A play that delves into how two friends are torn apart by religious and nationalistic doctrines could become a tool in the fight against the radicalisation of young people.
That’s the hope of those behind Radical, a play that examines the lives of two friends, Jake and Kamal, who start going down very different paths.
Jake’s spent much of life estranged from his father, but when he comes back on the scene, his son is eager to reconnect.
But his father brings nationalistic views and prejudices against Muslims.
Kamal, whose Afghan father died in Afghanistan, has been raised for much of his life by his Australian Muslim-convert mother, but is searching for his identity.
Self-proclaimed Islamic preacher Yasin challenges his Islamic values and the kind of actions a “good Muslim” should take.
Afghan-Australian Russell Frahmand plays the role of Kamal.
“A lot of youth that I know are looking for answers and they’re looking for a mentor,” he said.
“And unfortunately they either end up in gangs or they end up being radicalised because everyone wants a purpose, everyone wants to feel important and they want to be part of a group.”
Keegan Zykowski is Kamal’s friend Jake. He said he hoped the play would help some young people avoid bad influences.
“They can get really drawn into just essentially by what people say,” he said.
“If we say the right things compared to what they're saying, the really evil stuff, if we send a better message, a good message, we can help change that.
“We can help bring to light the real issue here, which is radicalisation.”
The play has been written by Abdulrahim Elmi who also directs.
“I came across the two sides of the narrative,” he said.
“I met young people who’ve sadly have some extreme views from certain white organisations and on the other side I came across victims, so I really thought the best way is just to go behind the barriers and see how the family’s going through those issues.
“What really make those young people tick? Where’s the role model in the family? Where’s the father figure? I tried to address the issue from the social narratives.”
He said he hoped to take the play nationally and perform it at schools.
Muslim convert Aliyyah Cornish-Ward plays Kamal’s mother and said any young person, who is looking for direction, can be vulnerable to radicalisation.
“No matter what your beliefs are, what your religion is, which culture you come from, it exists in human beings,” she said.
“And unfortunately there is a rather one-sided narrative in all of this and I think that this play is popping into that space where we need to see other explorations of that.”
The play will be held at the Don Russell Performing Arts Centre in Thornlie on May 14.
Share
