query: Muhammad was born in the Arabian city of Mecca in 570CE.

pos: Muhammad Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd AllāhFull name : Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim ( ابو القاسم محمد ابن عبد الله ابن عبد المطلب ابن هاشم , lit : Father of Qasim Muhammad son of Abd Allah son of Abdul-Muttalib son of Hashim ) ( محمد -LSB- muħammad -RSB- ; Classical Arabic pronunciation c. 570 CE -- 8 June 632 CE ) is the prophet of Islam and widely identified as its founder by non-Muslims . According to Islamic doctrine , he was God 's Messenger ( rasūl Allāh ) sent to confirm the essential teachings of monotheism preached previously by Adam , Abraham , Moses , Jesus , and other prophets . He is viewed as the final prophet of God in primary branches of Islam , though some modern denominations diverge from this belief.The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community considers Muhammad to be the `` Seal of the Prophets '' ( Khātam an-Nabiyyīn ) and the last law-bearing Prophet but not the last Prophet . See :   There are also smaller sects which believe Muhammad to be not the last Prophet :  The Nation of Islam considers Elijah Muhammad to be a prophet ( source : African American Religious Leaders -- p. 76 , Jim Haskins , Kathleen Benson -- 2008 ) .  United Submitters International consider Rashad Khalifa to be a prophet . ( Source : Daniel Pipes , Miniatures : Views of Islamic and Middle Eastern Politics , p. 98 ( 2004 ) ) Muhammad united Arabia into a single Muslim polity and ensured that his teachings , practices , and the Quran , formed the basis of Islamic religious belief .   Born approximately 570CE ( Year of the Elephant ) in the Arabian city of Mecca , Muhammad was orphaned at an early age ; he was raised under the care of his paternal uncle Abu Talib . Periodically , he would seclude himself in a mountain cave named Hira for several nights of prayer ; later , at age 40 , he reported being visited by Gabriel in the cave , where he stated he received his first revelation from God . Three years later , in 610 , Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly , proclaiming that `` God is One '' , that complete `` surrender '' ( lit . islām ) to him is the right course of action ( dīn ) , and that he was a prophet and messenger of God , similar to the other prophets in Islam .   Muhammad gained few early followers , and met hostility from some Meccan tribes . To escape persecution , Muhammad sent some followers to Abyssinia before he and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina ( then known as Yathrib ) in the year 622 . This event , the Hijra , marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar , also known as the Hijri Calendar . In Medina , Muhammad united the tribes under the Constitution of Medina . In December 629 , after eight years of intermittent conflict with Meccan tribes , Muhammad gathered an army of 10,000 Muslim converts and marched on the city of Mecca . The attack went largely uncontested and Muhammad seized the city with little bloodshed . In 632 , a few months after returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage , he fell ill and died . Before his death , most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam .   The revelations ( each known as Ayah , lit . `` Sign -LSB- of God -RSB- '' ) , which Muhammad reported receiving until his death , form the verses of the Quran , regarded by Muslims as the `` Word of God '' and around which the religion is based . Besides the Quran , Muhammad 's teachings and practices ( sunnah ) , found in the Hadith and sira literature , are also upheld by Muslims and used as sources of Islamic law ( see Sharia ) .

neg: Hejaz The Hejaz , also Al-Hijaz ( اَلْـحِـجَـاز , , literally `` the Barrier '' ) , is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia . The region is so called as it separates the land of the Najd in the east from the land of Tihamah in the west . It is also known as the `` Western Province . '' It is bordered on the west by the Red Sea , on the north by Jordan , on the east by the Najd , and on the south by ` Asir Region . Its main city is Jeddah , but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina . As the site of Islam 's holiest places , the Hejaz has significance in the Arab and Islamic historical and political landscape .   Historically , the Hejaz has always seen itself as separate from the rest of Saudi Arabia . The Hejaz is the most populated region in Saudi Arabia ; 35 % of all Saudis live in Hejaz . Hejazi Arabic is the most widely spoken dialect in the region . Saudi Hejazis are of ethnically diverse origins .   The Hejaz is the most cosmopolitan region in the Arabian Peninsula . People of Hejaz have the most strongly articulated identity of any regional grouping in Saudi Arabia . Their place of origin alienates them from the Saudi state , which invokes different narratives of the history of the Arabian Peninsula . Thus , Hejazis experienced tensions with people of Najd .

neg: Islam in Asia Islam began in Asia in the 7th century during the lifetime of Muhammad . A number of adherents of Islam have lived in Asia & specially West Asia and South Asia since the beginning of Islamic history . Islam is said to have arrived in Manipur ( Northeast India ) in 615 AD via Chittagong which is part of present-day Bangladesh 's coast in the age of silk route ( both onland and by sea ) trades when Sa ` d ibn Abi Waqqas ( b.594-d .674 AD ) and others namely Uwais al-Qarni ( 594-657 ) , Khunais ibn Hudhaifa , Saeed ibn Zaid , Wahb Abu Kabcha , Jahsh and Jafar ibn Abu Talib preached there .  The Barmakid family was an early supporter of the Abbasid Revolution against the Umayyads and of As-Saffah . This gave Khalid ibn Barmak considerable influence , and his son Yaḥyā ibn Khālid ( d. 806 ) was the vizier of the caliph al-Mahdi ( ruled 775 -- 785 ) and tutor of Hārūn ar-Rashīd ( ruled 786-809 ) . Yaḥyā 's sons al-Faḍl and Ja ` far ( 767-803 ) both occupied high offices under Harun .   Many Barmakids were patrons of the sciences , which greatly helped the propagation of Indian science and scholarship from the neighbouring Academy of Gundishapur into the Arabic world . They patronized scholars such as Gebir and Jabril ibn Bukhtishu . They are also credited with the establishment of the first paper mill in Baghdad . The power of the Barmakids in those times is reflected in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ; the vizier Ja ` far appears in several stories , as well as a tale that gave rise to the expression `` Barmecide feast '' .   Many of the early governors of the Caliphate were Barmakids . Khalid ibn Barmak built Mansura , Sindh and later Baghdad . His son was the governor of what is now Azerbaijan .

neg: Al-Baqi Jannat al-Baqi ` ( -LSB- جنة البقيع , Jannat al-Baqī ` , lit = Garden of Baqi -RSB- ) is a cemetery in Medina , present-day Saudi Arabia , located to the southeast of the Masjid al-Nabawi ( The Prophet 's Mosque ) . The mosque is built where the Islamic prophet Muhammad used to live , and is currently buried . It is also known as Baqi al-Gharqad , which means `` Baqi of the Boxthorn '' .   The cemetery holds much significance . It contains many of Muhammad 's relatives and companions . Many traditions relate Muhammad issuing a prayer every time he passed it . A Jewish graveyard was once located behind Jannat al-Baqi . The Umayyad rulers took down the wall of the Jewish cemetery and widened the Muslim graveyard to enclose the tomb of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan within it .

neg: Divisions of the world in Islam The Arabic singular form dar , translated literally , may mean `` house '' , `` abode '' , `` structure '' , `` place '' , `` land '' , or `` country '' . In Islamic jurisprudence it often refers to a part of the world .   The notions of `` houses '' or `` divisions '' of the world in Islam such as Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Harb does not appear in the Quran or the Hadith . According to Abou El Fadl , the only dar the Qur ` an speaks of are `` the abode of the Hereafter and the abode of the earthly life , with the former described as clearly superior to the latter '' .   In classical Islamic law , the major division are dar al-islam ( lit . territory of Islam ) , denoting regions where Islamic law prevails , dar al-sulh ( lit . territory of treaty ) denoting non-Islamic lands which have concluded an armistice with a Muslim government , and dar al-harb ( lit . territory of war ) , denoting adjoining non-Islamic lands whose rulers are called upon to accept Islam .   Early Islamic jurists devised these terms to denote legal rulings for ongoing Muslim conquests almost a century after Muhammad . The first use of the terms was in Iraq by Abu Hanifa and his disciples Abu Yusuf and Al-Shaybani . Among those in the Levant , Al-Awza ' i was leading in this discipline and later Shafi'i .   The concept of dar al-harb has been affected by the political fragmentation of the Muslim world and has little significance today .

neg: Shuraih Al-Qadhi Shuraih ibn al-Hârith ibn Qays ibn al-Jahm al-Kindî accepted Islam in Yemen during the lifetime of Muhammad though he never met him . During the reign of Abû Bakr al-Siddîq , he relocated to Kufah in Iraq .   `` Umar appointed him to be the judge of Kufah and he was very young at the time . Abû Nu`aym relates from Umm Dâwûd al-Wâbishiyyah that `` people took their disputes before Shuraih at a time when he still had no beard . ''   It is said that he spent sixty years in that office . He also served as judge in Basra for a year . He succeeded Abdullah ibn Masood as the Qadi of Kufa . He was well known throughout the country for his intelligence and keen sense of judgment . He was regarded as a model judge . Ali used to call him iiAqd-ul-Arabi , that is the most judicious of all the judges of Arabia .   Shuraih was known for his extensive knowledge of Islamic law and respected for his good judgment . The caliphs showed deference to him .   Caliph Mu ` âwiyah then transferred him to Damascus . On account of this , Shuraih became known as `` the Judge of the Two Great Cities '' . He retired from office only a year before his death , and he is supposed to have lived to the age of 108 or 110 .  It is related that ,  `` Alî assembled the people in the public square , saying : ' I am going to leave you , so assemble in the public square . ' The people came and began to petition him with their questions until they were finished and no one remained but Shuraih , who sat upon his knees and began to ask him . ` Alî said : `` Go , for indeed you are the most knowledgeable of Arabs in matters of judicial verdicts . '' -LSB- Hilyah al-Awliyâ ' ( 4/134 ) -RSB-   Once a woman came to ` Alî with a case against her husband in a matter of divorce . After she presented her case to him , ` Alî turned to Shuraih and said : `` Judge between them . '' Shuraih said : `` O Commander of the Faithful ! ( Should I presume to do so ) while you are right here ? '' ` Alî repeated : `` Judge between them . ''   Shurayh was renowned for his impeccable sense of justice and for holding all people equal before the law .   About Shuraih 's appointment as a judge , it is related that Umar purchased a horse on approval , and gave it to somebody to try it . The horse got hurt in the ride , and Umar wanted to return it , but the owner refused to take it back . In the dispute that arose as a consequence , Shuraih was chosen as the arbitrator . He gave the verdict that if the horse was ridden with the permission of the owner it could be returned ; otherwise not . Umar said that that was the right decision and at once appointed Shuraih as the Qadi of Kufa .   Another well known incidence records Ali 's shield being stolen . Ali recognised his shield when he saw it in the possession of a Jew . He instituted a claim in the court of Qadhi Shuraih who asked that Ali produce his witnesses to prove his claim . Ali presented his son and then his emancipated slave . According to Qadhi Shuraih the testimony of a son in favour of his father or an emancipated slave was not admissible , hence he ordered Ali to present another witness . When Ali was unable to do so , Qadhi Shuraih dismissed his original claim to the shield . Ali , the caliph of the time , emerged from the court cheerfully .   On seeing this high degree of justice where the leader of the Muslim world could lose a case in the face of a just ruling , the Jew recited the Muslim testification of faith embraced Islam . He later presented the shield to Ali saying that he did indeed steal the shield and that it did belonged to him . Ali responded : `` I have made it a gift for you '' . Thereafter the Jew remained perpetually in the company of Ali and was martyred in the battle of Siffeen .

