Jihad of Love

Meervaart, in collaboration with George & Eran Producties and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra, brings this important book to the stage. Performed by actor Mohammed Azaay, 'Jihad of Love' is a raw, musical, and inspiring performance about an ordinary man who, struck by fate, forces himself into an almost superhuman thought. A man who combats hate with love and remains human while something inhuman has been done to him. A remarkable story about love, pain, and reconciliation. 

'Jihad of Love' is a raw, musical, and inspiring performance based on the book of the same name by Mohamed El Bachiri, who lost his wife in the terrorist attack on the Brussels metro in 2016. It tells the story of an ordinary man who, faced with fate, compels himself to an almost superhuman thought. A man who combats hate with love and reconciliation and who remains human while something inhuman has been done to him. 

As a Moroccan and a Muslim, he was in the eyes of some a potential perpetrator, but he did not let himself be swept away by the hurricane of opinions and media violence that followed the tragedy. The powerful book and his inspiring, hopeful call for fellow humanity on television expressed his love, grief, and resilience. 

Original script: Sarah Ringoet, based on the book 'A jihad of love' by Mohamed El Bachiri, recorded by David Van Reybrouck and published by De Bezige Bij.

Credits

Music: Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra
Direction: Eran Ben Michaël
Scenography: “Silent Fragments of an Explosion…in the mind” by Kouwenhoven & Kranendonk
Featuring: Mohammed Azaay
Set and lighting design: Kouwenhoven & Kranendonk
Producer: Meervaart & Senf in collaboration with Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra and George & Eran Productions