Pakistani-Muslim-American Play Debuts in New York on 9/11
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Wajahat Ali (left) and characters of his play (right)
San Francisco: San Francisco Bay Area resident playwright Wajahat Ali’s long quest for the high-visibility sharing of his Muslim-Pakistani-American experience is almost over, as his inter-generational saga “The Domestic Crusaders” is about to debut in New York quite significantly on 9/11/2009 . The Nuyorican Poets Café will be the venue for the airing of this two-act play till October 11, 2009 so interested parties are encouraged to buy tickets ($15.00 to $20.00) for the shows at 236 E. 3rd St. (between B & C Avenues) New York, NY 10009 (telephone 212-465-3167 & 212-780-9386).
According to its website ( http://www.domesticcrusaders.com/events.html ), “The Domestic Crusaders focuses on a day in the life of a modern Muslim Pakistani-American family of six eclectic, unique members, who convene at the family house to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of the youngest child. With a background of 9/11 and the scape-goating of Muslim Americans, the tensions and sparks fly among the three generations, culminating in an intense family battle as each "crusader struggles to assert and impose their respective voices and opinions, while still attempting to maintain and understand that unifying thread that makes them part of the same family.”
The principal cast of this play in New York is slated to be Abbas Zaidi (Hakim, the Grandfather), Adeel Ahmed (Ghafur, the Youngest Son), Kamran Khan (Salahuddin, the eldest), Imran Javaid (Salman, the father), Monisha Shiva (Fatima, the daughter) and Nidhi Singh (Khulsoom, the mother). These six individuals make up “The Domestic Crusaders”.
Wajahat Ali has been quite a prolific opinion writer recently. He is also a practicing lawyer. Wajahat was born and raised in Fremont , California. “The Domestic Crusaders” is his first full-length play.