neg: Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib Abū Ṭālib ibn ` Abd al-Muṭṭalib , née ` Imran عِـمـران ) or ` Abd Manaf , was the leader of Banu Hashim , a clan of the Qurayshi tribe of Mecca in the Hijaz , Arabian Peninsula . After the death of his father ` Abd al-Muttalib , he inherited this position and the offices of Siqaya and Rifada . He was well respected in Mecca despite a declining fortune .   Abu Talib was an uncle of the Islamic Nabi ( نَـبِي , Prophet ) Muhammad , and father of the Rashid Caliph ` Ali , who is also regarded as the first Shi'ite Imam . There is a great debate among Muslim scholars on whether he died a Muslim or a non-Muslim . .

neg: Historiography of early Islam The historiography of early Islam refers to the study of the early history of Islam during the 7th century ,  from Muhammad 's first revelations in AD 610 until the disintegration of the Rashidun Caliphate in AD 661 ,  and arguably throughout the 8th century and the duration of the Umayyad Caliphate , terminating in the incipient Islamic Golden Age around the beginning of the 9th century .

neg: Moses in Islam Mûsâ al ibn Amram ( -LSB- ٰمُوسَى , Mūsa -RSB- ) known as Moses in the Hebrew Bible , considered a prophet , messenger , and leader in Islam , is the most frequently mentioned individual in the Quran . In Islamic tradition , instead of introducing a new religion , Musa is regarded by Muslims as teaching and practicing the religion of his predecessors and confirming the scriptures and prophets before him . The Quran states that Moses was sent by God to the Pharaoh of Egypt and the Israelites for guidance and warning . Moses is mentioned more in the Quran than any other individual , and his life is narrated and recounted more than that of any other prophet . According to Islam , all Muslims must have faith in every prophet ( nabi ) and messenger ( rasul ) which includes Moses and his brother Aaron ( Harun ) . The Quran states :   Moses is considered to be a prophetic predecessor to Muhammad . Generally attributed the tale of Moses as a spiritual parallel to the life of Muhammad , considering many aspects of their lives to be shared . Islamic literature also describes a parallel between their believers and the incidents which occurred in their lifetimes . The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is considered similar to the migration ( hijra ) made by the followers of Muhammad .   Moses ( Musa ) is also very important in Islam for having been given the revelation of the Torah , which is considered to be one of the true revealed scriptures in Muslim theology , and Muslims generally hold that much of the Torah is confirmed and repeated in the Qur ` an . Moreover , according to Islamic tradition , Moses was one of the many prophets Muhammad met in the event of the Mi ` raj , when he ascended through the seven heavens . In Muslim belief , Moses is regarded as having urged Muhammad during his Mi ` raj to reduce the number of prayers until they were only five remaining , which are regarded as being the five obligatory prayers . Moses is further revered in Islamic literature , which expands upon the incidents of his life and the miracles attributed to him in the Qur ` an and hadith , such as his direct conversation with God .

neg: Al-Farazdaq Hammam ibn Ghalib ( همام بن غالب born c. 641 ; died 728 -- 730 ) , most commonly known as Al-Farazdaq or Abu Firas , was an Arabian poet .   He was born in what is present-day Kuwait ( Kāzimah ) and lived in Basra . He was a member of Darim , one of the most respected divisions of the Bani Tamim , and his mother was of the tribe of Dabba . His grandfather Sa ` sa ' was a Bedouin of great repute , his father Ghalib followed the same manner of life until Basra was founded , and was famous for his generosity and hospitality . Al-Farazdaq is recognized as one of the greatest classical poets of the Arabs .   At the age of 15 , Farazdaq was known as a poet , and though checked for a short time by the advice of the caliph Ali to devote his attention to the study of the Qur ` an , he soon returned to making verse . He devoted his talent largely to satire and attacked the Bani Nahshal and the Bani Fuqaim . When Ziyad , a member of the latter tribe , became governor of Basra in 669 , the poet was compelled to flee , first to Kufa , and then , as he was still too near Ziyad , to Medina , where he was well received by the city 's emir , Sa'id ibn al - ` As . Here he remained about ten years , writing satires on tribes , but avoiding city politics .   But he lived a prodigal life , and his amorous verses led to his expulsion by the caliph Marwan I. Just at that time , he learned of the death of Ziyad and returned to Basra , where he secured the favor of Ziyad 's successor Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad . Much of his poetry was now devoted to his matrimonial affairs . He had taken advantage of his position as guardian and married his cousin Nawar against her will . She sought help in vain from the court of Basra and from various tribes . All feared the poet 's satires . At last , she fled to Mecca and appealed to the political contender to the Umayyads Abdallah ibn Zubayr , who , however , succeeded in inducing her to consent to a confirmation of the marriage .   Quarrels soon arose again . Farazdaq took a second wife , and after her death a third , to annoy Nawar . Finally , he consented to a divorce pronounced by Hasan al-Basri . Another subject occasioned a long series of verses , namely his feud with his rival Jarir and his tribe the Bani Kulaib . These poems are published as the Nakaid of Jarir and al-Farazdaq .   Al-Farazdaq became official poet to the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid I ( reigned 705 -- 715 ) , to whom he dedicated a number of panegyrics .   He is most famous for the poem that he gave in Makkah when Ali bin Hussain bin Ali bin Abu Talib ( Zayn al-Abidin ) entered the Haram of the Kaba angering the emir . The poem is extremely powerful . It is because of this poem that he was imprisoned .

neg: Ali Ali ( -LSB- ˈɑːli , _ ɑːˈliː -RSB- -LSB- علي , ʿAlī -RSB- , -LSB- ʕaliː -RSB- ; 15 September 601 -- 29 January 661 ) was the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad , the prophet of Islam . He ruled over the Caliphate from 656 to 661 , and was Imam of Shia Islam from 632 to 661 .   Born to Abu Talib and Fatimah bint Asad , ` Ali was the only person born in the sacred sanctuary of the Ka ` bah in Mecca , the holiest place in Islam , according to many classical Islamic sources , especially Shia ones . ` Ali was the first young male who accepted Islam . After migrating to Medina , he married Muhammad 's daughter Fatimah . Ali took part in the early caravan raids from Mecca and later in almost all the battles fought by the nascent Muslim community . He was appointed caliph by Muhammad 's Companions ( Sahaba ) in 656 , after Caliph Uthman ibn Affan was assassinated . ` Ali 's reign saw civil wars and in 661 , he was attacked and assassinated by a Kharijite while praying in the Great Mosque of Kufa , dying two days later .   ` Ali is important to various Sunni and Shi`ite denominations politically , legislatively and spiritually . The numerous biographical sources about Ali are often biased due to sectarianism , but they agree that he was a pious Muslim , devoted to the cause of Islam and a just ruler in accordance with the Qur ' an and the Sunnah . While Sunnis consider Ali the fourth and final of the Rashidun ( rightly guided ) caliphs , Shi`ites regard ` Ali as the first Imam after Muhammad due to their interpretation of the events at Ghadir Khumm . Shias also believe that ` Ali and the other Shi`ite Imams ( all of whom are members of the Ahl al-Bayt , Muhammad 's household ) are the rightful successors to Muhammad . This disagreement split the Ummah ( Muslim community ) into the Sunni and Shia branches .

neg: Al Sulaimaniyyah Al Sulaimaniyyah is a neighborhood of Mecca in Makkah Province , in western Saudi Arabia .

neg: Hegira (disambiguation) Hegira refers to the migration of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib ( later renamed by him to Medina ) in 622 CE .   Hegira , Hejira , Hijra , Hijrah or Hijrat may also refer to :

neg: Migration to Abyssinia The Migration to Abyssinia ( الهجرة إلى الحبشة , al-hijra ʾilā al-habaša ) , also known as the First Hegira ( هِجْرَة hijrah ) , was an episode in the early history of Islam , where Prophet Muhammad 's first followers ( the Sahabah ) fled from the persecution of the ruling Quraysh tribe of Mecca . They sought refuge in the Christian Kingdom of Aksum , present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea ( formerly referred to as Abyssinia , a name derived from the Arabic Al-Habash ) , in or . The Aksumite monarch who received them is known in Islamic sources as the Negus ( نجاشي najāšī ) Ashama ibn Abjar . Modern historians have alternatively identified him with King Armah and Ella Tsaham . Some of the exiles returned to Mecca and made the hijra to Medina with Muhammad , while others remained in Abyssinia until they came to Medina in 628 .

neg: Islamic ethics Islamic ethics , defined as `` good character , '' historically took shape gradually from the 7th century and was finally established by the 11th century . It was eventually shaped as a successful amalgamation of the Qur ` anic teachings , the teachings of the Sunnah of Muhammad , the precedents of Islamic jurists ( see Sharia and Fiqh ) , the pre-Islamic Arabian tradition , and non-Arabic elements ( including Persian and Greek ideas ) embedded in or integrated with a generally Islamic structure . Although Muhammad 's preaching produced a `` radical change in moral values based on the sanctions of the new religion and the present religion , and fear of God and of the Last Judgment '' , the tribal practice of Arabs did not completely die out . Later Muslim scholars expanded the religious ethic of the Qur ` an and Hadith in immense detail .

