatre components, and invited virtual and in-person audiences to weigh in on both artistic decision-making and the politics at hand. This first-of-its-kind initiative effectively crowd-sourced a creative process and encouraged open, unfiltered public dialogue, aiding Khoury in the writing of his full-length play, Mosque Alert.

The Mosque Alert process ultimately generated a constellation of works and performances, including:

  • A series of videos and video essays
  • Numerous staged readings in the US
  • Multiple college and university productions
  • A World Premiere production at Silk Road Rising
  • A video play adaptation titled Obstacle Course
  • Translations of the stage play into Arabic, German, and Russian
  • Staged readings in Hamburg, Germany, and Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Continued engagement with individual videos through public screenings and facilitated conversations

The Play Development Videos

Early in the process (2011 – 2013), the Mosque Alert creative team, led by playwright/director Jamil Khoury and videomaker Deann Baker, developed and disseminated thirty-six videos, including two video essays, twenty-four single-character video blogs, nine two-character conflict scenes, and a compilation video. With the release of each video, Khoury posed questions to which online participants responded, providing invaluable insights and feedback as he wrote the full-length script. To date, tens of thousands of people around the world have engaged with these videos.

It’s important to note that the six original characters featured in this digital iteration of Mosque Alert greatly informed what would become an eleven-character stage play.

Screening History for Meet Mosque Alert

  • January 21, 2013 | Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana
  • March 14, 2013 | Silk Road Rising, Chicago, Illinois
  • April 11, 2013 | Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois
  • June 26, 2013 | Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Chicago, Illinois
  • July 19, 2013 | The University of Chicago Startalk Program, hosted at Silk Road Rising, Chicago, Illinois
  • September 13, 2013 | Columbia College Chicago at Silk Road Rising, Chicago, Illinois
  • November 10, 2013 | Wilmette Public Library, Wilmette, Illinois
  • December 9, 10, & 12, 2013 | American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
  • March 23, 2014 | Evanston Public Library, Evanston, Illinois
  • April 12, 2014 | Creating Justice Conference, Oakton College, Des Plaines, Illinois
  • April 24, 2014 | Westhoff Theatre, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
  • May 20, 2014 | University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
  • May 22, 2014 | University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
  • October 18, 2014 | Islamicate Studies Conference, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • October 20, 2014 | DePaul University, hosted at Silk Road Rising, Chicago, Illinois
  • October 30, 2014 | Harbach Theater, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
  • October 31, 2014 | Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
  • October 30, 2014 | Harbach Theater, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
  • February 27, 2015 | Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
  • March 12, 2015 | Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Chicago, Illinois
  • March 16, 2015 | Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana
  • March 18, 2015 | Nicholas Branch Library, Naperville, Illinois
  • March 19, 2015 | 95th Street Library, Naperville, Illinois
  • April 18, 2015 | Arab American Family Services, Bridgeview, Illinois
  • July 7, 2015 | The University of Chicago Startalk Program, hosted at Silk Road Rising, Chicago, Illinois
  • August 25, 2015 | Rotary Club Far North Side, Chicago, Illinois
  • August 27, 2015 | Wyndemere Assisted Living, Wheaton, Illinois
  • September 20, 2015 | Hope United Church of Christ, Naperville, Illinois
  • November 3, 2015 | Asian American Resource and Cultural Center, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • November 17, 2015 | First Congregational Church, Naperville, Illinois
  • January 24, 2016 | DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church, Naperville, Illinois
  • March 3, 2016 | Hands of Peace, hosted at Glenview Community Church, Glenview, Illinois
  • April 28, 2016 | Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois
  • March 27, 2017 | Benedictine University, Lisle, Illinois
  • April 5, 2017 | Center for the Arts, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Screening History for Vlogs and Conflict Scenes

  • July 6, 2012 | The University of Chicago Startalk Program, hosted at Silk Road Rising, Chicago, Illinois
  • November 14, 2012 | Benedictine University, Lisle, Illinois
  • May 15, 2013 | The University of Chicago Divinity School, Chicago, Illinois
  • November 6, 2014 | Triton College, River Grove, Illinois
  • January 31, 2015 | Silk Road Rising, Chicago, Illinois
  • July 19, 2015 | Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Wheaton, Illinois
  • June 11, 2015 | Aesthetics and Equity Panel, Animating Democracy at Black Ensemble Theater, Chicago, Illinois
  • August 11, 2015 | Niagara Foundation, Chicago, Illinois
  • October 8, 2015 | Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Deerfield, Illinois
  • January 3, 2016 | Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Hinsdale, Illinois
  • August 12, 2016 | Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference at The Palmer House Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
  • October 25, 2016 | Calumet College of St. Joseph, Whiting, Indiana
  • April 5, 2017 | Center for the Arts, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
  • April 6, 2017 | New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
  • November 19, 2018 | American Jewish Committee, Chicago, Illinois
  • October 30, 2019 | LGBTQ History Month Keynote, Siena College, Loudonville, New York

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