Averroes and Maimonides, two wise men from the 10th century, as the inspiration to overcome today's challenges between cultures and religions, the so-called "clash of civilizations"

OUT OF CORDOBA: AVERROES AND MAIMONIDES is a feature documentary film about Jews and Muslims struggling for social justice and against the hijacking of their religions by extremists. Inspired by two medieval 'wise men of Cordoba' - one Muslim, the other a Jew - these contemporary people of faith are promoting the values of democracy and tolerance on the frontlines of the often-violent clashes that have come to define our new century. The film tells the story of the film's director, an American Jew, who undertakes a journey around the Mediterranean after the attacks of 9/11, visiting Spain, Morocco, France, Italy, Egypt, Palestine, and Israel. He meets people who are utilizing their religious traditions to challenge the propositions - advanced by several neo-conservative pundits - that there is an inevitable "clash of civilizations" between the West and the Muslim world, an incompatibility between Islam and democracy, and an unsolvable conflict between Muslims and Jews. The film will bring to the American audience inspiring stories that have been neglected in favor of the familiar media concentration on Muslim 'terrorists' and 'fundamentalists.'—Anonymous

Can 2 wise men of the 11th century be the answer to today's challenges? After 9/11 and the imposed idea of a "clash of civilizations", Jacob Bender found inspiration in Maimonides and Averroes, a Jew and a Muslim, both born in the city of Cordoba, during the bright time of Al Andalus, who lived almost parallel lives with only 12 years of difference. Their impact worldwide, beyond their own communities and faith, is still impressive as this documentary shows.—Anonymous