neg: Harb tribe Harb `` War '' is a large Sunni Tribe in the Arabian peninsula . There is no official tribe population count but it is estimated to be approximately four million in Saudi Arabia . It is originally a Qahtani tribe . Several authentic sources on Arab tribes genealogy state that the great-grandfather of Harb tribe is Harb ibn Saad ibn Saad ibn Khawlan ibn Amr ibn Qadha'ah ibn Himyar ibn Qahtan . Harb tribal lands extend from the Red Sea coast in Tihamah ( Western Part of Saudi Arabia ) to the heart of Najd in the central region of Saudi Arabia , and from North the Harbi lands extend from Madinah ( a holy city for Muslims ) to Al Qunfudhah in the south . The tribe 's reach extends to other countries like Kuwait , Iraq , Egypt and UAE .   The origins of Harb tribe came from the 2nd century of the Islamic calendar . When Qahtani tribes emigrated from the south of Arabian Peninsula to Hijaz around 131 AH for water and land space after some battles with their cousins Banu Ar-Rabi ` ah bin Saad . As a result , this caused several tribal conflicts with the native and mostly Adnani Arab tribes of Hijaz and Tihamah such as Juhainah , Inazah , Muzianah , and Sulaim over land and water . After around three centuries in Hijaz , Harb tribe became a dominant tribe in the heart of Hijaz with territories surrounding the holy city of Medina . It is important to note that Harb now , like many other Arabian tribes , is a federation of tribes and families , a good example is that Muzaynah in Saudi Arabia are considered from Harb but it is well known that it was a tribe of its own with a known presence in Hijaz in the Pre-Islamic Arabia as well as the time of the Prophet Muhammed -- i.e. , before the origin of Harb tribe in Hijaz .   Currently , many of the tribe sons have migrated in recent decades to the three major metropolitan centers of Saudi Arabia , namely Riyadh , Jeddah , and Dammam , in search of better education and employment . One of the main branches of the tribe such as Banu Shaker left al Hejaz and set off to the west coasts of Palestine to start business in agriculture . For the coast of Palestine is well known all around the world for its fertile soil . Banu Shaker that trace there ancestry to Al Hassan Al Muthana are also known to be the Abunamous and Al Shaker Families from Yaffa or Jaffa have developed their reputation of being prominent landowners in Yaffa city   In the Arab World outside of Saudi Arabia , the Harb family became prominent in the Christian population of Ramallah , Palestine .

neg: Hanbali The Hanbali school is one of the four orthodox Sunni Islamic schools of jurisprudence ( fiqh ) . It is named after the Iraqi scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal ( d. 855 ) , and was institutionalized by his students . The Hanbali madhhab is the smallest of four major Sunni schools , the others being the Hanafi , Maliki and Shafi`i .   Hanbali school derives Sharia predominantly from the Quran , the Hadiths ( sayings and customs of Muhammad ) , and the views of Sahabah ( Muhammad 's companions ) . In cases where there is no clear answer in sacred texts of Islam , the Hanbali school does not accept jurist discretion or customs of a community as a sound basis to derive Islamic law , a method that Hanafi and Maliki Sunni fiqhs accept . Hanbali school is the strict traditionalist school of jurisprudence in Sunni Islam . It is found primarily in Saudi Arabia and Qatar , where it is the official fiqh . Hanbali followers are the demographic majority in four emirates of UAE ( Sharjah , Umm al-Quwain , Ras al-Khaimah and Ajman ) . Large minorities of Hanbali followers are also found in Bahrain , Oman and Yemen and within Iraqi and Jordanian bedouins .   The Hanbali school experienced a reformation in the Wahhabi-Salafist movement . Historically the school was small ; during the 18th to early-20th century Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Al Saud greatly aided its propagation around the world by way of their interpretation of the school 's teachings . As a result of this , the school 's name has become a controversial one in certain quarters of the Islamic world due to the influence he is believed by some to have had upon these teachings , which cites Ibn Hanbal as a principal influence along with the thirteenth-century Hanbali reformer Ibn Taymiyyah . However , it has been argued by certain scholars that Ibn Hanbal 's own beliefs actually played `` no real part in the establishment of the central doctrines of Wahhabism , '' as there is evidence , according to the same authors , that `` the older Hanbalite authorities had doctrinal concerns very different from those of the Wahhabis , '' rich as medieval Hanbali literature is in references to saints , grave visitation , miracles , and relics . Historically , the Hanbali school was treated as simply another valid interpretation of Islamic law , and many prominent medieval Sufis , such as Abdul Qadir Jilani , were Hanbali jurists and mystics at the same time .

neg: Mary in Islam Mary ( -LSB- مريم , translit = Maryam -RSB- ) , the mother of Jesus ( Isa ) , holds a singularly exalted place in Islam as the only woman named in the Qur ' an , which refers to her seventy times and explicitly identifies her as the greatest of all women , stating , with reference to the angelic saluation during the annunciation , `` O Mary , God has chosen you , and purified you ; He has chosen you above all the women of creation . '' In the Quran , her story is related in three Meccan chapters ( 19 , 21 , 23 ) and four Medinan chapters ( 3 , 4 , 5 , 66 ) , and the nineteenth chapter of the scripture , the Chapter of Mary ( Surat Maryam ) , is named after her . The Quran refers to Mary more than the entire New Testament .   According to the Qur ' an , divine grace surrounded Mary from birth , and , as a young woman , she received a message from God through the archangel Gabriel that God had chosen her , purified her , and had preferred her above all `` the women of the worlds . '' This event , according to the same narrative , was followed by the annunciation of a child who was to be miraculously conceived by her through the intervention of the divine spirit while she was still virgin , whose name would be Jesus and who would be the `` anointed one , '' the Promised Messiah . As such , orthodox Islamic belief `` has upheld the tenet of the virgin birth of Jesus , '' and although the classical Islamic thinkers never dwelt on the question of the perpetual virginity of Mary at any great length , it was generally agreed in traditional Islam that Mary remained virgin through the entirety of her life , with the Qur ' an 's mention of Mary 's purification `` from the touch of men '' implying perpetual virginity in the minds of many of the most prominent Islamic fathers .

neg: Islamic art Islamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onward by people who lived within the territory that was inhabited by or ruled by culturally Islamic populations . It is thus a very difficult art to define because it covers many lands and various peoples over some 1,400 years ; it is not art specifically of a religion , or of a time , or of a place , or of a single medium like painting . The huge field of Islamic architecture is the subject of a separate article , leaving fields as varied as calligraphy , painting , glass , pottery , and textile arts such as carpets and embroidery .   Islamic art is not at all restricted to religious art , but includes all the art of the rich and varied cultures of Islamic societies as well . It frequently includes secular elements and elements that are frowned upon , if not forbidden , by some Islamic theologians . Apart from the ever-present calligraphic inscriptions , specifically religious art is actually less prominent in Islamic art than in Western medieval art , with the exception of Islamic architecture where mosques and their complexes of surrounding buildings are the most common remains . Figurative painting may cover religious scenes , but normally in essentially secular contexts such as the walls of palaces or illuminated books of poetry . The calligraphy and decoration of manuscript Qur ` ans is an important aspect , but other religious art such as glass mosque lamps and other mosque fittings such as tiles ( e.g. Girih tiles ) , woodwork and carpets usually have the same style and motifs as contemporary secular art , although with religious inscriptions even more prominent .   `` Islamic art developed from many sources : Roman , Early Christian art , and Byzantine styles were taken over in early Islamic art and architecture ; the influence of the Sassanian art of pre-Islamic Persia was of paramount significance ; Central Asian styles were brought in with various nomadic incursions ; and Chinese influences had a formative effect on Islamic painting , pottery , and textiles . '' Though the whole concept of `` Islamic art '' has been criticised by some modern art historians , calling it a `` figment of imagination '' or a `` mirage '' ,  the similarities between art produced at widely different times and places in the Islamic world , especially in the Islamic Golden Age , have been sufficient to keep the term in wide use by scholars .   There are repeating elements in Islamic art , such as the use of geometrical floral or vegetal designs in a repetition known as the arabesque . The arabesque in Islamic art is often used to symbolize the transcendent , indivisible and infinite nature of God . Mistakes in repetitions may be intentionally introduced as a show of humility by artists who believe only God can produce perfection , although this theory is disputed .   Typically , though not entirely , Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns , whether purely geometric or floral , and Arabic calligraphy , rather than on figures , because it is feared by many Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry and thereby a sin against God , forbidden in the Qur ` an . Human portrayals can be found in all eras of Islamic art , above all in the more private form of miniatures , where their absence is rare . Human representation for the purpose of worship is considered idolatry and is duly forbidden in some interpretations of Islamic law , known as Sharia law . There are also many depictions of Muhammad , Islam 's chief prophet , in historical Islamic art . Small decorative figures of animals and humans , especially if they are hunting the animals , are found on secular pieces in many media from many periods , but portraits were slow to develop .

