A Jihad for Love does what it does well, that is, tell the stories of Muslim homosexuals. The film doesn’t convey any new information. There’s nothing unique in pointing out that fundamentalist religions discriminate against homosexuals. The strength of the film comes from the interesting and engaging people who tell their personal stories. It is an important film for showing an aspect of Muslim life that many people are unfamiliar with and for raising a lot of important issues in trying to reconcile homosexuality and religious belief.

The downside of the film is that it lacks any real insight into why people who are discriminating against by their religion chose to remain members of that religion. Some of the people state that they don’t want to abandon their religion, but they don’t say why. A Jihad for Love would have benefited from some contrasting viewpoints. Perhaps if it included at least one person who changed or abandoned religion to escape discrimination, it would have been more interesting. The focus of the film certainly is on personal stories; however, I found myself wanting to hear more diverse stories.