VANCOUVER—Freedom Fighter is a harrowing but hopeful new documentary chronicling the efforts of Rev. Majed El Shafie, a Cairo-born Christian minister leading a campaign to help those around the world who are persecuted for their beliefs.
Directed by Chris Atkins, the film follows Rev. El Shafie and his organization One Free World International over a four-year period, as he travels to Pakistan and Afghanistan to investigate claims of abuse, persecution, and slavery.
Rev. El Shafie’s conviction and determination are rooted his own experience in Egypt where he was tortured for his Christian faith. In Cairo he headed a mission whose goal was to ensure that the Christian minority enjoyed the same legal rights as the Muslim majority. The Egyptian Government showed no tolerance for the group, which had grown to more than 24,000 members in two years. Rev. El Shafie was arrested, sentenced to death, and thrown into prison where he was severely tortured for seven days. After escaping to Israel he eventually immigrated to Canada.
The film follows Rev. El Shafie as he meets with local Christians and government officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Careful not to insult or discredit the Muslim faith, he explores how the Islamic fundamentalist ideas that shape much of the Middle East, particularly in Pakistan and Afghanistan, impact the minority groups that live there.
The reverend questions why an ongoing persecution that took 165,000 lives last year has gone largely unreported. He also expounds on the complacency of governments in the West that turn a blind eye to the oppressive realities of the countries they prop up militarily and financially.
Showing a broadminded world-view, Rev. El Shafie exhibits genuine concern for persecuted groups outside his own faith. The film covers the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China, which has been ongoing since 1999. The illicit harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners’ organs in China was exposed in “Bloody Harvest,” which documents how adherents are being killed and their organs sold in lucrative transplant deals.
The theme of forced religious conversion is explored throughout the Freedom Fighter—the refusal of conversion is often the leading cause of persecution. In the Middle East many Christians are forced to “embrace Islam” or face severe punishment or even death.
The personal accounts of persecution are what anchors the emotional impact of the documentary. One story woven throughout is that of Neha, a Pakistani child who at age 2 was raped by a man as punishment for her father’s refusal to convert to Islam. Neha was left with permanent physical damage and her family emotionally traumatized.
The live footage of Neha and her family is hard to watch. Neha’s innocence and her father’s grief are gut-wrenching to witness.
The devastating story, however, is the same one that gives the film its overall sense of hopefulness in dark times. Through the efforts of Rev. El Shafie and the Canadian government, Neha and her family were rescued from Pakistan in a covert and dangerous operation that risked the lives of both the family and the reverend.
The stark reality of religious persecution, especially in the Middle East, is offset by the glimmer of hope in the rescue of the family, the unwavering determination of Rev. El Shafie, and the story of Neha who, after enduring the worst, still exudes a child’s innocence.
The personal stories throughout the documentary are what make it human and compelling. It is a film that stays with you after you leave the theatre, and stands in vivid relief the freedom we enjoy in the West.
For more information go to www.freedomfightermovie.com.
Directed by Chris Atkins, the film follows Rev. El Shafie and his organization One Free World International over a four-year period, as he travels to Pakistan and Afghanistan to investigate claims of abuse, persecution, and slavery.
Rev. El Shafie’s conviction and determination are rooted his own experience in Egypt where he was tortured for his Christian faith. In Cairo he headed a mission whose goal was to ensure that the Christian minority enjoyed the same legal rights as the Muslim majority. The Egyptian Government showed no tolerance for the group, which had grown to more than 24,000 members in two years. Rev. El Shafie was arrested, sentenced to death, and thrown into prison where he was severely tortured for seven days. After escaping to Israel he eventually immigrated to Canada.
The film follows Rev. El Shafie as he meets with local Christians and government officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Careful not to insult or discredit the Muslim faith, he explores how the Islamic fundamentalist ideas that shape much of the Middle East, particularly in Pakistan and Afghanistan, impact the minority groups that live there.
The reverend questions why an ongoing persecution that took 165,000 lives last year has gone largely unreported. He also expounds on the complacency of governments in the West that turn a blind eye to the oppressive realities of the countries they prop up militarily and financially.
Showing a broadminded world-view, Rev. El Shafie exhibits genuine concern for persecuted groups outside his own faith. The film covers the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China, which has been ongoing since 1999. The illicit harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners’ organs in China was exposed in “Bloody Harvest,” which documents how adherents are being killed and their organs sold in lucrative transplant deals.
The theme of forced religious conversion is explored throughout the Freedom Fighter—the refusal of conversion is often the leading cause of persecution. In the Middle East many Christians are forced to “embrace Islam” or face severe punishment or even death.
The personal accounts of persecution are what anchors the emotional impact of the documentary. One story woven throughout is that of Neha, a Pakistani child who at age 2 was raped by a man as punishment for her father’s refusal to convert to Islam. Neha was left with permanent physical damage and her family emotionally traumatized.
The live footage of Neha and her family is hard to watch. Neha’s innocence and her father’s grief are gut-wrenching to witness.
The devastating story, however, is the same one that gives the film its overall sense of hopefulness in dark times. Through the efforts of Rev. El Shafie and the Canadian government, Neha and her family were rescued from Pakistan in a covert and dangerous operation that risked the lives of both the family and the reverend.
The stark reality of religious persecution, especially in the Middle East, is offset by the glimmer of hope in the rescue of the family, the unwavering determination of Rev. El Shafie, and the story of Neha who, after enduring the worst, still exudes a child’s innocence.
The personal stories throughout the documentary are what make it human and compelling. It is a film that stays with you after you leave the theatre, and stands in vivid relief the freedom we enjoy in the West.
For more information go to www.freedomfightermovie.com.
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