neg: Assassination of Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib , the fourth ( last ) Sunni Rashidun caliph and first Shia Imam , was assassinated by a Kharijite called Ibn Muljam on 26 January 661 at the Great Mosque of Kufa , in present-day Iraq . Ali , who was then 62 or 63 years of age , died due to his injuries two days after Ibn Muljam struck him on his head by a poison-coated sword , on the 21 ( or 19 ) Ramadan 40 AH ( 28 January 661 CE ) . He was the third successive caliph , after Umar and Uthman , to be assassinated .   Ali became the caliph after the assassination of Uthman in 656 . However he faced opposition from various factions including the Levant governor , Muawiyah I . A civil war , called the First Fitna , took place within the early Islamic state which resulted in the overthrow of the Rashidun caliphs and the establishment of the Umayyad dynasty . It began when the caliph Uthman ibn Affan was assassinated in 656 and continued through the four-year reign of Ali .  After Ali agreed to arbitration with Muawiyah I following the Battle of Siffin ( 657 ) , a revolt happened against him by some members of his army , later known as Kharijites ( `` those who leave '' ) . They killed some of Ali 's supporters , but they were crushed by Ali 's forces at the Battle of Nahrawan in July 658 .   Ibn Muljam met up with two other Kharijites namely al-Burak ibn Abd Allah and Amr ibn Bakr al-Tamimi at Mecca , and concluded that the situation of the Muslims at the time was due to the errors of Ali , Muawiah and Amr ibn As , governor of Egypt . They decided to kill the three in order to resolve the `` deplorable situation '' of their time and also avenge their companions killed at Nahrawan . Aiming to kill Ali , Ibn Muljam headed toward Kufa where he fell in love with a woman whose brother and father had died at Nahrawan . She agreed to marry him if only he could kill Ali . Consequently , Ali was stabbed by Ibn Muljam at the Great Mosque of Kufa . After Ali 's death , Ibn Muljam was executed in retaliation by Hasan ibn Ali .

neg: Hilya The term hilya ( Arabic حلية ( plural : ḥilan , ḥulan ) , hilye ( plural : hilyeler ) denotes a religious genre of Ottoman Turkish literature , dealing with the physical description of Muhammad . Hilya literally means `` ornament '' .   They originate with the discipline of shama'il , the study of Muhammad 's appearance and character , based on hadith accounts , most notably Tirmidhi 's al-Shama ` il al-Muhamadiyyah wa al-Khasa ` il al-Mustafawiyyah ( `` The Sublime Characteristics of Muhammad '' ) .   In Ottoman-era folk Islam , there was a belief that reading and possessing Muhammad 's description protects the person from trouble in this world and the next , it became customary to carry such descriptions , rendered in fine calligraphy and illuminated , as amulets . In 17th-century Ottoman Turkey , hilyes developed into an art form with a standard layout , often framed and used as a wall decoration .   Later hilyes were also written for the first four Caliphs , the companions of Muhammad , Muhammad 's grandchildren ( Hasan and Hussein ) and Islamic saints ( walis ) .


query: In August 1980, Hannah Simone was born.

pos: Hannah Simone Hannah Simone ( born August 3 , 1980 ) is a British-Canadian television host , actress , and former fashion model . From May 2006 to November 2008 , she worked as a VJ for MuchMusic in Canada , and is best known for portraying Cece Parekh on the Fox sitcom New Girl .

neg: Unbehagen Unbehagen is the second studio album by Nina Hagen Band released in 1979 by CBS Records . It is the last album released by the band , before Nina Hagen decided to pursue a solo career . The band kept on performing under the name Spliff . The German title means Discomfort but it can be also seen as a pun on the band name .   The album produced three singles , `` African Reggae '' , `` Herrmann hiess er '' and `` Auf 'm Rummel '' . `` Herrmann hiess er '' deals with a drug addiction and is believed to be about Hagen 's ex-boyfriend Herman Brood . The accompanying music video was also released . The album also contains a German cover version , `` Wir leben immer ... noch '' , of Lene Lovich 's hit single `` Lucky Number '' . The song `` Wenn ich ein Junge wär '' was recorded live in April 1979 at the Saarbrücken Congress Hall .   The album was a chart success and was certified Gold in Germany in 1981 , selling in over 250,000 copies .

neg: List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1983 The Billboard 200 , published in Billboard magazine , is a weekly chart that ranks the highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States . In 1983 , the name of the chart was Top LPs & Tape . Before Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991 , Billboard estimated sales from a representative sampling of record stores nationwide , using telephone , fax or messenger service . Data were based on rankings made by the record stores of the best-selling records , not on actual sales figures .   There were six number-one albums on this chart in 1983 , including the debut album of the Australian band Men at Work , Business as Usual , which spent the last seven weeks of 1982 and the first eight weeks of 1983 at number one , and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) in 1984 . Thriller , the sixth studio album by recording artist Michael Jackson , was released on November 1982 . It peaked at number one for twenty-two non-consecutive weeks in 1983 with another fifteen consecutive weeks at the top into the following year , and seven songs from the album became top ten singles between late 1982 and early 1984 . Two of them : `` Billie Jean '' and `` Beat It '' , reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100 . Thriller won eight Grammy Awards , including Album of the Year at the 26th Grammy Awards , and was the best-selling album of 1983 with more than fifteen million copies sold . In 2008 , twenty-five years after its release , the record was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame , and a few weeks later , it was among twenty-five recordings preserved by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry as `` culturally significant '' .   Flashdance , the soundtrack to the 1983 musical and romance film of the same name , peaked at number one for two weeks and won the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture . The two singles released from the album , `` Flashdance ... What a Feeling '' by Irene Cara , and `` Maniac '' by Michael Sembello , reached the top of the singles chart in 1983 . The New York Times considered the British band The Police to be the year 's most influential rock band . Australian , British , and American bands copied the white-reggae formula of their ( The Police 's ) earlier successes . The group released their fifth and final studio album , Synchronicity , in 1983 . The album , a varied accomplished blend of rock , funk , and third-world rhythms , stayed at number one for seventeen weeks and was certified four times platinum by the RIAA in 1984 . Metal Health , the third album by heavy metal band Quiet Riot , peaked at number one for one week , becoming the first heavy metal record to reach the top of the Billboard 200 . Singer-songwriter Lionel Richie released his second album Ca n't Slow Down in 1983 , which spent three weeks at the top and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 27th Grammy Awards .

neg: Rachel Roberts (model) Rachel Roberts ( born April 8 , 1978 ) is a Canadian model and actress . She was born in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada . Roberts has appeared in numerous ad campaigns , most notably for Biotherm Skin Care Products , and she became well known in the United States as the title character in the film Simone .

neg: Martina Jäschke Martina Jäschke ( born 6 May 1960 in Merseburg ) is a German diver and Olympic champion . She competed at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow , where she received a gold medal in platform .

neg: Death of Simone Camilli and Ali Shehda Abu Afash The deaths of Simone Camilli and Ali Shehda Abu Afash occurred while the two journalists were reporting on the 2014 Israel -- Gaza conflict . Simone Camilli ( c. 1979 -- 13 August 2014 ) , an Italian , and Ali Shehda Abu Afash ( ca. 1979 -- 13 August 2014 ) , a Palestinian , were journalists for the Associated Press . They were reporting on a bomb disposal team in Beit Lahiya , located in the Gaza Strip , at the time of their death . Camilli was the first foreign journalist to die in the Israel and Gaza dispute .

neg: Susan Sideropoulos Susan Sideropoulos ( born 14 October 1980 in Hamburg ) is a German actress and singer .   Her father is of Greek descent while her mother is from Israel .   Since March 14 , 2002 , Sideropoulos has been portraying the role of Verena Koch in the German soap opera Gute Zeiten , schlechte Zeiten .   She was the winner of Season 2 of the German series Let 's Dance .

neg: 1980 Major League Baseball season The 1980 Major League Baseball season saw the Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Series Championship .

neg: Trevor Wright Trevor Christopher Wright ( born August 23 , 1980 in San Diego , California ) is an American actor .

neg: Madame Rosa Madame Rosa ( La vie devant soi ) is a 1977 French film directed by Moshé Mizrahi , adapted from the 1975 novel The Life Before Us by Romain Gary . It stars Simone Signoret and Samy Ben-Youb , and tells the story of an elderly Jewish woman and former prostitute in Paris who cares for a number of children , including an adolescent Algerian boy . The film required a transformation in Signoret 's appearance as Madame Rosa .   The film was viewed in context of Arab -- Israeli conflicts , and received positive reviews . It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film , while Signoret won the César Award for Best Actress for her performance .

neg: Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 The Netherlands was represented by Maggie MacNeal , with the song ' `` Amsterdam '' , at the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest , which took place in The Hague on 19 April . 1980 was one of only three years in Dutch Eurovision history ( 1961 and 2008 being the others ) when both performer and song were chosen internally by broadcaster NOS . MacNeal had previously finished third in the 1974 Eurovision as part of duo Mouth and MacNeal .

neg: Gerry Hannah Gerald Richard Hannah ( also known as Gerry Useless ) was the bass player for the Canadian punk rock group The Subhumans and was also a member of the armed revolutionary group Direct Action , also known as the Squamish Five ( in the mainstream press ) and the Vancouver Five ( in the alternative press ) .   Squamish Five carried out a political campaign of `` direct actions '' , including the Litton Industries bombing , Litton Industries being the manufacturer of guidance systems for American nuclear cruise missiles . Hannah was convicted of conspiracy to rob an armoured car and possession of a stolen weapon , for which he received a ten-year jail sentence . He was released after serving five years of his sentence . While in jail , he recorded two records , Songs from the Underground ( folk ) and Whereabouts Unknown ( electronic ) , both now very hard to find .   Hannah was a member of the Vancouver-based punk rock band , The Subhumans , from 1978 to 1981 . He reunited with his ex-bandmates for a few shows in the 1990s and again between 2005 and 2010 . The Subhumans were best known for their 1980 album Incorrect Thoughts . Hannah penned at least three classics of the punk genre , Slave to my Dick , Oh Canaduh and Fuck You . The Subhumans released New Dark Age Parade in 2006 and Death was too Kind in 2008 . Same Thoughts , Different Day , a re-recorded version of Incorrect Thoughts , came out in 2010 .   In December 2014 , Hannah released a solo indie folk-rock record Coming Home . The album is a re-recording of selected tracks from Songs from Underground with some additional material . Most of the songs were written during his time with Direct Action and his imprisonment .   In 2004 , Vancouver filmmaker , Glen Sanford , made a documentary movie about Gerry Hannah , called Useless . Hannah was also one of the interview subjects in Bloodied But Unbowed , Susanne Tabata 's 2011 documentary about Vancouver 's early punk scene .

