Documentary about regretful al Qaeda terrorists was loved by Sundance and the left -- until identity politics made everyone disavow it

[Dan Druff]

This story is so peak 2022 progressivism.

Meg Smaker is a 42-year-old journalist and former firefighter. After 9/11, when she was just 21 years old, she quit firefighting and went to Afghanistan and hitchhiked around the country, seeking answers as to Muslims' true attitudes toward America. Eventually she returned to the US and got a degree from Stanford.

She made a documentary entitled "Jihad Rehab", about accused terrorists inside a Saudi rehabilitation center. It was released at Sundance in 2022, and there was heavy praise for it. The left-wing Guardian website praised it, writing, "This is a movie for intelligent people looking to have their preconceived notions challenged." Several other left-leaning publications also praised the documentary.



Smaker feared that she would become a right-wing target. Here she was releasing a documentary humanizing terrorists, and letting them tell their own stories. Would she be seen as a traitor? A terrorist sympathizer? The documentary did not make any conclusions, and rather lets the viewers decide for themselves, but Smaker was worried that the left wing praise would soon be overshadowed by viral right wing hatred.

The right wing hatred never materialized. But she did get substantial hate from an unexpected source -- the same political left which once praised the film.


Muslim critics showed up to claim that Smaker had no right to make the documentary about Arab men because she is white. They also claimed that the documentary provided "fake empathy" and had "white savior syndrome".

As the political left has married itself to Muslim apologism since 9/11, all of a sudden everyone had to do an about face.

Sundance has apologized for releasing the film.

Executive producer Abigail Disney (grandniece of Walt), who once referred to the film as "freaking brilliant", released an open letter, claiming that the documentary "landed like a truckload of hate":

Dear Colleagues,

First and foremost, I am truly sorry. A film I executive produced, Jihad Rehab, has landed like a truckload of hate on people whom I sincerely love and respect. I know that it could not matter less how it was intended to land, it created deep and unnecessary pain and for that, I take responsibility and apologize.

I am committed to going forward better. I am very committed to not creating any more pain, if only by accident or in ignorance.

According to the NY Times, more than 230 filmmakers signed a letter denouncing the documentary, despite the majority not having seen it. Sundance then made various ridiculous demands of Ms. Smaker, which she refused.

Now the film is considered toxic, and nobody wants to screen it. Meg Smaker, having borrowed from her parents and used up her own funds making the documentary, is broke and doesn't know what to do. The woke left loved her humanizing portrayal of semi-regretful terrorists, but then had to pretend to hate the documentary when the hive progressive mind told them how to think.

Here's the NY Times article about the matter, which is semi-sympathetic to Smaker: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/25/u...eg-smaker.html


LOL VIRTUE SIGNALING WOKE DEMS

LOL DRONETHINK

[limitles]

This story is so peak 2022 progressivism.

Meg Smaker is a 42-year-old journalist and former firefighter. After 9/11, when she was just 21 years old, she quit firefighting and went to Afghanistan and hitchhiked around the country, seeking answers as to Muslims' true attitudes toward America. Eventually she returned to the US and got a degree from Stanford.

She made a documentary entitled "Jihad Rehab", about accused terrorists inside a Saudi rehabilitation center. It was released at Sundance in 2022, and there was heavy praise for it. The left-wing Guardian website praised it, writing, "This is a movie for intelligent people looking to have their preconceived notions challenged." Several other left-leaning publications also praised the documentary.



Smaker feared that she would become a right-wing target. Here she was releasing a documentary humanizing terrorists, and letting them tell their own stories. Would she be seen as a traitor? A terrorist sympathizer? The documentary did not make any conclusions, and rather lets the viewers decide for themselves, but Smaker was worried that the left wing praise would soon be overshadowed by viral right wing hatred.

The right wing hatred never materialized. But she did get substantial hate from an unexpected source -- the same political left which once praised the film.


Muslim critics showed up to claim that Smaker had no right to make the documentary about Arab men because she is white. They also claimed that the documentary provided "fake empathy" and had "white savior syndrome".

As the political left has married itself to Muslim apologism since 9/11, all of a sudden everyone had to do an about face.

Sundance has apologized for releasing the film.

Executive producer Abigail Disney (grandniece of Walt), who once referred to the film as "freaking brilliant", released an open letter, claiming that the documentary "landed like a truckload of hate":

Dear Colleagues,

First and foremost, I am truly sorry. A film I executive produced, Jihad Rehab, has landed like a truckload of hate on people whom I sincerely love and respect. I know that it could not matter less how it was intended to land, it created deep and unnecessary pain and for that, I take responsibility and apologize.

I am committed to going forward better. I am very committed to not creating any more pain, if only by accident or in ignorance.

According to the NY Times, more than 230 filmmakers signed a letter denouncing the documentary, despite the majority not having seen it. Sundance then made various ridiculous demands of Ms. Smaker, which she refused.

Now the film is considered toxic, and nobody wants to screen it. Meg Smaker, having borrowed from her parents and used up her own funds making the documentary, is broke and doesn't know what to do. The woke left loved her humanizing portrayal of semi-regretful terrorists, but then had to pretend to hate the documentary when the hive progressive mind told them how to think.

Here's the NY Times article about the matter, which is semi-sympathetic to Smaker: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/25/u...eg-smaker.html


LOL VIRTUE SIGNALING WOKE DEMS

LOL DRONETHINK

I must say the line, "Smaker feared she would become a right wing target" does not pass the smell test. A documentary, by definition, is the process of presenting documented facts on a given topic.
Providing both sides of an argument is an effort in avoiding subjective opinions

If Smaker presented information that was not factual then she is the one to be discredited. If the information was factual but did not take precedent over any public reaction, then she is the one to be discredited.

If there was no right wing backlash and the left wing are Muslim apologists then who's upset.

Wait, just read an article about this and you can ignore the vitriol presented by Druff. No big progressive
reaction/influence etc. Turns out Meg Smaker did not have the authorization of those interviewed, Guantanamo Bay prisoners, in the making of the film

[dwai]