Website Releases PBS Doc Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet Free on YouTube and DVD to Help Communities Engage in a Discussion about the Legacy of Muhammad
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, a documentary film from Unity Production Foundation (UPF), is estimated to have been viewed by more than 150 million people since its initial broadcast premiere on PBS, December 18, 2002. In 2011, timed with the 10th Anniversary of "September 11th" the film was re-issued to include a dialogue guide and lesson plan for teachers to use the film in the classroom. Today, UPF announces the free re-release of the film via YouTube and DVD for groups and individuals. Currently, the film is used in thousands of communities, schools, universities, religious congregations and civic organizations throughout the United States to increase Americans' understanding of Muslims and Islam. Something the producers believe is needed today more than ever.
Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet tells the story of the Prophet Muhammad through the eyes of American Muslims and is one of the core films used by UPF in its "20,000 Dialogues" project, a book-club style discussion series that uses this and other award-winning UPF documentary films. Today, people across the United States and the world (is access restricted to US) can watch a documentary about the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad that he is really the source for Muslims on how to behave, and for how to lead and ethical and moral life.
"In telling the story of Muhammad, we wanted to give a human portrait of a man who changes world history in a span of 23 years," said Executive Producer Alex Kronemer. "We want to start a conversation that goes beyond the media headlines. Too often, we are given a caricature of the Muslim world and not a full picture of how 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide relate to the Prophet Muhammad. We don't want to let the extremist reactions color our perceptions of the Muslim world, and the faith of Islam and with MuhammadFilm.TV, we hope to inspire people to take action in their community" says Kronemer.
Some of the opportunities communities and individuals can explore with MuhammadFilm.TV is to start a dialogue using the film, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet. The film can be shared with friends on Facebook, Twitter and on their websites and/or blogs. This is a huge opportunity for the community at large to utilize a film for good and allow it to serve as a springboard for productive exchange.
UPF's film takes viewers back fourteen hundred years ago, to when a humble merchant who could not read or write but changed the face of Arabia. Today, his influence has spread to every corner of the world including the United States. It's the story Muslims have passed down from generation to generation for 1400 years. A story about the merchant, husband, father, statesman and warrior whom they considered the final prophet.... the man whose legacy continues to shape Muslim's lives today.
UPF, established in 1999, has encouraged dialogue about Muslim-American issues and led the way in proving that free speech is better than repressed speech. MuhammadFilm.TV is another opportunity to create meaningful dialogue and discussion. And today, the social media space provides even more avenues to promote discussion between Muslims and people of other backgrounds by using some of UPF's award-winning films, including Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, to spark dialogue.
Unity Productions Foundation is a film production and educational organization addressing a big vacuum in American broadcasting and culture: the subject of Muslims and Islam. For decades, the U.S. has been intimately engaged with the Muslim world and yet most Americans don't know much about it. Unity Productions Foundation provides reliable and entertaining programming about Muslims and Islam in the modern world. UPF's films range from big history (Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet- 2 hours, 2002, PBS; The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain - 2 hours, 2005, PBS) to American history (A Prince Among Slaves - 1 hour, 2007, PBS), to personal investigative stories on contemporary individuals and themes. For more information, visit www.muhammadfilm.tv.
SOURCE Unity Production Foundation
