DEARBORN — A new documentary on the local Arab American community is to be screened at the Islamic House of Wisdom, 2575 Ann Arbor Trail in Dearborn Heights on Saturday.
Sheikh Baqir Berry of the Islamic Institute of Knowledge studied film in Lebanon before coming to the U.S. and starting the Michigan Institute of Islamic Studies. And with the help of a New York videographer, he recently fulfilled a dream of documenting a portion of the Arab American experience from the perspective of an aging generation of immigrants.
“The children don’t know the stories of why they came here,” Berry said. “They need to know their history, where they came from.”
He said a number of documentaries have been done on the Arab American community, but that they’re often framed in a manner that isn’t always fair and complete.
“We should document ourselves,” he said. “This is a great community. It has a great experience… Let’s tell the story ourselves.”
“Beyond the Land of Memories” explores, as a microcosm of Arab America, the specific experience of immigrants from the south Lebanon village of Tibnin.
A second segment explores the everyday life of Arab professionals, business owners, educators and parents in the Detroit area.
Berry and his crew gathered about 50 hours of footage of scenes from Tibnin and Detroit including interviews of patriarchal founders of local religious and community organizations and everyday gas station owners, school teachers and others.
Most cherished to many who have seen the film is 60-year-old, back-and-white footage from Tibnin, found in the basement of a local community member who offered it to Berry.
Mule-pulled carts, hand-pumped wells and shots of old landscapes give a glimpse into the lives of early immigrants before their journey to America.
Berry said the first segment on the journey from Tibnin resonated with American audiences, curious about their history, while the second segment on local life fascinated crowds when it was screened in Lebanon.
“For people in Lebanon, that was amazing. They said ‘Wow, you have Islamic schools there?’”
Berry said the greatest value of the film lies in preserving oral histories from a fading generation. One of those interviewed for the film has since passed away. Another has fallen ill.
The old-time immigrants, artists, entrepreneurs, community organizers and history researchers featured in the film, Berry hopes, will give new generations of Arab Americans a direct connection to their heritage that can’t fade away.