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Raisins Not Virgins: Abdul is a short film that brings to light crucial issues for Americans both Muslim and non-Muslim in this time of tremendous political and racial turmoil. It is a film which begs to question people's notion of entitlement, their identity and what it means to truly experience Jihad. Who is more American and what makes us different? Is it not which makes us the same? Abdul is a hot dog vendor in NYC, having to work long hours and use everything he makes to have hopes of bringing his family to America. And like others who came before him, Abdul makes sacrifices for a better future in the land of opportunities. How quickly we forget about sacrifices made before us. Abdul's actions today will benefit his future generations. This is the song of America. Sahar, struggling with her own identity of being a single New Yorker and a Muslim American, is quick to fight for injustice as related to Abdul. However, when faced with the challenge of her own injustice, is quick to dismiss. A past experience has pushed Sahar away from Islam, but when confronted to move on and come to terms, Sahar continues to denounce the religion which to her has been defined by the actions of individuals and not by the soul of the practice. In two separate but linked moments, we witness Jihad, the struggle towards Truth, as related to a woman who struggles to see herself in an ever changing American landscape.
—Sharbari Z. Ahmed