neg: Isabella Summers Isabella Janet Florentina Summers ( born 31 October 1980 ) is an English musician , songwriter , producer , remixer and member of English indie rock band Florence and the Machine . As well as being the keyboard player for the group , Summers has five co-writing credits on the critically acclaimed , BRIT Award-winning Lungs and three on the album Ceremonials . She has three songs on the album How Big , How Blue , How Beautiful : `` Delilah '' , `` How Big , How Blue , How Beautiful '' and `` Which Witch '' , including two productions on the deluxe version .   When not on tour with Florence and the Machine , Summers writes , produces and remixes tracks for artists including Beyoncé , Juliette Lewis , Iggy Azalea , Jasmine Thompson , Nas , Cara Delevingne , Izzy Bizu , Pablo Dylan , Mondo Cosmo , Kacy Hill , Jessica Simpson , Chloe and Halle , Flux Pavilion , Maxine Ashley , Rita Ora , Judith Hill , and The Game .

neg: Simone Egeriis Simone Egeriis ( born January 28 , 1992 ) , better known as simply Simone , is a Danish pop singer . She was born and raised in Slagelse , Denmark . She is known in Denmark for winning the Danish TV talent show Scenen er din ( ` The Stage is Yours ' ) in the category Junior Singing . She has since released three studio albums - her debut was called Vindens Farver or Colours of the Wind , the song from Disney 's Pocahontas , with which she won Scenen er Din . She also plays the violin and the piano .

neg: Heike John Heike John ( now Heike Walpot ; born 19 June 1960 ) is a retired German swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 1977 European Aquatics Championships . She competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics in the 100 m and 200 m backstroke events but did not reach the finals . During her career she won five national titles in the 100 m ( 1977 ) and 200 m ( 1977 , 1978 ) backstroke and 200 m medley ( 1977 , 1978 ) . She missed the 1980 Summer Olympics because of their boycott by West Germany .

neg: Zaho Zahera Darabid ( born on May 10 , 1980 ) , known by her artistic name Zaho , is an Algerian R&B singer .

neg: Nina Simone at Newport Nina Simone at Newport is an album by jazz singer and musician Nina Simone . It was her second live album for Colpix , recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival on June 30 , 1960 . All arrangements were written by Nina Simone , and it was produced by Stu Phillips .

neg: Chrystee Pharris Chrystee Pharris ( born March 7 , 1976 ) is an American actress , best known for her role as Simone Russell on the NBC daytime soap opera , Passions .

neg: Maripol Maripol is an artist , film producer , fashion designer and stylist who has had an influence on the looks of many influential artists , including Grace Jones , Deborah Harry and Madonna . She is also a Polaroid artist photographer .   Maripol was brought up in France before moving to New York City in 1976 . In the early 1980s , Maripol was the art director for hip Italian boutique Fiorucci . By the mid-80s , Maripol had achieved some success with her own shop , Maripolitan , in the NoHo area of New York .   Maripol is best known for designing for and styling pop singer Madonna during the Madonna and Like a Virgin albums in the mid-1980s . Maripol 's trademark black rubber bracelets , jewellery and crucifixes became as iconic as Madonna herself in these early years . She also made a line of official Madonna jewellery and accessories for the Like a Virgin tour .   At the same time she directed documentary films , such as `` Crack is whack '' on 1980s artist Keith Haring .   She has also worked as a film producer , most notably on the post-production of Downtown 81 , a film starring artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and featuring Blondie lead singer Deborah Harry , and with musical interludes by many New York No Wave bands . The movie , directed by then partner Edo Bertoglio and written and produced by Glenn O'Brien , was filmed in 1980-81 as New York Beat . However , it was not until the late 1990s that the film was edited and released ( as Downtown 81 ) . O'Brien and Executive Producer Michael Zilkha enlisted Maripol to work on post-production to complete the film before its 2000 release , and debut at the Director 's Fortnight at Cannes .   She has been the art director on music videos for Cher , D'Angelo , Elton John , and Luther Vandross .   In February 2010 , Maripol had a collection of jewelry and tee shirts in the Marc by Marc Jacobs stores , inspired by the jewelry she created in the 80s .   Early 2014 , Maripol released `` MARIPOLA X '' , a book about her erotic Polaroid pictures , including many from the 80s ( Grace Jones , Madonna , Naomi Campbell , etc. ) . The same year , she published `` Love Each other '' , her first record as singer with the French composer and producer which followed her collaboration with the French fashion label Each x Other .

neg: Hannah Friedman Hannah Friedman ( born September 29 , 1986 ) is a writer , director , and musician from New York .

neg: Simone Veil Simone Veil , DBE ( -LSB- simɔn vɛj -RSB- ; born 13 July 1927 ) is a French lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Health under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing , President of the European Parliament and member of the Constitutional Council of France .   A survivor from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp where she lost part of her family , she is the Honorary President of the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah . She was elected to the Académie française in November 2008 . She is best known for pushing forward the law legalizing abortion in France on 17 January 1975 .


query: Katie Stevens is an American citizen.

pos: Katie Stevens Katherine Mari `` Katie '' Stevens ( born December 8 , 1992 ) is an American actress and singer best known for finishing in eighth place on the ninth season of American Idol and starring as Karma Ashcroft in the MTV series Faking It .

neg: Katie Herzig Katie Herzig is an American singer-songwriter whose folk-pop songs have appeared often in movies , TV shows , and commercials .

neg: Confessions of a Nice Girl Confessions of a Nice Girl is the third studio album by American country music artist Katie Armiger . It was released by Cold River Records in 2010 . Three singles were released from this album in 2010 : `` Kiss Me Now '' , `` Leaving Home '' and `` Best Song Ever '' , the latter of which is her best charted single to date . It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2011 . The album was re-released in late 2011 with new bonus tracks , including `` I Do But Do I , '' which served as the album 's fourth single . `` Scream '' was released in October 2011 as the fifth single .

neg: Katie Holmes (historian) Katie Holmes is a professor of history at La Trobe University , Melbourne , Australia .

neg: National Kidney Registry The National Kidney Registry ( NKR ) is the largest paired exchange program in the United States and facilitates over 360 paired exchange transplants annually . The NKR was founded by the Hil family in 2007 after their youngest daughter lost her kidney function at age ten . Both parents were ruled out from donating to their daughter because they were biologically incompatible . Finally , after unsuccessful attempts to find a compatible donor through all of the kidney paired exchange programs in the United States , a compatible donor was found . After their transplant ordeal , the Hil family founded the National Kidney Registry to eliminate the problem of incompatible donors by building a national kidney paired donation program ( KPD ) . Mr. Hil was the first KPD leader to donate one of his kidneys to start a chain . His kidney donation 2015 initiated a swap that facilitated 8 transplants . The success of the NKR has generated significant media coverage including a front page story in the New York Times and nationally televised interviews by Katie Couric with CBS Evening News , Diane Sawyer from ABC News , and Byron Pitts at Nightline .

neg: Katie Did It Katie Did It is a 1951 American romantic comedy film directed by Frederick De Cordova and starring Ann Blyth , Mark Stevens and Cecil Kellaway . A small town girl falls in love with a big city artist , but mistakenly believes he already has a wife and children .

neg: T. M. Stevens T. M. Stevens ( real name Thomas Michael Stevens ; born July/28 1953 ) is an American bassist from New York City .

neg: Katie Rose Pipkin Katie Rose Pipkin is a curator and multidisciplinary artist native to Austin , Texas . Pipkin works in language , with code and on paper .

neg: Katie George Katie George ( born on September 7 , 1988 in Fairhope , Alabama , United States ) is an award-winning American cosplayer who has been cosplaying since 2004 and lives in Atlanta . George has been a special guest at conventions in the United States and abroad , including MomoCon , Pensacon and more , hosting panels and acting as a judge in costume contests . In 2012 , she was featured in the television documentary Cosplay : Crafting a Secret Identity and represented the USA at the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya , Japan . In 2014 , she joined the cast of the reality television show Heroes of Cosplay .

neg: Chinese Americans Chinese Americans , which includes American-born Chinese , are Americans who have full or partial Chinese ancestry . Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans , which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans . Many Chinese Americans are immigrants along with their descendants from mainland China , Hong Kong , Macau , Taiwan , as well as from other regions that include large populations of the Chinese diaspora , especially Southeast Asia and some Western countries like Canada , United Kingdom , Australia , New Zealand , and Brazil .   The Chinese American community is the largest overseas Chinese community outside of Asia . It is also the third largest in the Chinese diaspora , behind the Chinese communities in Thailand and Malaysia . The Chinese American community comprises the largest ethnic group of Asian Americans , comprising 25.9 % of the Asian American population as of 2010 . Americans of Chinese descent , including those with partial Chinese ancestry constitute 1.2 % of the total U.S. population as of 2010 . According to the 2010 census , the Chinese American population numbered approximately 3.8 million . In 2010 , half of Chinese-born people living in the United States resided in the states of California and New York .

neg: Stephen Mitchell (translator) Stephen Mitchell ( born 1943 in Brooklyn , New York ) is a poet , translator , scholar , and anthologist . He is married to Byron Katie , founder of The Work .

neg: Katie Henney Katie Henney ( born January 1 , 1993 ) is an American former child actress best known for her role as Elizabeth Cole in the 2005 movie , Felicity : An American Girl Adventure .

neg: Susan Ursitti Susan Ursitti is an American actress .

neg: Martha Stevens Martha Stevens is an American politician . She is a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 46th District . Her term began in 2017 .   Stevens has a bachelor 's degree in sociology and a Master 's in social work from the University of Missouri .

neg: America (Deuce song) `` America '' is the second studio-release single from American artist Deuce and is a politically themed song with a stronger metal influence than some of Deuce 's other music . It was released on January 10 , 2012 , a week earlier than originally planned due to a leak of the full music video in late December 2011 . The song is the third track on Deuce 's debut album titled Nine Lives . As of April 2012 , `` America '' had sold 36,000 copies , making it the most commercially successful single of the album . This single , along with `` Let 's Get It Crackin ' '' , was featured as part of a fan-based remix contest held by Deuce and Five Seven Music titled `` Deuce REMIXXXED ''   On July 3 , 2012 a single was released for Independence Day which was called the `` America ( n ) Pride '' , which contained `` America '' , two remixes , and the music video on iTunes .

