Osama HQ has just heard that Osama Loves has just been nominated for a BIMA. Congratulations team!
Osama HQ has just heard that Osama Loves has just been nominated for a BIMA. Congratulations team!
Osama bin Everywhere: The Many Faces of Islamic World has made the official selection for Sheffield Doc/Fest. The documentary followed by a Q and A with Farrah and Masood will be showing on Saturday 8th November at 4.30pm in Showroom 5 at the festival. Come along and say hello!
40,000 miles, 50 days and 120 Osamas later, Farrah and Masood have made it back to the UK in one piece.
Check out how they got on searching for the 'sunnier side of Islam' on Channel 4, 10.30am on Monday 22nd September.
We hope you enjoy it, thanks to everyone who helped!
It's been a mindblowing journey. As the plane bringing us home from Pakistan descended to Heathrow, London twinkled up at us. I saw the London Eye, Big Ben, the royal parks and the blue-green Thames winding through the city. It was like the closing credits of Eastenders, except with jetlag. Over the past 50 days, Masood and I have physically circumnavigated Planet Earth seeking lovely Osamas. We've searched in six countries, across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South and South East Asia and North America. We've covered nearly 40,000 miles and met over a hundred Osamas of all different sorts, from a romance-loving truck driver to a Black Sabbath TV talkshow rocker, with plenty in between. They've been cheeky, sombre, sweet, intellectual, shy, humble, dashing, generous, commanding, suspicious and hilarious.
We didn't even come close to our target of 500 Osamas but it doesn't matter. This mission was supposed to show people the tender, human side of Muslims that is often overlooked. It was also meant as a counter to the frequent and unfair association of violent extremists with the Muslim community who make up a fifth of the world's population. Meeting Muslims from cultural backgrounds hugely different from my own has reconnected me with some of the more beautiful and unifying aspects of the faith itself. As Ramadan approaches this September I might just take a trip down to Regent's Park mosque to check out that same strength and serenity I saw reflected around the world from Jakarta to Toronto.
Though all the people we met across the world were undoubtedly unique, the ties that united the stockbroker from Canada and the goat's milk distributor from Indonesia were obvious and warm and truly reassuring. Humour, humanity and kindness transcend barriers of culture and language - it's cheesy cos it's true, dammit! The stunning backdrops of tropical forests, ancient pyramids, cityscapes and thundering waterfalls have all paled in comparison to the pleasure of meeting not only these wonderful people called Osama, but their fascinating friends, families, taxi drivers, immigration officials, curious passersby and people who've helped us along the way. Of all those who helped us, a special thanks must go to our readers on the internet and all the Osamas and their pals who uploaded their pictures to the website! Nothing could have cheered us up more on our travels than logging on to find another face and encouraging comments from you.
The search isn't quite over yet, though. Osama Loves is still open for business, and I hear that one of them - Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia - has just won an Olympic Gold medal! Go Osamas of the World! So next time you bump into one, make sure you ask him what he loves, take a snap and upload it to the site. Finally, if you want to see our adventure in moving colour, don't miss the documentary for all the behind the scenes footage - it'll be going out on Channel 4 later on in the year.
Bye for now!
Farrah and Masood
As the final day of this incredible venture comes to an end, Osama HQ would like to thank everyone for taking part. Before I turn off the lights and lock up one last time I hope you enjoy this parting gift: a short clip of our fun day out with our Osamas.
It's Independence Day in Pakistan today. For days, the people of Pakistan have been preparing joyfully for this day. Across the country, flags are flying, colourful bunting is up and there are fairy lights everywhere.
Masood and I have been looking forward to the festivities in the vibrant city of Lahore since arriving in Pakistan and were planning to take advantage of the huge celebrating crowds to get some quality Osama-hunting in.
Last night there was a suicide bombing in the city as the clock approached midnight on the eve of Independence Day. At least seven are dead.
I am so sad. We're stuck in our hotel right now as the security risk to a camera crew is high, but others out there have been braver than us. Even after the deadly bombing, people went out on the streets and celebrated late into the night.
The sheer will to live reminds me a bit of London after we were attacked in 2005. Though there is a difference between the stiff upper lips of the British commuters who got straight back on the Tube and the flamboyant jubilation of Lahoris doing wheelies on motorbikes wrapped in giant flags, the underlying spirit is the same.
I'm going to try and take some of that spirit on board to wash away this feeling - I am sickened to the soul.
This picture makes me feel a bit better though.
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After weeks of anxious waiting our Pakistani journalists visas finally came through - at the eleventh hour. The idea that we might not make it to Pakistan was unthinkable. It's so important for us to go there, not just in terms of its significance for the project and its role in global affairs, but on a deeply personal level.
Though I have English seaside air to thank for any robustness I may have, the earth of Pakistan nurtured my parents, grandparents and ancestors as far back as I know. I'm the first transplanted sapling in the line to arrive on home counties soil. It's only natural then, that I know when I land in Pakistan, something's going to flip over inside my heart and I will feel the visceral tug of my roots.
Once what we're doing is clear to the people we meet, I reckon Pakistanis will go that extra mile to help us out. It's been five years since I last visited and I'm remembering all the good things: the sound of the dhol drum, eating nihari in Lahore, the green wheatfields of the Punjab, riotous colour and above all, that Pakistani warmth that I want to hang on to, no matter how British I might feel. Here's a picture of the Lahore skyline - you can pick out which parts of it are mosque, fort and Sikh gurdwara.
Thanks to the fabulous Osamas worldwide who are uploading themselves - keep it coming! A little birdy tells me there might be some Japanese Osamas out there...
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That's Inuktitut for "O Canada! Your brow is girded with glorious garlands". Frankly, right now I could sing that across Toronto's rooftops with sheer joy, if only I could pronounce it.
Two days into our Canada leg and we've found a few exquisite Canadian Osamas and been in the papers, on the 6 o' clock news and breakfast radio calling out to Osamas to upload themselves. Apparently there are tons of 'em in Montreal! I'm truly staggered by Toronto's cultural and ethnic diversity and the....well....I was going to say "tolerance", but that's not quite right. Canada doesn't tolerate its many different kinds of citizens - it wholeheartedly celebrates the heritage of its Greek, Lebanese, Pakistani, Orthodox Jewish or Chinese Canadians!
Here's one of our Canadian Osamas and his mates. Er, I'm attempting to make a "W" sign to represent West London.
Meanwhile, closer to home, Mary and Chris from iTalk in Ireland called for a chat on their radio show. I'd doubted the worth of a callout for Osamas in Ireland but within minutes of coming on air, an Osama texted in from North West Ireland! It was a real morale boost being on the show and it left me thinking about historical reasons why the Irish listeners seemed to identify so much with our mission....
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We made Canadian news!
Here it is kids - Farrah's first appearance on Canadian (inter)national TV! Farrah explains about the project, why they are doing it and the trouble getting into the states.
Check it out and let us know what you think, especially if you saw it going out live in Canada!
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Canada is BRILLIANT! Within hours of Farrah and Masood arriving they have managed to become embroiled in a veritable media frenzy!
It all started with this article in Canada's The Star newspaper. Pretty soon after that we were told that they would be appearing on the 6 o'clock news tonight (so keep your Canadian eyes peeled) and then they even got invited on to the Bill Carroll breakfast show (CFRB) on Tuesday morning!
We here at Osama HQ are fully prepared for a huge influx of Osamas so Canada, don't fail us now!
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