We’ve all been there. Life throws you hardballs and it all seems bleak. As the imperfect human beings that we are made to be, instinctively we wallow in self-pity and denial. But for us Muslims, we learn to ‘redha’, to accept our fate wholeheartedly. The operative word here being ‘wholeheartedly’. There’s always a reason why certain fate befalls us. These are Allah’s tests as they say. And that is the premise of the movie Redha which we had the privilege of watching last night at its pre-screening.

Redha, a movie about a little boy diagnosed with Autism and how his parents face this hard reality, is inspired by true events and sheds light on Autism as a condition and everything that it affects - the struggles of parents raising the child, the judgement they face from the outside world and ultimately the beauty of God’s mercy. (Ok, we better not go on further otherwise we’re going to unleash some major spoilers)

Personally I’ve had my share of experience with Autism and autistic children. Firstly it is not an easy feat to raise such a special child but more often than not the bigger challenge is facing and overcoming the stigma and judgement that the outside world inflicts on you. Here’s what I say – do not be quick to judge. Do not look down. Just love.

I can say so much more but I’ll end by saying that this is a movie to watch. Not just for us who face these issues but to those who don’t as well. We need to shed light on the cause. We need to spread the awareness of autism. We need to love.

Myself and my team at GAYA Magazine are proud to be supporting the screening of Redha in Singapore from the 26th to 31st July at The Projector. Tickets can be purchased at https://redhasg.eventbrite.com. Part of the ticket sales will be channeled to the Autism Association of Singapore. Let us come together to spread the love. We hope to see you there.

Thank you Singapore Malay Film Society for bringing the film to Singapore.

Juliana Iskandar is the Editor-in-Chief of GAYA Magazine.

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