Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, December 1997, Page 115

Special Report

Astrolabe Pictures: Major Source of Islamic Entertainment and Educational Multimedia Products

By Michael S. Lee

Astrolabe Pictures, of Herndon, Virginia, is working to provide sources of inspiration and dignity for the Arab/Muslim-American community in North America. The inspiration for the company's name is indicative of its goals. The astrolabe is a navigational device invented by Muslims before the Europeans had begun their age of exploration. The instruments were not only highly accurate, but were works of art in their own right. The company likes to note that just as the astrolabe was used by early Muslim seafarers to navigate dark and forbidding waters safely, Astrolabe Pictures will work to navigate modern-day Arab/Muslim Americans through the difficult world of Western mass media offerings.

Within a year and a half of its creation in February 1994, Astrolabe had produced what has become the fastest- and best-selling Islamic video in North America, as well as being the world's first Islamic feature animation release: "Fatih: Sultan Muhammad." The video's concept was to promote a positive self-image for Muslim children in North America, where the mass media seldom have anything good to say about Islam and Middle Eastern or South Asian cultures.

While Sultan Muhammad II is presented as a positive role model, Astrolabe's production also stresses his coordination with others in order to defeat the Crusader armies, and points out that he drew strength from his religious faith. As explained by Suhaib al-Barzinji, the production manager at Astrolabe, the production differs subtly from the prevailing Western style of storytelling, in which the hero generally is shown defeating his enemies on his own, and with no gratitude expressed to a higher power for the gifts of strength and intelligence which allow him or her to prevail.

One of Astrolabe's ultimate goals is to produce films which will appeal not only to Muslims, but also to other Americans. Astrolabe's emphasis is on promoting strong family values and respect for others—which have a resonance with people of all faiths—while educating all Americans about Islam.

According to Astrolabe distribution manager Mehmood Kazmi, much of what Americans have heard about Islam and the Arab people has been of a derogatory or ill-informed nature. Thus, another task for Astrolabe is to re-educate Americans about a people, religion, and part of the world which many think they understand, but in fact usually do not. As Astrolabe director of market research Jawaad Abdul Rahman puts it, their products are intended to be "clean, fun, interesting, educational, inspiring and entertaining." He points out that children's programming does not need to be purposeless to be entertaining.

Another of Astrolabe's goals is to assist producers and directors in the Middle East and South Asia with distribution of their productions, which too often suffer from very limited audiences and inefficient international distribution. According to production manager Al-Barzinji, Astrolabe would like to act as a conduit between the rich storytelling ability of indigenous producers and directors in the Middle East and South Asia and the technical and marketing expertise available in the United States.

In addition to entertainment such as the already mentioned "Fatih: Sultan Muhammad," Astrolabe is now offering the first in a series of new videos entitled "Muslim Scouts Adventures." The episodes follow the adventures of three Muslim Scouts and their leader as they travel the Muslim world, learning about famous cultural landmarks important to Islamic history.

In addition, Astrolabe carries an impressive line of educational tools for children as well as adults. The company is now offering the first in a planned series of videos to teach children the Arabic language, entitled "Alif Is For Asad." (Alif means "A," Asad means "lion.")

While Astrolabe productions are geared toward children, adults in need of an Arabic-language teaching tool will find one in "Arabic Playhouse: The World's Best Qu'ranic Arabic Teacher," a CD-ROM program which teaches every level of Arabic reading. With more schools incorporating Arabic into their foreign-language programs, various U.S. school systems have made inquiries concerning the Astrolabe product line for teaching Arabic.

Astrolabe acts to ensure that the packaging and presentation of its products are competitive with the best that Disney or any other corporation geared toward quality programming can produce. Al-Barzinji predicted that even though the development costs may seem to be excessive in the short-term, over the long run Astrolabe's customers will decide that when they want the best, Astrolabe will be their supplier of choice.

Astrolabe pays special attention to preschool children, as the self-image developed by these youngsters will greatly improve the quality of life for the next generation of Arab- and Muslim-Americans. Parents in desperate need of quality entertainment for their very young children, who are still too young for formal schooling, are finding Astrolabe products to be a blessing, according to the company.

Astrolabe has found that the best way to get the word out to their target communities is to sell products in ethnic grocery stores throughout North America, currently numbering 200 locations. This alone has allowed Astrolabe to become the largest distributor of Islamic entertainment and learning tools in the United States and Canada.

Further evidence of Astrolabe's success is found in the opening of the company's London, England, office, scheduled for the beginning of 1998, which this year coincides with the beginning of Ramadan. If the first years of Astrolabe's existence are any indication, the company should continue to provide a vital service for Muslim- and Arab-Americans for many years to come.