neg: Poet Laureate of New Jersey The Poet Laureate of New Jersey ( statutorily known as New Jersey William Carlos Williams Citation of Merit ) was an honor presented biennially by the Governor of New Jersey to a distinguished New Jersey poet . Created in 1999 , this position existed for less than four years and was abolished by the legislature effective July 2 , 2003 . When the New Jersey State Legislature created the laureate position , the bill provided specifically for the creation of an award named in honor of twentieth-century poet and physician William Carlos Williams ( 1883 -- 1963 ) who resided in Rutherford , New Jersey . However , the legislature recognized that the award 's recipient would `` be considered the poet laureate of the State of New Jersey for a period of two years . Before the position was abolished , only two poets , Gerald Stern and Amiri Baraka , had been appointed as the state 's poet laureate .   The legislature 's bill was signed into law by Governor Christine Todd Whitman . It was expected that the award 's recipient -- the poet laureate -- would `` engage in activities to promote and encourage poetry within the State and shall give no fewer than two public readings within the State each year . '' In this respect , New Jersey 's poet laureate was similar to the position of Poet laureate in other American states and in several other countries . However , a public reading in September 2002 by the state 's second laureate , Newark-based poet Amiri Baraka of his poem `` Somebody Blew Up America '' was met with harsh criticism by the public and news media . The poem which explores terrorist attacks on September 11 , 2001 was considered to be violent , incendiary and anti-Semitic , and the ensuing controversy ignited a political firestorm . Because of Baraka 's defiant refusals to apologize or resign as poet laureate and that there was no mechanism within the law to remove him , the position was abolished by the legislature and Governor James E. McGreevey in 2003 .

neg: Susan Perkins Susan Perkins ( born April 28 , 1954 ) , a native of Middletown , Ohio , was Miss America 1978 .   She has been a professional singer , spokesperson and television reporter . Susan walked in the New York Marathon with the Achilles Club ( which serves disabled and senior athletes ) as a guide for an 80-year-old former Marine Colonel .   She is married with two children and lives with her family in Weston , Massachusetts .

neg: The Secret Life of the American Teenager The Secret Life of the American Teenager ( often shortened to Secret Life ) is an American teen drama television series created by Brenda Hampton . It first season aired on ABC Family on July 1 , 2008 and ran until June 3 , 2013 . The show was renewed for four additional seasons .   The series received generally mixed reviews from mainstream critics when it began broadcasting , but was well received among female and teenage viewers . The pilot episode broke the record for the highest rated debut on ABC Family with 2.82 million viewers , a record previously held by Kyle XY . The season one finale brought in 4.50 million viewers , beating that night 's episode of Gossip Girl , which had less than half its usual number of viewers . Premiering to mostly positive reviews from critics and being well received among viewers , the second season of Secret Life opened with the largest audience for the series , posting a series high in total viewers with 4.68 million viewers ; in adults 18 -- 34 it was the number one scripted original premiere of Summer 2009 . Furthermore , the mid-season premiere became ABC Family 's most watched telecast of all time with viewers ages 12 -- 34 , with more than three million viewers watching .   The show earned the Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer TV Show during its premiere season , and spawned a book entitled The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens .

neg: American University School of International Service The School of International Service ( SIS ) is American University 's school of advanced international study in the areas of international politics , international communication , international development , international economic relations , peace and conflict resolution , global environmental politics , and U.S. foreign policy .   The School of International Service was created when AU 's Hurst Anderson was urged by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to create a school of practitioners prepared for foreign policy beyond the U.S. -- Soviet rivalry . Since 1957 , SIS has prepared thousands of graduates to represent their country in the global arena by `` waging peace '' and employing the hallmarks of thoughtful diplomacy .   SIS is the largest school of international relations in the United States , enrolling more than 2,000 students from over 150 countries . The school makes extensive use of the academic and governmental resources offered by the university 's location in Washington , D.C.   Foreign Policy , in its 2015 rankings of top international affairs programs , ranked the school 's master 's and undergraduate programs as 8th - and 9th-best in the world , respectively . SIS is also consistently ranked in conjunction with American University 's School of Public Affairs as a leading program in the country by U.S. News & World Report 's college and university rankings . SIS is also a full member of The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs .

neg: Greek Americans Greek Americans ' ( Ελληνοαμερικανοί , Ellinoamerikanoi '' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry . About 1.3 million American people are of Greek descent , although there are estimates that raise this number to 3 million , and 321,144 people older than five spoke Greek at home in 2010 .   Greek Americans have the highest concentrations in the New York City , Boston , and Chicago regions , but have settled in major metropolitan areas across the United States . In 2000 , Tarpon Springs , Florida was home to the highest per capita representation of Greek Americans in the country ( 11 % ) . The United States is home to the largest overseas Greek community , ahead of Australia , Cyprus , Albania , Canada , Germany , and the United Kingdom .

neg: Morgan Matson Morgan Catherine Matson ( born September 19 , 1981 ) , also known under her pseudonym Katie Finn , is a best-selling American novelist and recipient of the California Book Award .


query: Billy Wilder is a director.

pos: Billy Wilder Samuel `` Billy '' Wilder -LSB- ˈwaɪldər -RSB- -LSB- ˈvɪldɐ -RSB- ( June 22 , 1906March 27 , 2002 ) was an Austrian-born Jewish-American filmmaker , screenwriter , producer , artist , and journalist whose career spanned more than five decades . He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood 's golden age . With The Apartment , Wilder became the first person to win Academy Awards as producer , director , and screenwriter for the same film .   Wilder became a screenwriter in the late 1920s while living in Berlin . After the rise of the Nazi Party , he left for Paris , where he made his directorial debut . He moved to Hollywood in 1933 , and in 1939 he had a hit when he co-wrote the screenplay for the romantic comedy Ninotchka , starring Greta Garbo . Wilder established his directorial reputation with an adaption of James M. Cain 's Double Indemnity ( 1944 ) , a film noir . Wilder co-wrote the screenplay with crime novelist Raymond Chandler . Wilder earned the Best Director and Best Screenplay Academy Awards for the adaptation of a Charles R. Jackson story The Lost Weekend ( 1945 ) , about alcoholism . In 1950 , Wilder co-wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Sunset Boulevard , as well as Stalag 17 in 1953 .   From the mid-1950s on , Wilder made mostly comedies . Among the classics Wilder created in this period are the farces The Seven Year Itch ( 1955 ) and Some Like It Hot ( 1959 ) , and satires such as The Apartment ( 1960 ) . He directed fourteen different actors in Oscar-nominated performances . Wilder was recognized with the American Film Institute ( AFI ) Life Achievement Award in 1986 . In 1988 , Wilder was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award . In 1993 , he was awarded the National Medal of Arts .

pos: The Lost Weekend (film) The Lost Weekend is a 1945 American film noir directed by Billy Wilder and starring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman . The film was based on Charles R. Jackson 's 1944 novel of the same name about an alcoholic writer . The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four : Best Picture , Best Director , Best Actor , and Best Writing ( Adapted Screenplay ) . It also shared the Grand Prix at the first Cannes Film Festival , making it one of only two films to win both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the highest award at Cannes .   In 2011 , The Lost Weekend was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant . ''

pos: Some Like It Hot Some Like It Hot is a 1959 American romantic comedy film set in 1929 , directed and produced by Billy Wilder , starring Marilyn Monroe , Tony Curtis , and Jack Lemmon . The supporting cast includes George Raft , Pat O'Brien , Joe E. Brown , Joan Shawlee , and Nehemiah Persoff . The plot is based on a screenplay by Billy Wilder and Michael Logan from the French film Fanfare of Love . The film is about two musicians who dress in drag in order to escape from mafia gangsters whom they witnessed commit a crime inspired by the Saint Valentine 's Day Massacre . The film was produced in black and white , even though color films were increasing in popularity .   Some Like It Hot opened to largely positive reviews and is today considered to be one of the greatest film comedies of all time . It was voted as the top comedy film by the American Film Institute on their list on AFI 's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs poll in 2000 . The film is also notable for featuring cross dressing , and for playing with the idea of homosexuality , which led to it being produced without approval from the Motion Picture Production Code . The code had been gradually weakening in its scope during the early 1950s , due to increasing social tolerance for previously taboo topics in film , but it was still officially enforced . The overwhelming success of Some Like It Hot was a final nail in the coffin for the Hays Code .

neg: Witness for the Prosecution (1982 film) Witness for the Prosecution is a 1982 television film version of Agatha Christie 's short story and play , and also a remake of the Billy Wilder film Witness for the Prosecution ( 1957 ) .

neg: World Film Company The World Film Company or World Film Corporation was an American film production and distribution company , organized in 1914 in Fort Lee , New Jersey .

neg: A Simple Plan (film) A Simple Plan is a 1998 American neo-noir crime thriller film adapted by Scott B. Smith from his 1993 novel of the same name . Directed by Sam Raimi , the film stars Bill Paxton , Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda . Set in rural Minnesota , the story follows Hank Mitchell ( Paxton ) and his brother Jacob ( Thornton ) , who , along with Jacob 's friend Lou ( Brent Briscoe ) , discover a crashed plane containing $ 4.4 million in cash . The three men go to great lengths to keep the money a secret but begin to doubt each other 's trust , resulting in lies , deceit and murder .   Development of the film began in 1993 before the novel was published . Mike Nichols purchased the film rights , and the project was picked up by an independent film studio , Savoy Pictures . After Nichols stepped down , the film adaptation became mired in development hell ; during the troubled pre-production , Ben Stiller and John Dahl turned down opportunities to direct the film . After Savoy closed in November 1995 , the project was sold to Paramount Pictures . John Boorman was hired to direct , but scheduling conflicts led to his replacement by Raimi . Principal photography began in January 1998 and concluded in March after 55 days ; filming took place in Wisconsin and Minnesota . The score was produced and composed by Danny Elfman .   A Simple Plan premiered at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival , where it was met with critical acclaim . The film 's appearance at the festival preceded a limited release in the United States on December 11 , 1998 , followed by a general release in North America on January 22 , 1999 . It underperformed at the North American box office , grossing $ 16.3 million on a $ 17 million production budget . Reviewers praised various aspects of the film 's production , including the storytelling , performances and Raimi 's direction . A Simple Plan earned multiple awards and nominations , among them two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor ( Thornton ) and Best Adapted Screenplay ( Smith ) .

