Shadowing Practice: CITY | Islamophobia in a NYC Taxi - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hi, Topaz here at the skin-Deep And I want to introduce you to our new series threshold in which we share films both documentary and fiction that explore the Threshold of the human experience Pushing the Edge of our understanding and comfort zone of what it means to be human in this day and age how do we communicate?

How do we connect in all its forms?

City our first film is something I made years ago, but we feel it's more relevant now than ever before We believe there's something to learn in every real raw and honest conversation and this film is a good example of that (singing a traditional Arabic song) hello, how are you? i am good i can help you with this problem but (laughter), what is this? are you serious? (in a joking manner) alright, where are you right now?

i am getting a customer right now Okay, alright take me to Wall Street, please it will take a little time because the traffic bad today, just go for the quickest route would ya?

you are in a hurry?

I am always in a hurry, what part of the middle east are you from? I am from Egypt originally You look like a sohadi, It's funny. I used to live in Saudi, Arabia Really mm-hm. Oh, what'd y'all do there? I was actually on business I Have my own business over there, oh You like there?, no I didn't like it at all actually ugly place. Oh You speak arabic?

inshallah, everybody knows inshallah You know what it mean? it means if God wills, so God wills for me to live here i am very thankful so now you're an American Yes, I am now American you see this building over here. You see this big black building over here. Yes This is like World Trade Center its right 9/11 that's where I was standing ohh when the planes hit it Where were you on 9/11, I was here. I was driving and some lady, she on the phone and she starts to cry and I say what is going on she said put on the radio and i think God, please make not make these people not to be Arabic You know not to be Muslim arabic but you knew they were didn't you, you knew in your heart that they were Muslims I don't know what you mean by that no offense to your religion my friend, but it seems that only muslims believe the paradise can be entered through some sort of a Jihad you say. I understand. I understand. This is what?

This is what they tell you in the news what news you know its what we see every day its not true Maybe you can explain to me. Why?

It's only the Muslims when they come over here that caused the problems I mean I'm not saying you caused the problem, you know? I don't know that you don't but you know it's it seems odd to me that it's only the Muslims that seem to like to cut people's heads off and and Show them on television It seems odd to me that it's the muslims who turn around and and cut off the heads of three Christian girls in Indonesia, it seems really odd to me that it's just the muslims who basically do all the murder and turn around and say it's all God, I mean I am convinced that some Muslim, not a Christian not a buddhist But some muslim is going to bring in atomic weapon into this city and is going to blow it up this muslim girl there Yeah, she walking she covered you know she she just going to school she like 13 You know she go to school. She do her homework one day. She wants to do something good in America. You know What is good she wants to good she want to do is to blow??

Please get a grip look at the picture in the newspaper just yesterday of Sayyida Who is an iraqi woman with a veil on her head that went into a hotel and and in Jordan and went to blow herself up her husband did it and blew up a bunch of people So you tell me that this little girl over here is 13 who wears a scarf around her head Isn't going to grow up and become a Sayyida and turn around and put an explosive belt around her waist and walk into some hotel And detonate it and kill a bunch of innocent men women and children, she will not its like impossible for you to understand it I don't have to understand, every woman every woman covered is going to be like this other woman to blow why this happen Every day, maybe it should happen every day something happened every day somebody get blood it does happen every fucking day You want me every day to say I'm sorry no I Want you all back to go back to your own country every day you want me to say what did you say? I want you to go back to your own Country what I want you to get out of America. That's what I really want so if you have another truth I want you and every other Muslim in this united states to go Now the truth is out, and I mean it. I really mean it. You are never ever ever going to understand I don't want to understand because people that are here that come here they need their families they leave behind so much good things they come here because of something better For exact what you are saying freedom to speak the meaning of America is bringing those people here You know maybe you think they come here, so they can change But they come in because of the freedom not to change they start to feel this country home And you say not allowed why because of what this horrible thing that happen in 9/11 and you say Now everybody out you take your what am I go home? I go excuse me. Let me just think it I take my American passport and I go where with my I say look for another America if you kick everybody out then you don't have you don't have America i know that But I'm afraid if something else happens if we don't going to get rid of all the Muslims Do you think the government would do that they did it to the japanese in the second world war we think it they won't do it to the Muslims and That's what really worries me. Is that if we have another terrorist attack, a major terrorist attack. I can nuclear bomb in New York for Washington wherever, okay this whole country is going to really change Here's my stop, right up here