Special Screening: The Feeling of Being Watched

Discussion of the state surveillance of Muslim and Indigenous communities in Canada

About this event

Special Screening: The Feeling of Being Watched

For this year’s Islamic History Month celebration, the Centre of Comparative Muslim Studies is pleased to bring you a special screening of The Feeling of Being Watched. Join us for a limited time to engage with the renowned and award-winning documentary directed by journalist and filmmaker Assia Boundaoui.

About the documentary:

After investigating rumours of FBI surveillance in Assia Boundaoui’s hometown, a primarily Muslim Arab-American neighborhood outside of Chicago, thousands of pages of FBI documents are uncovered, exposing “Operation Vulgar Betrayal.” The documentary takes viewers through the intricacies of the FBIs covert operations, proving that the town’s community was the subject of the largest counterterrorism investigations ever conducted in the U.S. before 9/11. The Feeling of Being Watched pieces together Assia’s process of unraveling long-hidden truths about the FBI’s relationship to her community, while also confronting the personal and political implications on her family and herself.

Learn more about The Feeling of Being Watched here

Watch the Official Trailer here

Upon registration you will receive a link to watch the documentary ahead of the discussion event.

Discussion Event:

Join Nada Elmasry, Nasir Almasri and Laura Gaaysiigad Cuthbert for a discussion of the film on 23 Oct from 5pm PST. They will be reviewing the film and how it applies to Muslim and Indigenous communities in Canada, what policies allow this to happen and how they may be resisted.