neg: Art film An art film is typically a serious , independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience . An art film is `` intended to be a serious artistic work , often experimental and not designed for mass appeal '' ; they are `` made primarily for aesthetic reasons rather than commercial profit '' , and they contain `` unconventional or highly symbolic content '' .   Film critics and film studies scholars typically define an art film as possessing `` formal qualities that mark them as different from mainstream Hollywood films '' , which can include , among other elements , a sense of social realism ; an emphasis on the authorial expressiveness of the director ; and a focus on the thoughts , dreams , or motivations of characters , as opposed to the unfolding of a clear , goal-driven story . Film scholar David Bordwell describes art cinema as `` a film genre , with its own distinct conventions '' .   Art film producers usually present their films at specialty theatres ( repertory cinemas , or , in the U.S. , `` arthouse cinemas '' ) and film festivals . The term art film is much more widely used in the United States , the UK and Australia than in Europe , where the term is more associated with `` auteur '' films and `` national cinema '' ( e.g. , German national cinema ) . Because they are aimed at small niche market audiences , they can rarely get the financial backing that will permit large production budgets , expensive special effects , costly celebrity actors , or huge advertising campaigns , as are used in widely released mainstream blockbuster films . Art film directors make up for these constraints by creating a different type of film , which typically uses lesser-known film actors ( or even amateur actors ) and modest sets to make films that focus much more on developing ideas or exploring new narrative techniques or film-making conventions .   A certain degree of experience and knowledge are required to fully understand or appreciate such films . One mid-1990s art film was called `` largely a cerebral experience '' that one enjoys `` because of what you know about film '' . This contrasts sharply with mainstream `` blockbuster '' films , which are geared more towards escapism and pure entertainment . For promotion , art films rely on the publicity generated from film critics ' reviews , discussion of their film by arts columnists , commentators and bloggers , and `` word-of-mouth '' promotion by audience members . Since art films have small initial investment costs , they only need to appeal to a small portion of the mainstream viewing audiences to become financially viable .

neg: The Producers (1968 film) The Producers is a 1968 American satirical comedy film written and directed by Mel Brooks and starring Zero Mostel , Gene Wilder , Dick Shawn , and Kenneth Mars . The film was Brooks 's directorial debut , and he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay . Although the release date was officially 1968 , the premier took place in Pittsburgh on November 22 , 1967 .   Decades later , the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry and placed eleventh on the AFI 's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs list . It was later remade by Brooks as an acclaimed Broadway stage musical , which itself was adapted for a 2005 feature film starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick .

neg: Muriel Box Muriel Box ( 22 September 1905 -- 18 May 1991 ) was an Oscar-winning English screenwriter and director .   She was born Violette Muriel Baker in Tolworth , Surrey , England in 1905 . When her attempts at acting and dancing proved to be unsuccessful , she accepted work as a continuity girl for British International Pictures . In 1935 , she met and married journalist Sydney Box , with whom she collaborated on nearly forty plays with mainly female roles for amateur theatre groups . Their production company , Verity Films , first released short propaganda films , including The English Inn ( 1941 ) , her first directing effort , after which it branched into fiction . The couple achieved their greatest joint success with The Seventh Veil ( 1945 ) for which they gained the Academy Award for Best Writing , Original Screenplay in the following year .   After the war , the Rank Organisation hired her husband to head Gainsborough Pictures , where she was in charge of the scenario department , writing scripts for a number of light comedies , including two for child star Petula Clark , Easy Money and Here Come the Huggetts ( both 1948 ) . She occasionally assisted as a dialogue director , or re-shot scenes during post-production . Her extensive work on The Lost People ( 1949 ) gained her a credit as co-director , her first for a full-length feature .   In 1951 , her husband created London Independent Producers , allowing Box more opportunities to direct . Many of her early films were adaptations of plays , and as such had a stage-bound feel , since she rarely shot on location . They were noteworthy more for their strong performances than they were for a distinctive directorial style . She favoured scripts with topical and frequently controversial themes , including Irish politics , teenage sex , abortion , illegitimacy , and syphilis , and several of her films were banned by local authorities .   She pursued her favorite subject -- the female experience -- in a number of films , including Street Corner ( 1953 ) about women police officers , Somerset Maugham 's The Beachcomber ( 1954 ) , with Donald Sinden and Glynis Johns as a resourceful missionary , again working with Donald Sinden on Eyewitness ( 1956 ) and a series of comedies about the battle of the sexes , including The Passionate Stranger ( 1957 ) , The Truth About Women ( 1958 ) and her final film , Rattle of a Simple Man ( 1964 ) .   Box often experienced prejudice in a male-dominated industry , especially hurtful when perpetrated by another female . In 1950 , Jean Simmons had her replaced on So Long at the Fair , and Kay Kendall unsuccessfully attempted to do the same with Simon and Laura ( 1955 ) . Many producers questioned her competence to direct large-scale feature films , and while the press was quick to note her position as one of very few women directors in the British film industry , their tone tended to be condescending rather than filled with praise .   She left film-making to write novels and created a successful publishing house , Femina , which proved to be a rewarding outlet for her feminism . She divorced Sydney Box in 1969 . The following year , she married Gerald Gardiner , who had been Lord Chancellor . She died in Hendon , London in 1991 .

neg: Irma la Douce Irma la Douce is a 1963 romantic comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine , directed by Billy Wilder . It is based on the 1956 French stage musical Irma La Douce by Marguerite Monnot and Alexandre Breffort .

neg: Melville Shavelson Melville Shavelson ( April 1 , 1917 -- August 8 , 2007 ) was an American film director , producer , screenwriter , and author . He was President of the Writers Guild of America , West ( WGAw ) from 1969 to 1971 , 1979 to 1981 , and 1985 to 1987 . He came to Hollywood in 1938 as one of comedian Bob Hope 's joke writers , a job he held for the next five years . He is responsible for the screenplays of such Hope films as The Princess and the Pirate ( 1944 ) , Where There 's Life ( 1947 ) , The Great Lover ( 1949 ) , and Sorrowful Jones ( 1949 ) , which also starred Lucille Ball . Shavelson also worked as a writer on Hope 's radio show , The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope .   Shavelson was nominated twice for Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay -- first for 1955 's The Seven Little Foys , starring Hope in a rare dramatic role , and then for 1958 's Houseboat . He shared both nominations with Jack Rose . He also directed both films .   Other films he wrote and directed include Beau James ( 1957 ) , The Five Pennies ( 1959 ) for which he won a Screen Writers Guild Award , It Started in Naples ( 1960 ) , On the Double ( 1961 ) , The Pigeon That Took Rome ( 1962 ) , A New Kind of Love ( 1963 ) , Cast a Giant Shadow ( 1966 ) , and Yours , Mine and Ours ( 1968 ) , which starred Henry Fonda and again with Lucille Ball . Shavelson created two Emmy award-winning television series and wrote for a dozen Academy Award shows .   He also wrote , produced and co-directed the six-hour ABC screenplay to the 1979 television miniseries Ike , based on the World War II exploits of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower . It featured an all star cast including Robert Duvall and Lee Remick .   Shavelson 's autobiography , published by BearManor Media in April 2007 , is entitled How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Really Trying , P.S. - You Ca n't ! Shavelson wrote several other books , including , with Mr. Hope , `` Do n't Shoot , It 's Only Me : Bob Hope 's Comedy History of the United States '' ( Putnam , 1990 ) , and How to Make a Jewish Movie ( 1971 ) , a memoir of his experiences while producing and directing Cast a Giant Shadow , and the Hollywood-themed novel Lualda ( 1973 ) .   Shavelson was a noted instructor at USC 's Master of Professional Writing Program from 1998-2006 . He taught screenwriting , who often cracked to his students , `` I 'm a writer by choice , a producer by necessity and a director in self-defense . ''   He was an amateur radio operator and held the callsign W6VLH .   Shavelson 's first wife , Lucille , died in 2000 . He was married to his second wife , Ruth Florea , from 2001 until his death in 2007 . He had two children , Lynne Joiner and Richard Shavelson .

neg: Billy Edd Wheeler Billy Edward `` Edd '' Wheeler ( born December 9 , 1932 , Boone County , West Virginia ) is an American songwriter , performer , writer , and visual artist .   His songs include `` Jackson '' ( Grammy award winner for Johnny Cash and June Carter ) `` The Reverend Mr. Black '' , `` Desert Pete '' , `` Anne '' , `` High Flyin ' Bird '' , `` The Coming of the Roads '' , `` It 's Midnight '' , `` Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back '' , `` Coal Tattoo '' , `` Winter Sky '' , and `` Coward of the County '' ( which inspired a 1981 television movie of the same name ) and have been performed by over 160 artists including Judy Collins , Jefferson Airplane , Bobby Darin , The Kingston Trio , Neil Young , Kenny Rogers , Hazel Dickens , Florence and the Machine , Kathy Mattea , Nancy Sinatra , and Elvis Presley . `` Jackson '' was also recorded by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon for the movie Walk the Line . His song `` Sassafras '' was covered in the folk rock era by Modern Folk Quartet and The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band .   Wheeler is the author-composer of eight plays and musicals , a folk opera ( Song of the Cumberland Gap ) , commissioned by the National Geographic Society , and three outdoor dramas : the long-running Hatfields & McCoys at Beckley , West Virginia , Young Abe Lincoln at Lincoln City , Indiana , and Johnny Appleseed , at Mansfield , Ohio . He has authored six books of humor , four with Loyal Jones of Berea , Kentucky : Laughter in Appalachia , Hometown Humor USA , Curing the Cross-Eyed Mule , and More Laughter in Appalachia , and two as sole author : Outhouse Humor , and Real Country Humor / Jokes from Country Music Personalities . His first novel , Star of Appalachia , was published in January , 2004 , and his second , co-written with Ewel Cornett , Kudzu Covers Manhattan , in 2005 . Song of a Woods Colt , a book of poetry , was published in 1969 . Travis and Other Poems of the Swannanoa Valley ( With Some Poems and Prayers by Dr. Henry W. Jensen ) was published in 1977 . He was the featured author in Appalachian Heritage magazine 's 2008 winter issue , which included 16 of his original paintings . North Carolina 's Our State magazine featured him in its December , 2007 issue .

