The film follows the beginnings of one Muslim woman’s groundbreaking struggle against America’s political structure. Bismillah tells the story of Farheen Hakeem, a feisty 31-year-old Muslim Girl Scout troop leader who puts herself under public scrutiny by taking part in the consummate patriotic act: running for office. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Farheen is the first Muslim woman to run for office in Minnesota. Putting Midwestern niceties aside, she is neither apologetic for her religious beliefs nor silent about the biases she sees in her community. She lives the phrase emblazoned on her favorite t-shirt: “This is what a radical Muslim feminist looks like.”
