Filmmaker Statement

As a Muslim person who moved to America post 911, I was (like many others) always conscious about my faith and have been advised to keep it to myself in order to survive and not get in 'trouble'. One day, I got a video message on my Whats App about a patrol car in Times Square that’s feeding the homeless, with a logo that reads Muslim Community Patrol & Services. In the video, there was a veiled woman named Maryam who explained the purpose of the patrol. I couldn’t believe my eyes, 20 years since 9/11 and prejudice against Muslim is still rampant. Yet, there was this unapologetic badass woman in Times Square taking a bold move, carrying her faith with pride along with her fellow volunteers.  Intrigued by the patrol, I wanted to document this initiative and see where it might lead. And what I ended up finding out was that the new generation of Muslims in America are evolving. While what they’re doing here might sound controversial or foreign, it felt like for the first time that my community is actually being proactive instead of being reactive. I hope this documentary makes all audiences aware of the hatred minorities are facing nowadays, and whether community patrolling is a solution for that right now. Omar Al Dakheel, Director of Everybody’s Watching