neg: Major film studio A major film studio is a production and film distributor that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box office revenue in a given market . In the North American , Western , and global markets , the major film studios , often simply known as the majors , are commonly regarded as the six diversified media conglomerates whose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 80 to 85 percent of U.S. and Canadian box office revenue . The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate .   The `` Big Six '' majors , whose operations are based in or around the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood , are all centered in film studios active during Hollywood 's Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s . In three cases -- 20th Century Fox , Warner Bros. , and Paramount -- the studios were one of the `` Big Five '' majors during that era as well . In two cases -- Columbia and Universal -- the studios were also considered majors , but in the next tier down , part of the `` Little Three '' . In the sixth case , Walt Disney Studios was an independent production company during the Golden Age ; it was an important Hollywood entity , but not a major . Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , United Artists , and RKO were majors .   Today , Disney is the only member of the Big Six whose parent entity is still located near Los Angeles ( actually , on Disney 's studio lot and in the same building ) . The five others report to conglomerates headquartered in New York City , Philadelphia , and Tokyo . Of the Big Six , Paramount is the only one still based in Hollywood , and Paramount and Fox are the only ones still located within the Los Angeles city limits , while Disney and Warner Bros. are located in Burbank , Columbia in Culver City , and Universal in the unincorporated area of Universal City .   Most of today 's Big Six control subsidiaries with their own distribution networks that concentrate on arthouse pictures ( e.g. Fox Searchlight Pictures ) or genre films ( e.g. Sony 's Screen Gems ) ; several of these specialty units were shut down or sold off between 2008 and 2010 . The six major studios are contrasted with smaller production and/or distribution companies , which are known as independents or `` indies '' . The leading independent producer/distributors -- Lionsgate Films , The Weinstein Company , and former major studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer -- are sometimes referred to as `` mini-majors '' . From 1998 through 2005 , DreamWorks SKG commanded a large enough market share to arguably qualify it as a seventh major , despite its relatively small output . In 2006 , DreamWorks was acquired by Viacom , Paramount 's corporate parent . In late 2008 , DreamWorks once again became an independent production company ; its films were distributed by Disney 's Touchstone Pictures until 2016 , at which point distribution switched to Universal .   The Big Six major studios are today primarily backers and distributors of films whose actual production is largely handled by independent companies -- either long-running entities or ones created for and dedicated to the making of a specific film . The specialty divisions often simply acquire distribution rights to pictures in which the studio has had no prior involvement . While the majors still do a modicum of true production , their activities are focused more in the areas of development , financing , marketing , and merchandising . Those business functions are still usually performed in or near Los Angeles , even though the runaway production phenomenon means that most films are now mostly or completely shot on location at places outside Los Angeles .   Since the dawn of filmmaking , the U.S. major film studios have dominated both American cinema and the global film industry . U.S. studios have benefited from a strong first-mover advantage in that they were the first to industrialize filmmaking and master the art of mass-producing and distributing high-quality films with broad cross-cultural appeal . Today , the Big Six majors routinely distribute hundreds of films every year into all significant international markets ( that is , where discretionary income is high enough for consumers to afford to watch films ) . It is very rare , if not impossible , for a film to reach a broad international audience on multiple continents and in multiple languages without first being picked up by one of the majors for distribution .

neg: Wiener Film Wiener Film ( German ; plural : Wiener Filme ; literally , `` Viennese film '' ) is an Austrian film genre , consisting of a combination of comedy , romance and melodrama in an historical setting , mostly , and typically , the Vienna of the late 19th and early 20th centuries . The Wiener Film genre was in production between the 1920s and the 1950s , with the 1930s as its high period .

neg: The Law vs. Billy the Kid The Law vs. Billy the Kid is a 1954 Western film starring Scott Brady as Billy the Kid . It was directed by William Castle .

neg: Roland West Roland West ( February 20 , 1885 -- March 31 , 1952 ) was a Hollywood director known for his innovative proto-film noir movies of the 1920s and early 1930s .

neg: Newt Arnold Newt Arnold ( February 22 , 1922 -- February 12 , 2000 ) was an American film director , producer and screenwriter . Arnold directed Bloodsport , which was released in 1988 and has since become a cult film and several other screen works . Arnold was the two-time recipient of the Directors Guild of America Award for his work as an assistant director of The Godfather Part II and 12 Angry Men .

neg: Mr. Texas (film) Mr. Texas is a 1951 American western film directed by Dick Ross , starring Redd Harper and Cindy Walker . Evangelist Billy Graham called it `` the first Christian Western '' .

neg: Compton Bennett Herbert William `` Bob '' Compton Bennett ( 15 January 1900 -- 11 August 1974 ) , better known as Compton Bennett , was an English film director , writer and producer . He is perhaps best known for directing the 1945 film The Seventh Veil and the 1950 version of the film King Solomon 's Mines , an adaptation of an Allan Quatermain story .   Bennett was born in Tunbridge Wells , England . At the beginning of his career , he worked as a band leader and a commercial artist before trying his hand at amateur filmmaking . One of these early films helped him land a job at Alexander Korda 's London Films in 1932 . There , he became a film editor ; later he would help make instructional and propaganda films for the British armed forces during World War II .   Bennett 's films tended to be sombre , but were very popular with the moviegoing public . In 1947 , Bennett accepted an invitation to go to Hollywood , but his directing style appeared to suffer in the American studio system of the era . It was , however , during this time that he directed King Solomon 's Mines .   Bennett eventually returned to the UK . From 1954 to 1957 , he left film work to pursue interests in the theatre and television , but produced four films in 1957 , After the Ball , Man-Eater , That Woman Opposite and The Flying Scot . Although he continued to write and direct for film and television , his subsequent productions were not as well received .   Bennett died in Sussex , England at the age of 74 .

neg: John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( -LSB- ˈhjuːstən -RSB- August 5 , 1906 -- August 28 , 1987 ) was an American film director , screenwriter and actor . He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed , many of which are today considered classics : The Maltese Falcon ( 1941 ) , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre ( 1948 ) , The Asphalt Jungle ( 1950 ) , The African Queen ( 1951 ) , The Misfits ( 1961 ) , Fat City ( 1972 ) and The Man Who Would Be King ( 1975 ) . During his 46-year career , Huston received 15 Oscar nominations , won twice , and directed both his father , Walter Huston , and daughter , Anjelica Huston , to Oscar wins in different films .   Huston was known to direct with the vision of an artist , having studied and worked as a fine art painter in Paris in his early years . He continued to explore the visual aspects of his films throughout his career : sketching each scene on paper beforehand , then carefully framing his characters during the shooting . While most directors rely on post-production editing to shape their final work , Huston instead created his films while they were being shot , making them both more economical and cerebral , with little editing needed .   Most of Huston 's films were adaptations of important novels , often depicting a `` heroic quest , '' as in Moby Dick , or The Red Badge of Courage . In many films , different groups of people , while struggling toward a common goal , would become doomed , forming `` destructive alliances , '' giving the films a dramatic and visual tension . Many of his films involved themes such as religion , meaning , truth , freedom , psychology , colonialism and war .   Before becoming a Hollywood filmmaker , he had been an amateur boxer , reporter , short-story writer , portrait artist in Paris , a cavalry rider in Mexico , and a documentary filmmaker during World War II . Huston has been referred to as `` a titan '' , `` a rebel '' , and a `` renaissance man '' in the Hollywood film industry . Author Ian Freer describes him as `` cinema 's Ernest Hemingway '' -- a filmmaker who was `` never afraid to tackle tough issues head on . '' Worked for Ethos Group .

neg: Myles Wilder Myles Wilder ( January 28 , 1933 - April 20 , 2010 ) was a television comedy writer and producer .   Wilder attended and graduated from UCLA 's Theater Arts Department . During his senior year , he and two of his friends , Mitch Rose and Wayne Thoms , produced a documentary entitled `` The Sports Car '' that depicted the history of and interest in sports cars . He later wrote for The Tim Conway Show , a 1970 situation comedy , and the 1977 situation comedy The San Pedro Beach Bums .   Wilders father was director-producer W. Lee Wilder ( 1904 -- 1982 ) , and his uncle was Oscar-winning director Billy Wilder ( 1906 -- 2002 ) .

neg: Film director A film director is a person who directs the making of a film . Generally , a film director controls a film 's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay ( or script ) while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision . The director has a key role in choosing the cast members , production design , and the creative aspects of filmmaking . Under European Union law , the director is viewed as the author of the film .   The film director gives direction to the cast and crew and creates an overall vision through which a film eventually becomes realized , or noticed . Directors need to be able to mediate differences in creative visions and stay within the boundaries of the film 's budget . There are many pathways to becoming a film director . Some film directors started as screenwriters , cinematographers , film editors or actors . Other film directors have attended a film school . Directors use different approaches . Some outline a general plotline and let the actors improvise dialogue , while others control every aspect , and demand that the actors and crew follow instructions precisely . Some directors also write their own screenplays or collaborate on screenplays with long-standing writing partners . Some directors edit or appear in their films , or compose the music score for their films .

neg: Our Town (1940 film) Our Town is a 1940 American drama romance film adaptation of a play of the same name by Thornton Wilder starring Martha Scott as Emily Webb , and William Holden as George Gibbs . The cast also included Fay Bainter , Beulah Bondi , Thomas Mitchell , Guy Kibbee and Frank Craven . It was adapted by Harry Chandlee , Craven and Wilder , and directed by Sam Wood .   The film was a faithful reproduction of the play except for two significant changes : the film used scenery , whereas the play had not ; the events of the third act , which in the play revolve around the death of one of the main characters , were turned into a dream from which Emily awakens -- she is then able to resume a normal life . Producer Sol Lesser worked with Wilder in creating these changes .   A radio adaptation of the film on Lux Radio Theater on May 6 , 1940 , used the altered film ending .   The U.S. copyright of the film was not renewed after its first term expired in 1968 . However , because it is a derivative work from a play that is still under U.S. copyright , it is not deemed to be in the public domain .